After nearly a month out due to a left calf strain, Victor Wembanyama is expected to return for the San Antonio Spurs in Saturday’s NBA Cup semifinal in Las Vegas against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Wembanyama was listed as probable on Friday’s Spurs injury report.
After the Spurs’ 132-119 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Cup quarterfinals on Wednesday, coach Mitch Johnson expressed optimism that the big man could return in time for Saturday’s game against the Thunder.
“He had a really good day today,” Johnson said. “He had a good day this morning, and we’ll have to see how he responds and reacts tomorrow.”
Wembanyama was injured during the Spurs’ game against the Golden State Warriors on November 14. San Antonio went 9-3 without its 21-year-old franchise face, who averaged 26.2 points, 12.9 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.6 blocks in 12 games this season.
If he returns, the Spurs will be fully healthy for the first time this season. It comes just in time for a matchup against the defending champion Thunder, who at 24-1 have tied the best 25-game start in NBA history.
During the Spurs’ shootaround Wednesday morning before the NBA Cup quarterfinal, Wembanyama tested his calf by jumping on force plates, which measure impact data during a player’s jumps and landings to help determine whether he is moving with enough impact and whether there are imbalances in his lower body. He and the surrounding staff seemed happy enough with the results, a precursor to the Spurs medical staff giving him the green light to play.
While Wembanyama warmed up before games this week, the routine was more abbreviated and lower intensity than usual. Spurs insisted they would not rush him, even for a game they clearly enjoy. The franchise is taking a cautious approach to the injury schedule, particularly those involving its 7-4 franchise cornerstone.
For the Spurs to get past the Thunder, they will need Wembanyama to blend into the fast-paced offense that has thrived without him. The Spurs maintained they wanted to play in transition as much as possible early in the season, but the offense got bogged down at times trying to learn to play through Wembanyama. Once De’Aaron Fox returned from a hamstring strain and took control of the offense, everything started to come together, even without Wembanyama.
But the Spurs can’t reach a high enough level to knock the Thunder off their 16-game winning streak without Wembanyama fitting in perfectly.
