Victor Wembanyama missed last Thursday’s win at the Clippers because of a right ankle injury that has bothered him for multiple weeks. Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said after the game, “That ankle is still angry at him,” and suggested the decision to hold out the 22-year-old big man was precautionary.
The absence came on the second night of a back-to-back for San Antonio, a factor that made caution easier to justify. Wembanyama, a two-time All-Star, has been playing through discomfort while still putting up spectacular numbers lately, but the timing matters now because he needs to appear in two of San Antonio’s final four regular season games to qualify for major postseason awards. He has 62 appearances so far, leaving little margin for error.
That threshold is tight even by NBA standards. The league’s 65-game minimum remains the line for honors that can shape a player’s season-long case, and the NBA Cup final counts toward that total even though the statistics from that game are not officially recorded. For Wembanyama, the issue is no longer just whether the ankle will let him play; it is whether San Antonio can manage his health without closing off the awards path that remains within reach.
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The tension is straightforward. The Spurs have reason to protect a franchise cornerstone whose ankle has been an issue for weeks, but every game he misses narrows the margin. What happens in the final four games will decide whether Wembanyama’s season is judged only by his production — or also by an awards race he can still win if he gets back on the floor soon enough.
