After rampant discussion about his health, Victor Wembanyama suited up for the San Antonio Spurs’ home finale against the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night.
Wembanyama, 22, missed the Spurs’ previous game against the Portland Trail Blazers with a rib contusion injury he incurred Monday against the Philadelphia 76ers.
In that game, Wembanyama exited to the locker room for the second time in the first half after experiencing some discomfort. He missed the rest of the game in what was an eventual San Antonio win. But all that mattered was the status of Wembanyama’s health.
A rib contusion can keep a player sidelined for up to several weeks. Fortunately, Wembanyama’s injury was deemed more minor. After Monday’s game, head coach Mitch Johnson expressed confidence that Wembanyama’s injury wasn’t major and wouldn’t keep him out for an extended period.
GettySan Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama
That ended up being the reality, as Wembanyama took the floor Friday and rattled off 40 points in under 27 minutes of action.
But it was Wembanyama’s comments after the game that invited some trepidation in Spurs fans.
Victor Wembanyama Provides Update on Rib Injury
It appears the 22-year-old San Antonio star played less than 100% last night. His play on the court certainly didn’t show that, but Wembanyama didn’t hide the truth after the game.
When speaking to reporters postgame, Wembanyama admitted the rib injury affected him throughout the game.
“I tried to protect [the injured rib] as much as possible while still being respectful of the game,” Wembanyama said. “But it was OK. It didn’t bother me that much, just a few times where it was a specific moment or specific hit where it was painful.”
That last part will raise some eyebrows. It is clear that Wembanyama isn’t yet back to full strength and risked playing to earn postseason awards eligibility.
There isn’t anything wrong with wanting to be considered for postseason honors. In fact, Wembanyama playing last night was probably the smarter move than resting against Dallas and playing in the season finale against the Denver Nuggets in an intense, playoff-level game.
Perhaps this suggests Wembanyama won’t play Sunday to give himself plenty of rest entering Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs, which starts next weekend.
Spurs Cannot Afford Anything Less Than a 100% Healthy Wembanyama
What good would such a promising season do if Wembanyama starts the playoffs hobbled. San Antonio needs him at full strength and at his best even in the first round. The Western Conference playoffs are no joke.
Wembanyama has battled injuries on and off in his three NBA seasons. History shows that men of Wembanyama’s size mightily struggle to stay healthy, but the Spurs are hopeful Wembanyama will be the outlier.
His sophomore season was cut short due to a blood clot. This season, Wembanyama has dealt with more minor ailments but enough to keep him out of 15 games thus far.
There’s a strong possibility Wembanyama and other Spurs’ starters won’t play Sunday, but the official injury report to be released this evening will tell who plays and who doesn’t.
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