There is a great deal of excitement over Victor Wembanyama’s rookie season with the San Antonio Spurs, but don’t expect the Spurs to be extremely aggressive in their treatment of the No. 1 overall pick.
Several people within the NBA told Ric Bucher of FOX Sports that Wembanyama’s rookie season will likely involve a lot of load management on the part of the Spurs. One even suggested that Wembanyama might not play in back-to-backs as a rookie.
“He is only 19, and he needs developmental work for translation to the NBA,” a Western Conference scout told Bucher. “I would expect both load management and competition management. Spoon-feed him a cautious diet of challenges early in his career.”
One Eastern Conference executive also told Bucher that the expectation is that the Spurs will tightly monitor Wembanyama’s minutes and “not play him in back-to-back games.”
The idea of Wembanyama being managed so cautiously is going to be disappointing for fans and the league itself. The Spurs have never been particularly concerned about that, though, and their job is to make sure their new franchise player gets the opportunity to properly develop. Couple that with the work he has to do to adapt physically and it makes sense from San Antonio’s perspective.
If the Spurs do give Wembanyama a heavy dose of load management, the player himself might not be too pleased. Ultimately, the Spurs will do what they think is best no matter how anyone else feels about it.
