Why Is Victor Wembanyama Not Playing Tonight? Coach Pop Reveals Spurs’ Precautionary Measures vs OKC

Victor Wembanyama has been stepping up to his expectations. While the Spurs as a whole haven’t proved to be particularly in the best place this season, Wemby has showcased his skills throughout the year. With each game, he gets better. The 7’4 young big man is averaging 21.3 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 3.6 blocks per game while going 46.5% from the field. But he has been falling prey to injuries of late.

December alone showed three incidents of him rolling his ankle in 12 days. San Antonio put him immediately on a minutes restriction and held him off back-to-backs for a month. It seems like they are doing the same now. In the wake of a back-to-back tonight with the OKC Thunder, Pop revealed why Wemby won’t be suiting up. The coach said that Wemby wasn’t too happy with the turn of events. “He wants to be out there, but I am looking at the long view.” 

He further admitted that the Spurs’ last back-to-back made little to no sense to him. “If something did happen, I would have to look in the mirror and say, ‘What the hell were you thinking?’” Ultimately, it seems like the French forward-center is seeing things from the coach’s shoes.

“He’s smart enough to understand that (it’s a long-view decision) even though he doesn’t like it, and that’s where we are,” Pop finished. Well, the French phenom’s eagerness is understandable. He came into the league with as much, if not more, expectations in his then-19-year-shoulders as LeBron James. Surprisingly, Wemby has never shown in the slightest that the pressure and scrutiny is getting to him. He remains calm and collected, focusing on improving his skill set.

The last Wemby missed a game was March 25 vs. the Suns due to a left ankle sprain. More recently, he did roll his ankle on April 5, squaring off against the Pelicans, but Wembanyama managed to finish the game.

OKC thrashed Victor Wembanyama-less Spurs!

Tonight’s matchup ended in an 89-127 loss to the Thunder. Of course, it wasn’t surprising, given that they were playing against the third-seeded West Conference team. With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (26-5-6) running the ship, Josh Giddey (20-7-12) right behind him, and Chet Holmgren (9-2-6) doing his bit, it was pretty much a done deal.

With Victor Wembanyama unavailable, the Spurs were severely under-par. The team missed its first seven shots of the night, only recording 11 points in the first quarter that already handed a major lag. Zach Collins led the line against OKC and the bottom-seeded team witnessed a season-low 33.3% from the floor. Those who were looking forward to the clash of the top rookies of the year were also left disappointed.

Read More: Despite Crushing Shaquille O’Neal and LeBron James, Victor Wembanyama Refuses to Celebrate His Feat