The San Antonio Spurs are taking a cautious approach with star rookie Victor Wembanyama’s ankle injury. According to Spurs’ head coach Gregg Popovich, Wembanyama has been put on minutes restriction that will cause him to miss back-to-backs in the upcoming weeks.
Wembanyama hurt his ankle after stepping on a ball boy’s foot during warm-ups ahead of last week’s game against the Dallas Mavericks. He ended up missing the Mavs game out of precaution and returned for a pair of games before sitting out Friday’s back-to-back against the Portland Trail Blazers.
“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 clarified in a chat with reporters.
Wembanyama has been as good as advertised in his first season in the NBA. He is averaging 18.8 points and 10.4 in 2023-24, while his 3.2 blocks per game are leading the league.
In Thursday’s 105-118 win over the Blazers, the 19-year-old had 30 points, six rebounds, six assists and seven blocks. The only other rookies to have at least 30 points, five assists, and five blocks in a single game were Spurs’ legends David Robinson and Tim Duncan.
Despite Wembanyama’s exceptional performances, the Spurs have been enduring a disappointing season. They are currently at the bottom of the Western Conference with a 5-26 record.
