By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The San Antonio Spurs remain cautious with Victor Wembanyama returning to action following a left calf strain, but the 21-year-old French center is on track to play in the Semifinals of the Emirates NBA Cup 2025 on Saturday.
“Very much so,” said head coach Mitch Johnson in a postgame press conference following a win over the Los Angeles Lakers in crypto.com Arena on Wednesday, commenting on the chance of Wemby being medically cleared for the matchup opposite the Oklahoma City Thunder in Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena, relays Jared Weiss of The Athletic.
“He had a very intense day this morning and we’ll have to see how he responds and reacts tomorrow,” added the 39-year-old play-caller.
Mitch Johnson says Victor Wembanyama may return for the NBA Cup game against the Thunder Saturday:
“Very much so. He had a very good day today. He had a good intent day this morning and we’ll have to see how he responds and reacts tomorrow.”
— Jared Weiss (@JaredWeissNBA) December 11, 2025
“Unfortunately, all of the added excitement is not going to play into the decision on if he plays or not,” mentioned Johnson in a pregame press conference, explaining why the team leader was ruled out for the Cup Quarterfinals opposite the Lakers.
Nevertheless, the Spurs have collected ten wins in 12 team outings in the recent stretch without Wembanyama, perhaps adding to the Spurs being very careful with his injury situation. Therefore, monitoring the Le Chesnay native will likely extend into his eventual return and maybe lead to a minutes restriction versus the Thunder, if he gets medically cleared.
Before being sidelined, Wembanyama started his third NBA journey, the first after the premature end to the 2024-25 season due to deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder, with 26.2 points, 12.9 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 3.6 blocks, and 1.1 steals per contest over 12 appearances.