Why is Victor Wembanyama not playing tonight against Mavericks? Latest injury update for Spurs star (Dec. 23)

Victor Wembanyama went from questionable to available to a late scratch on Saturday against the Dallas Mavericks. The rookie has been dealing with ankle soreness and struggled after playing through it versus the Chicago Bulls on Thursday. He finished with points on eight shots and didn’t look like himself.

The Spurs training staff eventually cleared the Frenchman to play against the Mavericks. San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich decided not to start Frenchman and put him under minutes restriction.

Just minutes before tip-off, Tim MacMahon had this to report:

“Per Spurs, Victor Wembanyama is a late scratch and will not play vs. Mavs. He stepped on a ball boy’s foot during warmups. After he was re-taped, Spurs made [the] decision to sit him.”

Victor Wembanyama was working on his post-up game during warmups. He was near the right elbow when he received the ball against one of the Spurs’ coaching staff. The rookie took a quick first step before leaving his defender behind and finished the move with a lefty layup.

Wembanyama’s eyes were on the ball as it slowly trickled into the rim. The ball boy, like “Wemby,” was also looking at the same and couldn’t move in time to move out of the player’s path. The rookie was visibly frustrated and walked away from the scene of the incident.

Unfortunately for the Spurs, it’s the same foot that Wembanyama rolled against the New Orleans Pelicans on December 17. San Antonio didn’t want to take any chances and decided to hold him out for the second time in four games.

Popovich’s team has won just four games this season. They have struggled even with Victor Wembanyama on the court. It will be an even bigger task to beat Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks without the exceptional rookie.

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Zach Collins and Sandro Mamukelashvili are expected to play more until Victor Wembanyama returns

The San Antonio Spurs will not rush the return of Victor Wembanyama. They will give him all the time he needs to recover regardless of their record. In the meantime, Gregg Popovich will likely count on Zach Collins and Sandro Mamukelashvili to soak up the minutes left by the rookie.

Collins started in 21 out of the 27 games he has played for the Spurs this season. He will be more than ready to step up. He is averaging a career-high 13.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.

Mamukelashvili, meanwhile, has played in only 12 games for San Antonio this season. He is averaging 2.3 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists. He will be Collins’ backup until Wembanyama returns to the starting lineup.