It’s just a matter of days. Victor Wembanyama should soon make his comeback to the game. After 12 games of absence, he is expected for the NBA Cup semi-final in Las Vegas, on the night of Saturday to Sunday, suggested his San Antonio Spurs coach Mitch Johnson after the Spurs qualified.
Affected in the left calf since mid-November, the French basketball prodigy watched from the bench on Wednesday the success of the Spurs on the floor of the Los Angeles Lakers (132-119) in the quarter-finals.
However, he had participated in the warm-up under the eyes of his father and the general manager of the French team Boris Diaw.
So will he play the half against the Oklahoma City Thunder? “There is a good chance,” replied his coach Mitch Johnson after the meeting. “He had a good day, intense training in the morning, we’ll see how he reacts tomorrow (THURSDAY),” he added.
“Very very close” to a return
In a pre-match press conference, Johnson indicated that “Wemby” was “very, very close” to a return after resuming opposition in training, notably at five against five, a condition required by Spurs to give the green light.
Thanks to his teammates, “Wemby” can therefore consider returning to the courts in Las Vegas in a high-stakes match against the Thunder, reigning NBA champion, where Frenchie Ousmane Dieng plays. The latter actively participated in OKC’s show of force and qualification against the Suns (138-89) with 11 points.
The Orlando Magic and the New York Knicks will compete for the other ticket to the final, scheduled for early next week still in the gaming city.
Wembanyama, 21, saw his second NBA season end in mid-February due to venous thrombosis. After a successful start to the season, his left calf injury caused him to experience another setback. A parenthesis almost over.
