The San Antonio Spurs finally got Victor Wembanyama back in their NBA Cup semifinal win over the Oklahoma City Thunder after he missed multiple weeks with a calf strain.
Now, heading into the NBA Cup Final against the New York Knicks, the Spurs have a decision to make. There is the expectation that Wembanyama will play, but to what capacity is still unknown.
Reporting for ClutchPoints.com, Brett Siegel wrote that San Antonio head coach Mitch Johnson stayed a bit vague on how much his star will play in the team’s biggest game of the season so far, but the team will keep a close eye on his minutes.
“Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson says that the team will continue to keep an eye on Victor Wembanyama’s minutes. ‘We are still learning and we want to be very mindful of that,’“ Siegel wrote in a post on X, quoting the coach. “Johnson declined to answer if Wemby will come off the bench again on Tuesday against the Knicks.
Wembanyama came off the bench against the Thunder, playing a total of 21 minutes but finishing with 22 points, nine rebounds, two assists, and two blocks as he helped his team give OKC their second loss of the year.
Victor Wembanyama Injury Update, Status For NBA Cup Final
The Spurs understandably took their time with Wembanyama’s return from a calf strain, which could point to them once again playing it relatively safe in the NBA Cup Final. Though the game against the Thunder was his first back in nearly a month, San Antonio could have started and played him 30+ minutes, which they didn’t.
That should signal that the team isn’t putting winning the Cup ahead of Wembanyama’s long-term health. In facing Oklahoma City, they were already heavy underdogs, and if they wanted a better chance at victory, they would have played their star a lot more than 21 minutes. It all worked out well for them in the end, but a similar situation seems very feasible against the Knicks on Tuesday night.
After the win, Johnson said he was pleased with how Wembanyama played in his limited minutes, and with how strong the rest of the roster has played, keeping him healthy and on the bench for as long as possible would be a best-case scenario versus New York.
Along with getting Wembanyama back, the Spurs had a fully healthy roster for the semifinal, and expect to have the same for the Final. The playing time the franchise star will receive is uncertain, but if the OKC game is any indicator, Johnson will play him sparingly through most of the game, and put in the French center once clutch time hits.
Spurs Supporting Cast Playing Top-Tier
Despite not having one of the most impactful players in the league for multiple weeks in a row, the Spurs’ record didn’t take a massive hit. They had injuries to De’Aaron Fox and rookie Dylan Harper, but after getting both of them back and paired alongside Stephon Castle, San Antonio has had one of the top-performing backcourts over the past few games.
The Spurs are also one of only a few teams to rank in the top ten in net and offensive rating, and though their defensive numbers have slipped a bit, the return of Wembanyama will help that.
“The team just stayed focused. They are deep; they are very deep,” NBA analyst Dusty Garza said about the Spurs. “I wrote an essay that they look like a Marvel movie, you know, one hero goes down, another hero steps up.”
San Antonio is 18-7 and second in the West. Despite having the exact same record as the Knicks, they are slightly favored in the NBA Cup Final, even with Wembanyama’s uncertain minutes restriction and status in the starting lineup.
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