The San Antonio Spurs’ rising superstar and future face of the league, Victor Wembanyama, will miss the remainder of the 2024-25 regular season due to deep vein thrombosis in his shoulder.
What exactly does this injury mean? How are the Spurs’ playoff chances affected? And what will happen to the Defensive Player of the Year award, for which he was a frontrunner?
Read below for a full breakdown of the unfortunate and untimely Wembanyama injury.
Wembanyama Injury: Out For The Rest Of 2024-25 Season
On Thursday morning, it was announced that Wembanyama would be out for the rest of his sophomore campaign due to deep vein thrombosis in his shoulder.
While fans in the medical field might be aware of deep vein thrombosis, the condition might not be commonly understood elsewhere.
Simply put, it is a blood clot in his shoulder.
This type of blood clot can damage organs, so it makes sense that the Spurs will shut down Wembanyama for the remainder of the season.
Potential Impact On Spurs’ Playoff Chances
Despite acquiring star point guard De’Aaron Fox before the trade deadline and the emergence of rookie Stephon Castle, the Spurs do not have enough talent without Wemby to make a late-season push for the playoffs.
Losing Wembanyama and lacking the necessary frontcourt depth outside of him to remain competitive will be too much for this team to overcome.
Jeremy Sochan, who is primarily a forward, and reserve center Charles Bassey will be tapped for tick at the center position; however, they will be substantially undersized and undermanned.
Currently, the Spurs are 3.5 games out of the final play-in spot (10th place), which would already be an uphill climb to that point.
At this point, expect the Spurs to feel comfortable with a “soft tank” for the remainder of the season, especially since they have their first-round pick this year.
Wembanyama Injury: DPOY Betting Implications
As a result of the Wembanyama injury, the Defensive Player of the Year odds have drastically shifted.
Since Wembanyama has not appeared in at least 65 games, he will be ineligible for the Defensive Player of the Year award, per the NBA’s new 65-game rule for individual awards.
While some players, including Nikola Jokic, have scrutinized these rules’ mandatory requirements, they will still be enforced this season, resulting in another player winning the award.
With the Wemby news dropping, the odds of the Defensive Player of the Year have shifted dramatically, as the Memphis Grizzlies’ Jaren Jackson Jr has become the favorite (-115) to win the award.
Evan Mobley (+105) is the only other player within striking distance of Jackson Jr, as the next-closest odds favorite is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at +1900.
Mobley or Jackson Jr. for DPOY?
Thus far, Mobley has averaged 1.5 blocks and 0.9 steals per game and has an individual defensive rating of 108.0. The Cavaliers boast a 111.5 defensive rating as a team.
On the other hand, Jackson Jr has recorded 1.6 blocks and 1.3 steals per game and holds an individual rating of 108.8, slightly worse than Mobley’s mark.
However, the Grizzlies have a better defensive rating (110.9) than the Cavs.
It will be a tight race until the end of the season, and team performance will likely be a significant factor in which player walks away with the Defensive Player of the Year award.
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