With Victor Wembanyama returning, Zach Collins is ruled out. And with that, a set rotation earlier in the season for the San Antonio Spurs is now in flux.
After suffering what the team calls a right ankle sprain in Friday's loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, Collins won't play New Year's Eve vs. the Boston Celtics, according to the Spurs' injury report. Wembanyama missed Friday's contest as the team takes caution with his right ankle as well as an overall minutes restriction. The team lost reserve big man Charles Bassey for the season earlier in the month.
Wemby back
The official reason the Spurs gave for Wembanyama's absence on Friday was ‘rest.'
Following a loss to the Utah Jazz earlier in the week, coach Gregg Popovich stated he didn't think Wemby “looked one hundred percent” in the top overall pick's first game since re-spraining his right ankle on a ball boy's foot in that freak pregame incident in Dallas the night before Christmas Eve. In the same postgame interview session, Pop said the 19-year-old star would not play both games of consecutive nights in Portland.
Wemby made the most of that one game vs. the Blazers with a 30-point, 7-block, 6-rebound, 6-assist performance that gave the French phenom another stat line that registered historically. In becoming the first-ever teenager and the first NBA player to record those numbers inside of 25 minutes since Julius Erving, Wembanyama led the Spurs to just their second win since Nov. 3.
Collins out
Collins missed the remainder of Friday's 134-128 loss after suffering a right ankle sprain. The 6'11 center was enjoying one of his best games of the season in returning to the city where he played the first three seasons of his NBA career. In just 18 minutes, he scored 17 points, making 8-of-10 shots. He was on track to eclipse a season-high 28-point effort against the Sacramento Kings in mid-November.
“It's always hard when a guy like Zach goes down. We lost some rim protection there,” Spurs veteran Doug McDermott said.
Following the game, Popovich insinuated the injury may not prove of long-term significance.
Bassey already out
The Spurs' first injury to a big man this season came when the player who was usually the first center off the bench, Charles Bassey, was lost for the season with a torn ACL suffered in a mid-December G League game. Though not a true center, 6'9 Sandro Mamukelashvili has seen more minutes as a result. Also at 6'9, Dominick Barlow is on the roster. Both played in Friday's loss.
“Dom (Barlow) was aggressive. Given more and more (minutes), I think he's just getting better and better, more aggressive and finishing around the paint. I've seen him finish and play and I've seen how he is. We've just got to instill confidence in him,” Spurs second-leading scorer Devin Vassell said. “Mamu (Sandro Mamukelashvili) as well. He gives us great energy, great effort and so we've just got to keep rewarding him for that.”
“I though both of those guys were ready, Dom and Sandro. I thought they gave us great minutes,” McDermott repeated.
The Spurs host Boston on Sunday evening.
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