Victor Wembanyama Continues Pushing To Play While Not Fully Healthy

Victor Wembanyama’s career will likely be defined by his health. Wembanyama is a force on the court that the NBA has never seen. He also has a body unlike any player ever. Due to his freakish build, Wembanyama will always be at high risk for injury. 

So far in Wembanyama's short career, injuries have certainly been a subject of focus. He was quite healthy in his rookie season, playing in 71 of 82 games. Last year, he missed about half the season with blood clot issues. This year, he has already missed 14 games with various ailments.

Of course, the Spurs organization is being extra careful with Wembanyama’s health. They are going to always prioritize his long-term health over bringing him back a few games early from whatever injury he is dealing with. This isn’t always aligned with Wembanyama’s wishes. 

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson spoke recently about Wembanyama consistently wanting to come back before the Spurs have officially cleared him. "The one thing that is very consistent is he's just very direct and straightforward. So, his pitch is always, 'I can play. I'm ready to go. I'm good to go.' So, you respect that, and you love that mentality and competitiveness. It also continues to remind us as an organization and the few people having those conversations with him that we have a duty to support him in a way that is in his best interest now and for a very long time because he's too important to this league. He deserves that."

Regular-season games in January aren’t the time for Wembanyama to be pushing himself to return early from an injury. Maybe if the Spurs are in an important playoff series, he can push it. Otherwise, Johnson is right. Wembanyama’s health is just too important to the Spurs and the NBA as a whole to risk anything with.