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Spurs Injury Update: Update on Victor Wembanyama’s Availability Status vs Wizards After Missing the Previous Game

Published 01/20/2024, 10:22 AM EST

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USA Today via Reuters

The San Antonio Spurs will have to pick themselves up pretty quickly after losing out on Friday and travel to Washington to play against the Wizards at the Capital One Center. Both the teams are at the bottom of the league, with a combined 14-67 and 3 total wins against the Pacers and the Suns. With both the teams currently rolling on a negative double-digit net rating, it is high time they pull up their socks going forward. While the Wizards have the home-game advantage, the Spurs are coming in with a (probable) fierce attitude after their back-to-back games and their last loss to the Hornets (120-124) on Friday.

As they gear up, fans are on edge about the uncertainty revolving around their youngest player Victor Wembanyama’s availability. The 20-year-old was unable to play Friday’s game on the account of resting. However, Wemby will be present for Saturday’s game and there is a special reason behind it.

Wembanyama will play against the Wizards

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It has been confirmed that Wemby will play on Saturday after the Spurs gave him a day off on Friday to rest. The Frenchman sprained his ankle on December 23 during warmups ahead of their game against the Mavericks and the Spurs have been cautious with him ever since. Accordingly, the reason for his previous absence was also listed as ‘rest’ on the team’s injury report.

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The 7’4″ prodigy has missed six games so far in the season. Moreover, Wemby was barred from playing consecutive games. Usually, he had been sitting out during the second leg of back-to-back games. However, this time he opted to miss the first game, and the reason is enough to get anyone excited. The young star wanted to save it for his much-anticipated dream game against the Wizards’ rookie Bilal Coulibaly.

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Friends to opponents

There is more than one thing in common between Wemby and Coulibaly; both are French and playing their rookie seasons in the league. Most importantly, the two were childhood friends and teammates in the Metropolitans 92 in France. This is why Wemby was thrilled to be finally playing his longtime friend in the major league. It will undoubtedly be a dream come true for both.

On playing with his friend, Wemby said, “I’m just so proud of him. It is going to feel weird for sure [to go up against him].” The Wizards selected Coulibaly as the 7th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. He is averaging 8.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in his rookie season. If anything, Saturday’s game is going to be a special and exciting match-up between the two friends.

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Watch this Story- Chris Paul annihilates Scott Foster after the controversial call, ‘Don’t use a tech to get your point across’

Do you think Coulibaly and the Wizards can take down the Spurs? What are your expectations from this game? Let us know in the comments below!

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Written by:

Tsuktibenla T Jamir

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Tsuktibenla T Jamir is an NBA author at EssentiallySports. Armed with a Masters in Journalism from the prestigious Delhi School of Journalism, this Nagaland native combines her academic prowess with her passion for the game to craft compelling narratives that bring the NBA to life. She finds immense joy in dissecting the journeys of the athletes who make the game larger than life.
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Edited by:

Saumya Khanduja