Spurs' Wembanyama ready to return Sat. on limited minutes - ESPN

LAS VEGAS — San Antonio Spurs star center Victor Wembanyama is expected to play limited minutes in his return to action Saturday for the Emirates NBA Cup semifinal matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder, according to head coach Mitch Johnson.

Wembanyama is listed as probable to return following a 12-game absence due to a left calf strain.

"[There are] still ongoing conversations on what that looks like, and he's going to be tired," Johnson said. «He was tired the first time I saw him play live against the video guys. So, I would expect an early sub and not his normal minutes.»

Wembanyama, who has not played since Nov. 14, admitted to being «just a little tired» after finishing up the cardiovascular conditioning portion of his workout Friday at T-Mobile Arena. He received final clearance after the session.

Wembanyama started up a ramp-up process for a return earlier in the week by surprising teammates at Tulane University for a workout ahead of a matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans. Wembanyama played 2-on-2 in his first workouts and progressed to 5-on-5 work in Los Angeles.

Johnson said Wembanyama pushed hard behind the scenes to return as early as possible, saying, «He has been lobbying since the day it happened.»

Wembanyama admitted as much.

«Of course, it has been hard to watch from my couch,» he said. «It's a lot of trust that comes into play both ways. I know I have a chance to be around the best staff in the world. So, I trust them very much. They trust me, [too], because I've shown them that I know my body and I give them good feedback. But it's true. If it was only me [making decisions], I would have come back earlier.

»But I think it's more reasonable to listen to them and do as they say because there was