Another potentially massive injury is now looming over the NBA Playoffs — this one to San Antonio Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama.
The 22 year old Most Valuable Player candidate left San Antonio’s game Monday, April 6 against the Philadelphia 76ers with a left rib contusion. Suddenly, his candidacy for individual awards is in jeopardy.
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Wembanyama appeared to suffer the injury after drawing contact multiple times in the first half. Late in the second quarter, with 2:56 left to play in the half, Wembanyama made a layup and bumped into Spurs forward Keldon Johnson as he landed. Wembanyama immediately grimaced and labored through the free throw. Earlier in the game, he also collided with Sixers forward Paul George.
Wembanyama was not out on the floor at the start of the second half, and backup center Luke Kornet started in his place. The Spurs announced shortly afterward that he would miss the remainder of the game with the rib injury.
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“I think it would be a positive that he felt he could play the last four-to-five minutes of the half,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson told reporters after the game. “That’s a positive from my perspective, but I have nothing (on his future status).”
In 15:40 minutes of action Monday night, Wembanyama scored 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting, adding 5 rebounds, 3 blocks and 1 assist.
“At halftime, I was told he wasn’t coming back, and honest to God, I haven’t heard anything else at this point,” Johnson added.
Because the NBA Cup Championship counts toward the 65-game rule for individual award eligibility, and because the league grants two exceptions for games in which a player recorded between 15 and 20 minutes, counting those as full games, Wembanyama’s time on the floor Monday night will count as his 64th game this season.
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That means he will need to play in at least one of San Antonio’s remaining three games, and he’ll need to record at least 20 minutes on the floor to be eligible for individual awards.
Wembanyama’s first partial game exception came in a 119-94 victory over the Washington Wizards December 18, in which he played 17:18.
Wembanyama entered the night as the heavy favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year and was also a candidate for MVP. He was averaging 24.9 points, 11. 6 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 3.1 blocks per game this season, while shooting 50.9% from the field, entering Monday night’s game.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama leaves 76ers vs Spurs with rib injury