As heartbreaking as injuries are to the game, the LA Clippers have faced the same effect nearly every year since the free agent signing of two-way stud Kawhi Leonard. The exact sequence of events that transpired the last two seasons: attain a playoff spot, stars land on the sidelines, and what could have been a deep run ends early in the first round.
These tragedies extended to a point where the Clippers did not even make it to the postseason in 2022 despite being in the upper echelon of the play-in tournament. LA was already without Leonard, but after losing game one to the Timberwolves, co-star Paul George was reported as out due to safety protocols.
Moreover, this season, the San Antonio Spurs have encountered the challenges the Clippers have dealt with in the past. As the playoff race was not already hard for San Antonio as the 12th seed, 3.5 games behind 10th, injury news was released around their superstar big man.
Victor Wembanyama, who made the first all-star team of his career and was on pace to win Defensive Player of the Year, has suffered a season-ending injury. This is devastating news as San Antonio made a major deadline trade that would have boosted them into the Western Conference top ten.
Breaking: Victor Wembanyama is expected to miss the remainder of the season with deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder, the Spurs announced. pic.twitter.com/WnvCRd04qd
— ESPN (@espn) February 20, 2025
Furthermore, the news to Wembanyama will directly impact the Clippers through the season's conclusion.
Victor Wembanyama's injury news eliminates San Antonio as a potential play-in tournament matchup for the LA Clippers.
With Victor Wembanyama out for the year, the LA Clippers can remove the San Antonio Spurs from their list of possible play-in opponents. This is significant for head coach Tyronn Lue, as Wembanyama has shredded LA's impeccable defense multiple times this season.
In three matchups thus far, Wembanyama has averaged 24.7 points, 11.3 boards, 4.0 assists, 2.0 steals, and 5.0 blocks. His best performance was in their first battle of the year on November 4th, 2024. The Clippers won by nine points, but the French phenom posted 24 points, 13 rebounds, three assists, three steals, and nine blocks.
If the Clippers had dropped into the play-in and lost the first game, they would have seen San Antonio for the second, assuming the Spurs had won their matchup.
That said, San Antonio is likely out of the top-ten pursuit. They will lean on their one-time all-star, De'Aaron Fox, who has been exceptional in five contests. However, he may be unable to outrun teams like the Suns, Warriors, and Kings.