It’s been a tough year for the San Antonio Spurs thus far, as they currently sit at 5-27 on the year, placing them in last place in the Western Conference. Luckily for Spurs fans, Victor Wembanyama has been the shining light of the season, bringing hope of a better future to a team that has missed the playoffs in four straight seasons for the first time ever.
Unfortunately, before the Spurs’ recent game against the Dallas Mavericks, Wembanyama landed on a Dallas employee’s foot, turning his ankle. Wembanyama didn’t suffer a serious injury, but it was enough to put the team on notice.
Head coach Gregg Popovich provided an update on Wembanyama this past Friday, noting that his absence against the Mavericks was “mandated.”
“He’s got a minutes restriction and he can’t play back-to-backs for a couple of weeks until they take another picture and check out his foot again,” Popovich said via ESPN.
Victor Wembanyama aggravated his sore right ankle after stepping on a Mavs employee during warmups.
Hope he’s okay 🙏pic.twitter.com/rZo5yugfGz
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 24, 2023
Wembanyama has appeared in three games since he missed the Mavericks contest, but he hasn’t surpassed the 25-minute mark in any of them.
Popovich also noted that Wembanyama wasn’t too happy when he got hurt.
“When we sat him in Dallas, he wasn’t happy, but I’m glad he wasn’t happy,” Popovich said. “He’s a competitor. All these guys at this level, they didn’t get here by being noncompetitive. So, he’d rather be playing. It frustrates him more than anything.”
The Spurs want Wembanyama to play as much as possible this season, but in order to protect the long-term future of the franchise, taking any and all injuries as seriously as possible will be crucial.
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