The San Antonio Spurs suffered a significant blow with Victor Wembanyama’s season-ending injury. However, one of his teammates assured that this setback will not alter the team’s objectives for the remainder of the 2024-25 NBA campaign.
Victor Wembanyama, the undisputed top star of the San Antonio Spurs, is set to miss the rest of the season due to deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder. Although this news was undoubtedly a blow to the team, Julian Champagnie sent a clear message about the direction the team will take moving forward this season.
“I definitely think that with or without Vic, our goal has to be the same,” Julian Champagnie said in a recent interview with ClutchPoints. “I think being in the position that we’re in where we’re not out of the picture, we can still fight and figure something out. I think that’s what every guy in this locker room still wants to do and not throw this season away.”
The Spurs currently sit 13th in the NBA‘s Western Conference standings with a 24-32 record. However, they are still holding on to hopes of securing a postseason berth. Above them are the Portland Trail Blazers, Phoenix Suns, and the Sacramento Kings, who currently hold the final Play-In spot with a 29-28 record.
“It sucks that we had to hear that our guy is done for the season,” Julian Champagnie acknowledged, referring to Wembanyama’s absence. “We have to still finish it out without him. It’s tough and we feel for him. At the end of the day, he wants what we want. To go out there and hoop. We’ve got to finish out strong.”
Wembanyama remains committed to the team
Despite not being physically with his teammates as he focuses on his recovery, Victor Wembanyama remains committed to the San Antonio Spurs. “He texted us wishing us luck before that first game and he texted us after the game. He’s just as locked in as we are just from afar,” Champagnie explained.
“I definitely think it sucks and we need him and we want him to be on the court, but we’ve got to go out there and figure it out,” the 23-year-old shooting guard later said. “I think he would say the same thing.”
The Spurs’ adjustments without Wembanyama
Given Victor Wembanyama’s immense impact on both ends of the court, the San Antonio Spurs’ offensive and defensive strategies were heavily shaped by his presence. Without him, the team has had to implement several adjustments, though some still require fine-tuning.
“We changed up our pick and roll stuff, the way we were playing pick-and-roll defensively, because he’s not there back there,” Champagnie explained. “We’ve got to help each other, being low, being in that shift. It’s different when we have a guy who’s 7-foot-5 to back you up. We don’t have that now.”
Despite the challenges, the point guard expressed confidence in the team’s ability to adjust: “I thought we did a pretty good job of preparing for what it’s going to be like. So when we get to the games, I don’t think there’s as much of an adjustment considering that we already spoke about it, already prepared for it.”
