By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Victor Wembanyama was a full participant in the team practice of the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday, for the first time since being sidelined indefinitely due to a left calf strain.
The 21-year-old French forward/center is listed as out for a meeting with the New Orleans Pelicans in Smoothie King Center and will miss a tenth straight game of the 2025-26 NBA Regular Season on Monday. As reported by Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News, his progress can lead to returning to action on Wednesday, with the Spurs visiting the Los Angeles Lakers and Slovenian superstar Luka Doncic in crypto.com Arena, with a ticket to the Emirates NBA Cup 2025 Semifinals up for grabs.
“It’s definitely amazing to see everyone back working,” said 19-year-old guard Dylan Harper, referring to Wemby, Stephon Castle, and Jordan McLaughlin. “We did well without those guys. When they come back, you’ll see a whole other team.”
The team coached by Mitch Johnson indeed improved from 8-4 to 15-7 without Wembanyama over the last few weeks. They currently rank fifth in the Western Conference standings, seven games away from the leading Oklahoma City Thunder and 2.5 games safe in the top six seeds, which guarantee a spot in the Playoffs 2026.
Castle (left hip flexor strain) was upgraded to questionable to play against the Pelicans, similar to Luke Kornet (left ankle soreness), but Wembanyama and McLaughlin (left hamstring strain) remain out. On the opposite side, Herbert Jones (right calf strain), Dejounte Murray (right Achilles rupture), Jordan Poole (left quad strain), and Zion Williamson (right adductor strain) are out.