Resting star/superstar players during multiple stretches to protect them long-term has been a strategy for the last few years. There have been both advocates and critics of the load management era in the NBA. Gregg Popovich, the San Antonio Spurs Head Coach, was amongst the ones who started this trend to extend the careers of Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, and Manu Ginobili. Now every team practices it, however, it is in effect even when the player is younger in age. 

Now that he has gotten a dream project in Victor Wembanyama, how will the veteran coach go about it?

The Spurs can go all in on Victor Wembanyama

Popovich will love to see a long career for Wemby. Now that the coach has signed a five-year $80 million deal, he is here to stay for the foreseeable future. He has been a coach for 50 years now and has been a head coach for the Spurs  since 1996. He has seen many careers make or break in front of him, so there is no better person to manage someone like The Alien.

In another humongous report by Fox Sports, after the Popovich extension, the San Antonio Spurs are already looking for handing him a massive $360 million contract once his rookie contract is done. As per a Western Conference Scout, “Since the Spurs will be paying him a $350 million max contract in a few years. If anyone in the NBA takes issue with that, they will tell them to f*** off.“.

He has already signed a $55 million rookie contract for four years. The pay scale initially is going to be around $12 million, but will jump to around $17 million once he reaches the end of his contract. This is already an enormous sum for a rookie. Therefore, a big payday is certain after that. This shows how highly they value the star and how much they trust him.

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The team wants to be cautious with the budding Star

Standing at about seven-foot-five-inch, Wemby is a high risk in terms of injury. The Spurs are far away from being a high-quality squad and currently are in rebuild mode.  Therefore, it may not make much sense to make him play all the games. If a player of his size catches injuries early in his career, then it can set a dangerous precedent. That’s why they shut him down after just two games in the Summer League.

The example of Zion Williamson, who went all-out since his rookie year is prominent. He has played just one-third of the possible games and now is struggling to get back in game shape. Therefore, the veteran coach and the coveted franchise are going to be careful with the French sensation.

Watch this story: 24 Hours After a Promising NBA Summer League Performance, Victor Wembanyama’s Latest Update Leaves the NBA World Jaw Dropped