Star San Antonio Spurs rookie big man Victor Wembanyama had one of the worst performances of his young career Tuesday night in a loss to the Houston Rockets.
The No. 1 pick shot 4-of-10 from the field. He scored 10 points with a whopping six turnovers. Meanwhile, Rockets youngster Alperen Şengün dropped a career-high 45 points against Wemby.
We now might have an explanation for his struggles. According to Andrew Lopez of ESPN, the Spurs have already ruled Wembanyama out for Thursday’s game against the Sacramento Kings with a sprained ankle.
It’s not yet known how severe the sprain is and what variety it is. Considering Wemby played throughout on Tuesday night, it’s probably a low-ankle sprain.
Even then, we’re talking about a 7-foot-4 rookie. This could end up sidelining Wembanyama for multiple games, especially considering how Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich is playing it slow with him.
Victor Wembanyama stats (2023-24): 20.7 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 3.4 APG, 3.4 BPG
As you can see, the 20-year-old France native is playing absolutely electric basketball as a rookie. He’s been even better recently, averaging 22.1 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 4.3 APG and 3.9 BPG on 40% shooting from distance over the past 20 games.
It has not translated to success for San Antonio. The team sits at 13-49 on the season with 20 games to go. One has to wonder whether Pop and Co. will opt to shut Wemby down for the season at some point soon. No reason to risk further injury given the team’s standing and what he’s already shown from a micro perspective this season.
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