Victor Wembanyama is set to miss the next several weeks for the San Antonio Spurs with a calf strain. However, one of the biggest silver linings with this situation is the fact that Wemby and De'Aaron Fox have already logged more minutes on the hardwood together this season than they did all of last season.
Yes, you heard me correctly. A recent article by The Athletic's Law Murray pointed out that Fox and Wembanyama only played 120 minutes together last season after Fox was acquired ahead of the trade deadline. This season, they have already played 123 minutes together. This may not be groundbreaking information, but it's not nothing.
What this primarily means is that the Spurs' star duo has already been able to establish a solid baseline and muscle memory of how to play alongside each other before Victor ultimately went down with his injury. So San Antonio was able to get a bit of a head start on establishing their chemistry before this untimely injury hit.
Wemby and Fox have already played more together this season than last
When Fox and Wembanyama share the floor, De'Aaron averages 21.1 points per game and 6.9 assists. We have seen how these two complement each other, and the numbers only served to support that notion. The injury to San Antonio's best player hurts, but the Spurs may have developed enough cohesion between their two cornerstones to absorb this setback a bit better than expected.
There's no way around the fact that losing Wembanyama hurts. The Spurs will have a harder time winning games without him, but it will also force them to figure out what they can do without him that much more. With number one off the court, San Antonio can experiment more with the rotations, and stress test their depth without truly sacrificing long-term chemistry.
When Victor does finally return to action, it won't be like reintegrating him will be some sort of major adjustment. This team and especially De'Aaron Fox already understands how they need to play alongside him, and being without him for a little bit will only make them more battle tested.
Wembanyama's early season performance was proof of his otherworldly impact, but the calf strain is also a reminder of just how quickly things can change in the NBA. Life without him won't be easy, but De'Aaron Fox already knows exactly what he has to do once his superstar teammate returns. And in the meantime, the rest of the roster will only be growing stronger as a unit.