Injured San Antonio Spurs All-Star Victor Wembanyama, aka Wemby, appeared in “good spirits” in the locker room after Sunday night’s game against the Sacramento Kings, according to ESPN’s Michael C. Wright.
“Saw Victor Wembanyama in the locker room last night and he had a small sleeve on that injured calf,” Wright reported on X on Monday.
“Didn’t look like he was in any discomfort and was in good spirits. But as y’all know, the Spurs will always err on the side of caution – especially with a calf strain.”
Wemby missed Sunday’s game with a calf strain after appearing in each of the Spurs’ first 12 games. It was initially believed he was day-to-day with the injury, but ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Monday that the French phenom would be sidelined for a few weeks.
Wemby Sidelined for 2-3 Weeks
Wright backed up the reporting by noting that the Spurs are being extra-cautious with Wemby’s injury due to recent risks posed by calf injuries.
“League source says Spurs will re-evaluate Victor Wembanyama in 2-3 weeks. He’ll be out at least 2 weeks,” reported the Spurs beat writer.
“Spurs are being especially cautious given all the calf injuries we’ve seen lately turn into something worse. For what it’s worth, I’m told Vic feels fine.”
After Sunday’s game, Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson cited Tyrese Haliburton’s recent Achilles injury and made it clear the team won’t rush Wemby back.
“[With] calf tightness, there are certain things that you don’t want it to be a gateway thing or anything like that,” he said of Wemby’s injury. “So, you just need to be clear on what’s going on out of precaution here.”
Why Spurs Can Play it Safe
Having started the season 9-4, the Spurs are not hard-pressed to rush players back from injuries, especially not their franchise star. In Sunday’s game, they beat the Kings, 123-110, without Wemby and Stephon Castle (hip), who did not play the second half.
Luke Kornet, a solid backup center, did nicely in his first assignment as Wemby’s replacement on Sunday, finishing with 13 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks in the 123-110 victory. According to Wright, the Spurs will continue to start Kornet, whom they acquired in the offseason specifically to back up Wembanyama.
“San Antonio specifically targeted Kornet in free agency to anchor the team’s frontcourt during the minutes when Wembanyama is off the floor. Kornet finished with a plus/minus of plus-13 in the win over the Kings.
“Veteran Kelly Olynyk will also likely see an increase in minutes in Wembanyama’s absence, along with Bismack Biyombo.”
Despite Wemby’s injury, the Spurs are a dangerous team, with the returning De’Aaron Fox fitting in nicely and rookie star Dylan Harper on the verge of a comeback.
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