The San Antonio Spurs are exercising caution with their world-class rookie Victor Wembanyama. Before he was drafted, the main concern surrounding him as a prospect was whether or not his body could handle the physicality of life in the NBA, and it seems so far that he absolutely can.
In a December 11th matchup with the Houston Rockets, Wembanyama rolled his ankle in what looked to be a serious injury, but he walked it off as if it didn’t happen, remaining in the game, much to the amazement of his teammates.
On Saturday, he rolled his ankle again during warmups, tripping over a Dallas Mavericks’ ball boy, and was pulled from the lineup minutes before tipoff. It was later revealed that there was no serious injury, but the Spurs will be exercising some load management with Wembanyama, and he will sit out one of the games in the upcoming back-to-back series in Portland.
When asked about how his ankle is holding up, Wembanayma assured reporters that there is no injury. “It was fine. No pain, no discomfort,” he said. “I didn’t play (in Dallas) as precaution, not actual hurt. It was more fear than anything bad, so it’s all good…my career is bigger than a game against Dallas.”
The decision to rest him against Dallas and in the upcoming game in Portland is not a decision that Wembanyama is fully behind, saying “If it were up to me, I’d play every game,” but he has full faith and trust in the Spurs’ medical staff.
This season, the Spurs are off to a 4-25 start, so winning games is clearly not a priority. Preserving and developing their young talent is, and Wemby is at the center of San Antonio’s future plans.
More must-reads: