Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama Faces Unknown Return Timeline Amid Mysterious Left Calf Strain

Well, this isn’t the kind of news Spurs fans wanted to digest as the season rolls along—Victor Wembanyama is facing a setback with a left calf strain, confirmed by an MRI on Monday. It’s a tough break for the young phenom, and while the Spurs haven’t nailed down exactly how long he’ll be sidelined, reports suggest he’ll be out for several weeks, likely pushing his return no earlier than early December. You gotta feel for the guy—he was putting up some blistering numbers this season, and after battling through last year’s health issues, just when it looked like he was hitting his stride. The timing couldn’t be worse, especially since the team has started strong and is riding the momentum of a record-setting opening streak. It leaves you wondering how the Spurs will adapt without their star big man in the lineup. LEARN MORE

The San Antonio Spurs will be without Victor Wembanyama for a while.

An MRI on Monday confirmed that Wembanyama is dealing with a left calf strain, the team announced. While they did not provide a timeline for his absence, he will reportedly miss “a few weeks” dealing with the injury, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.

Further specifics on the injury or how long he will be out are not yet known. Based on Charania’s timeline, Wembanyama will now be out until early December at best.

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Wembanyama first suffered the injury in Friday night’s NBA Cup loss to the Golden State Warriors. Wembanyama remained in that contest the entire time, and blocked a Jimmy Butler layup attempt in the final minute after he got into it with Draymond Green earlier in the period. But Stephen Curry, who had 49 points, hit a pair of free throws in the final seconds to seal the one-point win for Golden State. Wembanyama had 26 points and 12 rebounds in that game.

The Spurs then ruled Wembanyama out of Sunday’s win over the Sacramento Kings due to the calf injury after previously listing him as questionable.

Wembanyama has averaged 26.2 points, 12.9 rebounds and 3.6 blocks per game this season while shooting better than 50% from the field. The 21-year-old has looked back to his old self after he was limited to just 46 games last season while dealing with deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder.

The Spurs opened the season this fall on a five-game win streak, which was the best start in franchise history. Though they’ve lost two of their last three, they hold a 9-4 record entering Tuesday’s contest with the Memphis Grizzlies.