At 23-29, the Spurs occupy just the No. 12 seed in a crowded Western Conference. They are a scant 3.5 games behind the No. 10-seeded Golden State Warriors (28-27), but without their best player, they seem doomed now to miss the play-in tournament entirely and head straight for the lottery.

Perhaps Victor Wembanyama is due for a pleasant surprise. After his sophomore campaign — on pace to be much stronger than his rookie season — was cut short with a deep vein thrombosis diagnosis in his right shoulder, the San Antonio Spurs' lacking center depth was even more exposed than previously known.