SAN ANTONIO — Listed as questionable early Sunday due to left calf tightness, San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama was ruled out for the club’s matchup against the Sacramento Kings.
“It’s just something that he felt,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “I don’t think there was a specific play. Obviously, we’ve seen around this league recently, the calf-tightness thing is not something you want to take lightly. So, [we’ve] just got to get some more information. Don’t want to push it there.”
Wembanyama, 21, played 38 minutes in San Antonio’s physical NBA Cup loss Friday to the Golden State Warriors, and contributed a team-high 26 points with 12 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks. The performance marked the Frenchman’s third-consecutive outing with 25 points and 10 rebounds, matching the longest such streak of his career, according to ESPN Research.
Johnson said that the early tip-off time for Sunday’s matchup against Sacramento did not factor into the team’s decision to sit out Wembanyama.
“Again, [with] calf tightness, there are certain things that you don’t want it to be a gateway thing or anything like that,” Johnson said. “So, you just need to be clear on what’s going on out of precaution here.”
Veteran addition Luke Kornet will start in Wembanyama’s place.
In his third season, Wembanyama is averaging career-highs in points (26.2), rebounds (12.9) and assists (4.0) while leading the league in blocks per game (3.6).
In other injury news, rookie guard Dylan Harper (left calf strain) is “progressing,” according to Johnson. Harper first suffered the calf injury on Nov. 2 but is no longer wearing a walking boot on his left leg.
“It’s getting better,” Johnson said. “He’s out of the boot. You’ve just got to build that thing up. For every day that you were in the boot or off the court, you’ve probably got to hit it on the other side. It’ll be good to have him back on the court ramping up pretty soon.”
