Victor Wembanyama took another step towards his apparent destiny as one of the best players in the NBA in his sophomore season, earning All-Star honors and was a near-lock for Defensive Player of the Year at the All-Star break. However, all of that got derailed this week when he returned to San Antonio and noted he had some shoulder discomfort, which led to a diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis that ended his season.
A blood clot is a very scary situation, but the Spurs are optimistic they caught it early and it will be an isolated incident, with Brandon Ingram providing a recent example of a similar situation that had a positive outcome. One of the biggest challenges for Wembanyama will be having to step away from the game he loves for an extended period as he awaits clearance from doctors to return to the court. Kevin Durant knows that feeling all too well, having missed a season with a torn Achilles that, while a very different injury, also requires a lot of recovery time to take place before you can get back to doing anything basketball related.
On Thursday, after the Suns lost to the Spurs, Durant was asked about Wembanyama’s situation and any advice he’d give to the young star.
“That’s tough to deal with initially, but as weeks and months go past you just kind of deal with the [new] normal and understand what you’re getting yourself into. Be patient, I mean that’s the most you can do,” Durant said. “You can’t get back on the court, being upset about it’s not going to do much for you. So, get in tune with yourself a little bit more, find some more Legos to put together, read a couple of books, and then when it’s time to get back on the court and start working out and stuff, lock in. I think he’ll be fine. It’s tough mentally not playing the game, but when you understand what’s a head and focus on each and every day it’ll make it a little easier.”
Durant isn’t one to sugarcoat things, but it’s also some sage advice. There isn’t anything you can do to expedite the recovery process when it comes to something like a blood clot. There aren’t more weights you can lift or extra things you can really do like with, say, an ankle sprain, it’s just a matter of being patient and doing what the doctors say. Durant, who is as much of a basketball sicko as anyone, knows how hard it is to step away from the game, but as he notes, Wembanyama should have a lot of basketball ahead of him still and can use this time to look inward a bit, find some things to fill the time, focus on doing what he has to each day, and then when that clearance does come get back to doing what he does best.
