San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama suffered a setback on Saturday when a freak accident during warmups forced him to sit out the game. The incident occurred as Wembanyama rolled his right ankle after stepping on the foot of a Dallas Mavericks employee standing nearby on the baseline.

Coach Gregg Popovich provided details of the unfortunate mishap, stating, "He was warming up and came down on a ball boy's foot and tweaked his ankle again. He probably could have played. If it was a playoff game, I probably would have played him."

The game against the Mavericks marked the third time this season that Wembanyama has been sidelined due to injury. He previously missed a game on December 1st due to hip tightness and sat out on Tuesday due to right ankle soreness.

After returning to play on Thursday, Wembanyama's minutes were restricted as a precautionary measure. Despite the limitations, the 7-footer still managed to contribute significantly, scoring seven points, grabbing five rebounds, providing five assists, blocking three shots, and recording two steals in 22 minutes of play. This performance also broke his streak of eight consecutive double-double efforts.

Coach Popovich emphasized the need for caution, stating, "He isn't happy about it, but I would rather err on the conservative side since it is the same ankle that he just got a time limitation on. Just a freak accident before the game."

Despite the setbacks, Wembanyama's performance throughout the season has been impressive. In 25 games, he is averaging 18.5 points, 10.7 rebounds, three blocks, 2.8 assists, and 1.4 steals. He currently leads all rookies in scoring and is tied with Chet Holmgren for the second-most blocks in the league, with 74.

The Spurs will be monitoring Wembanyama's progress closely to ensure he makes a full recovery and can continue his promising rookie campaign. His absence from the lineup serves as a reminder of the importance of taking precautions to prevent further injury.