Wembanyama dispels injury concerns in latest viral video
The San Antonio Spurs lucked into landing Victor Wembanyama with the first overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft this summer, and he provides the franchise a cornerstone to build around as they shift into the next phase of their rebuilding process. Though numerous analysts have heralded the 19-year-old as one of the most promising prospects in basketball history, some fans are still concerned about his incredibly slight frame potentially hindering the longevity of his career.
Wembanyama stands 7-foot-3 with an eight-foot wingspan, making him one of the tallest and longest players in the league. However, the rookie only weighs in at 225 pounds, which leaves him in the same category as disproportionately slender bigs like Chet Holmgren, Aleksej Pokusevski, and Bol Bol, who have all experienced significant injury-related setbacks in their first couple of seasons.
Despite entering the association with skepticism surrounding how his body will handle the physicality of defending traditional centers, Wembanyama has spent countless hours preparing for the wear and tear of an 82-game regular season schedule. The French phenom shared an intriguing video on social media over the weekend, and his unreal flexibility should dispel doubts about his durability.
Wembanyama can contort his limbs into seemingly impossible angles for someone of his size thanks to the thorough stretching exercises that go into his injury-prevention routine. The towering teen has dedicated the last several years to this maintenance plan, and the Spurs are doing their due diligence to field versatile lineups with personnel who can take defensive pressure off his shoulders.
San Antonio will reportedly start Zach Collins at center and slide Wembanyama to power forward this season to help the rookie acclimate to the NBA. Rather than taking a beating from frontcourt bruisers inside the paint on a nightly basis, Victor will have the freedom to roam around the hardwood and use his remarkable measurables to offer weakside rim protection and create chaos in the passing lanes.