MEMPHIS, Tenn. — San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama will make his return Tuesday against the Memphis Grizzlies after sitting out the past two games because of a bone bruise in his left knee, coach Mitch Johnson said.
Similar to the recovery process from a calf strain that sidelined him for 12 games earlier this season, Wembanyama will come off the bench against the Grizzlies and play under a minutes restriction.
“He put in a lot of work and we’ve seen enough and felt [comfortable] enough to give it a go,” Johnson said. “We’ll be extremely mindful of this situation as we have been and will continue to be. It’s just going to be one of those living, breathing kind of situations that we’re going to continue to balance until we don’t. And I would guess that won’t be [just] this season.”
Wembanyama will be listed as questionable for Wednesday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers, according to a source. He’s expected to play against the Lakers if he comes out of Tuesday’s game in good health without any residual soreness.
Wembanyama suffered the knee injury in a New Year’s Eve loss to the New York Knicks while battling under the basket to secure a rebound in between Karl-Anthony Towns and Jordan Clarkson. Upon landing on the court, Wembanyama immediately grabbed his left knee and winced in pain as teammate Stephon Castle stepped in to help up Wembanyama.
Wembanyama sat out the rest of the game, and an MRI the next day showed that the center did not sustain any ligament damage to the knee he hyperextended.
Wembanyama has now sat out 14 games because of injuries and can sit out only four more before he loses eligibility for postseason awards. Johnson was asked whether the league’s 65-game rule has ever been a consideration as Wembanyama pushed from behind the scenes to return.
“There’s a lot of variables that are in the mix, right?” Johnson said. “That’s one of them. I don’t know what the word is. I think it’s ‘real.’ I think Victor being [22] is real. I think this team being at the early part of its journey is real. I think the success we’ve had, whether it was expected or not, is real.
“So, yes. What is the priority of all of that? I do know his long-term health and making sure we keep that kid from himself in terms of his competitiveness. We want him to be healthy for years, not for just trying to win the next couple of games. I do know that. All the other stuff, I think it’s real. I just don’t know where it all falls. That’s why we continuously have these conversations, and we don’t put anything in stone.”
Wembanyama sat out 12 games earlier this season because of a left calf strain and returned to the Spurs’ lineup Dec. 13 during the semifinal round of the NBA Cup against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Frenchman came off the bench in his first six games after the injury before making his first start Dec. 27 in a loss to the Utah Jazz.
Johnson acknowledged that Wembanyama had tried on multiple occasions to talk the staff into letting him return.
Wembanyama leads San Antonio in scoring (24.0), rebounding (11.6) and blocks (3.0).
“The one thing that is very consistent is he’s just very direct and straightforward,” Johnson said. “So, his pitch is always, ‘I can play. I’m ready to go. I’m good to go.’ So, you respect that, and you love that mentality and competitiveness. It also continues to remind us as an organization and the few people having those conversations with him that we have a duty to support him in a way that is in the best interest of him now and for a very long time because he’s too important to this league. He deserves that.”