San Antonio Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama will miss Wednesday game against the Oklahoma City Thunder as the team remains cautious with his ankle injury, via Andrew Lopez of ESPN.

The forward reportedly wanted to keep playing despite suffering the most recent injury on April 5, but head coach Gregg Popovich discussed the need to rest the rookie.

"Once when he had that foot thing and now down the stretch, I'm not sure it makes much sense to push it," Popovich said.

The absence means fans won't see a head-to-head battle between Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren, the two top rookies in the NBA this season.

While Wembanyama has missed time this season with various short-term ailments, including to his ankle, he has been fairly durable during his much-hyped rookie season and has appeared in 70 games.

He has also delivered on exceedingly high expectations and is averaging 21.3 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 3.6 blocks and 1.2 steals per game.

Yet keeping him healthy in the long run is far more important than how San Antonio plays down the stretch of what is largely a lost season for the struggling franchise.

Wembanyama is the future and an organizational cornerstone who will be expected to carry the Spurs for years to come. Having him on the floor in 2023-24 as they languish at the bottom of the Western Conference standings isn't necessary, so the team will surely treat this and any setback with the proper amount of caution.

As a result, look for Zach Collins to see more minutes down low until Wembanyama is ready to return.

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