The last image of Victor Wembanyama’s 2023-2024 season will remain this clenched fist and this ball that he angrily threw against the ground after a snatched victory against the defending champion, the Denver Nuggets, Friday evening (121-120). Announced forfeit by the Spurs for the last meeting, scheduled for this Sunday at 2 p.m. (9 p.m. in France) in San Antonio against the Detroit Pistons, Wemby will therefore have unknowingly played the last match of his first NBA season against Nikola Jokic in a Frost Bank Center on fire.
Once again, it is officially to protect his ankle that his franchise decided to rest him. Since the start of the season, the Texan staff, and first and foremost coach Gregg Popovich, have feared back-to-backs like the plague, these matches played one day apart. Between the victory against the Nuggets on Friday evening, at 9 p.m., and the reception of the Pistons on Sunday at 2 p.m., there is a day and a half and the intractable San Antonio coach felt that it was not enough to allow his Frenchman to recover.
“How many minutes did he play? “, Falsely pleaded ignorance Popovich at a press conference Friday evening after the victory against the Nuggets. Wembanyama played 37 minutes against Denver. “I don’t know if he’s going to listen to me or not,” added Gregg Popovich. We’ll see but it’s a lot of minutes. » V
Obviously too much in the eyes of the experienced coach who would certainly find it too stupid to lose his player in a final match without any stakes. “I’m ready,” assured the Frenchman after the match. I fought all year to play and to fulfill my role for this team. » Victor Wembanyama will now be able to turn his attention to preparing for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
