Spurs' Gregg Popovich Shares Update on Victor Wembanyama's Minutes Restriction
San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama has been on a minutes restriction since tweaking his ankle in pregame warmups against the Dallas Mavericks on Dec. 23, but has hardly been slowed down as a result.
The cautious approach by the organization has seen Wembanyama sit out one side of back-to-backs while playing no more than 27 minutes in the 10 games since the injury.
Wembanyama has missed six games this season, including Friday night's 124-120 loss at the Charlotte Hornets. But prior to the game, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich provided an update on Wemby’s minutes restriction.
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"It'll probably change very soon, but for right now we still have to abide by that restriction,” Popovich said.
While Wemby was listed as out to rest, Popovich said that “It's not rest, it's doctor's orders” when referring to his injury designation. However, the star rookie will return when the Spurs visit the Washington Wizards on Saturday in the second night of their back-to-back. Based on Popovich’s comments, perhaps this is the game Wemby proves to the team that he’s ready to shed his minutes restriction.
This season, Wembanyama is leading the Spurs in scoring (19.8), rebounds (10.1) and blocks (3.1). Once he’s able to potentially play up to 40 minutes in a game, it’ll be a scary thought for opposing teams to imagine the kind of numbers he could put up on both ends of the floor on a nightly basis.
The Spurs and Wizards will tip-off from Capital One Arena tonight at 6 p.m. CT.
