Wembanyama: Return to Play in Vegas – Updates & Analysis

The Frenchman will return to action on Saturday after a month of absence due to a left calf injury.

Impatient after a month of watching his team “from the sofa”, Victor Wembama. “ready” for his return, Saturday December 13, in the semi-final of the NBA Cup in Las Vegas, a decisive match whose pressure seems to him “natural”. Black tank top and sweatpants, gray sleeve on his right arm, Wembanyama, his head perched at 2.24 m which protrudes in the middle of the scrum, leads the collective cry at the end of San Antonio Spurs training, Friday, December 12, in the T-Mobile Arena in the city of Nevada.

On Saturday, the Texans face the formidable Oklahoma City Thunder in the semifinals of the NBA Cup. Barring a last minute mishap, Wembanyama will return to competition after a month off (12 matches) for a left calf injury, having already missed the end of last season for a venous thrombosis.

“I feel good and I’m ready”assured the 21-year-old Frenchman during a press conference that began 8 minutes late, the exception of a day regulated to the millimeter, the privilege of a superstar returning sweaty from a cardio exercise.

In front of around forty journalists, “Wemby” explained how hard it had been to watch the last month “from the sofa”, despite an injury which did not cause “almost no pain”. “It was hard to see the team on the road, experiencing things, growing up. I was champing at the bit for a long time but it’s over,” he smiled.

The Frenchman did “trust” to the Spurs medical team, known for its caution, admitting that it would be “come back early” if the decision had been solely in his hands. “I trusted but I am the most attentive injured person in the world. I want to see all the images, all the analyses, I want to make sure that there is no negligence,” he half-joked.

His return will be monitored, since his time will be limited on Saturday despite his burning desire, explained his coach Mitch Johnson, who expects “fatigue” at his French jewel. “We want players with a competitive spirit who are hungry for matches, but it’s also our job, at the medical level, in the organization of the staff, to play bad guys,” if circumstances require it, added Gregg Popovich’s successor.

On Saturday, the challenge will be immense against the Thunder, undefeated for 16 matches and at the head of a record record since the start of the season (24 wins – 1 loss). But the Spurs have “exceeded expectations” since the restart, launched the Spurs player, De’Aaron Fox, with a 5th place in the West (17-7). “We managed to play well without him (Wembanyama), but his return will help us offensively and defensively, we want him to stay himself,” added the All-Star point guard.

The Frenchman’s return against Oklahoma City promises to be brutal, even if the match format seems to him to be a chopping block. “natural”. “I have experienced a lot with the national team, among the youth, in the French Championship. I trust myself, my unconscious has proven to me over the years that I do not need to think too much about the finals or the semi-finals,” developed the silver medalist of the Paris Olympics.