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It took them a little longer than expected, but the San Antonio Spurs are finally playing it safely with Victor Wembanyama.
The reigning No. 1 pick was listed as questionable ahead of their game vs. the Atlanta Hawks with hip tightness, and while he was able to play through it, it seems like they won’t take any chances.
Following the game, Greg Popovich confirmed that the Spurs are likely to sit him out for tonight’s matchup vs. the New Orleans Pelicans as a precaution (Via Hector Ledesma and ClutchPoints).
“We’re trying to protect [Victor Wembanyama]. He may not play tomorrow [vs. the Pelicans]. We’ll see how he came out of this one.”
Gregg Popovich on Wemby who was listed as questionable before the Spurs’ matchup against the Hawks due to hip tightness.
(via @HectorLedesmaTV) pic.twitter.com/oLy4cVUjRE
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 1, 2023
Wemby didn’t look limited at all, logging 21 points and 12 rebounds in 29 minutes in a two-point loss vs. Quin Snyder’s team, but the Spurs are doing the right thing here.
They’re not competitive at all right now, and that’s not likely to change overnight, so there’s no point in risking their most valuable asset in a meaningless game early in December.
Wembanyama has been quite impressive in his first campaign in the league, but injury concerns won’t go away any time soon with a player of his frame.
The Spurs are doing the right thing by managing his minutes and his workload and spoon-feeding him into real game action, and that could be key to his long-term success.
The Pelicans should have no trouble getting past the Spurs with or without their stellar rookie, so this was pretty much a scheduled loss for them anyway.
This season was always about player development, and while the results haven’t been there, Spurs fans have to be excited about what they’ve seen thus far.
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