San Antonio Spurs generational talent Victor Wembanyama hobbled to the sideline before exiting the court completely midway through the first quarter of Friday's home game vs. the New York Knicks. The 20-year-old favorite to win the NBA Rookie of the Year has since returned to the court, re-entering to start the second quarter.
Wemby appeared to knock knees with another player. An initial glance shows he may have run into teammate Jeremy Sochan.
After heading to the bench with a little more than six minutes left in the opening period, Wembanyama took a seat. Spurs team trainer Will Sevening came over to talk to the top pick in last summer's draft. Shortly thereafter, Wemby left the bench area and headed toward the tunnel.
Several minutes later Wembanyama, with around two minutes to go in the first quarter, returned to the court during a timeout and joined his team in the huddle.
He re-entered the game to start the second quarter and scored a couple of baskets right away.
Victor Wembanyama's stellar rookie season
The Spurs haven't exactly gotten back to their typical winning ways this season, entering Friday's action with the worst record in the Western Conference at 17-56. Don't blame Wembanyama for his rebuilding team's widespread struggles, though.
The French phenom has managed to live up to unbelievable during his debut campaign, emerging as a shoo-in to win Rookie of the Year despite a banner season from Oklahoma City Thunder foil Chet Holmgren. Wembanyama took his game to new heights in early December upon becoming San Antonio's starting center, dragging the San Antonio to respectability during his court time in the process.
He's averaging a ridiculous 21.5 points, 10.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.2 steals and 3.8 blocks per game since supplanting Zach Collins in the middle on December 8th, sporting a perfectly acceptable 58.0 true shooting percentage despite a tough diet of shots. The Spurs' net rating with him on the floor over that timeframe is an easy team-best of -0.3, per NBA.com/stats, compared to -9.7 when he's on the bench.
Wembanyama, basically, has helped San Antonio break even during his minutes over the last few months, a major accomplishment considering the team's immense labors at large. Once he's surrounded with more talent and experience, the sky is truly the limit for Wembanyama—and he could eventually take the Spurs with him.
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