Spurs say that the 21-year-old Victor Wembanyama is OUT for Monday’s match-up with the Sacramento Kings. He is unavailable since he tightened up in his calf. Most recently, his stellar performance in a rugged, physical NBA Cup semifinal loss to the Golden State Warriors on Friday proved to be the final straw. He touched the floor for 38 minutes, but made his presence felt with 26 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks.
During that debut performance against the Warriors, Wembanyama scored 25 or more points and pulled down 10-plus boards. This is the third straight game he’s accomplished that, matching the longest streak of his young career. As a result, this season he has been an absolute force on the court. All of these developments have coincided with him averaging career-highs of 26.2 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game. Furthermore, his league-leading 3.6 blocks per game average emphasizes his two-way capabilities.
Good denial of Wembanyama’s minutes has been lately, the Spurs decided to err on the side of Wembanyama’s health. In his twice-a-week media availability, head coach Mitch Johnson said the biggest worry is calf tightness.
“Again, [with] calf tightness, there are certain things that you don’t want it to be a gateway thing or anything like that,” – Mitch Johnson
The choice to rest Wembanyama is not because he got hurt during that game vs the Warriors. In reality, there was no report of injury stemming from that game. Teammate Joe Harper has been undercut by a calf injury since November 2. Due to this unique situation, it has pulled attention to some calf injuries among the team.
“So, you just need to be clear on what’s going on out of precaution here.” – Mitch Johnson
With Wembanyama ruled out, Luke Kornet draws the start in Wembanyama’s place against the Kings. The Spurs did not say if the early 11 a.m. tip-off time for Sunday’s matinee matchup played into their decision to rest Wembanyama.
Wembanyama is his rookie season to be completed in the NBA. His recovery and future contributions to the team are both highly anticipated by fans and teammates alike. Johnson said the situation was getting better overall, which is always encouraging to hear as you go through that process.
As Wembanyama continues his third season in the NBA, both fans and teammates are optimistic about his recovery and future contributions to the team. Johnson noted that Wembanyama’s condition is improving, providing some reassurance as they navigate this period.
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