While Victor Wembanyama is listed as doubtful for the San Antonio Spurs’ Thursday home game against the Portland Trail Blazers, he avoided a serious rib injury and is expected to return this week, per an ESPN report.

The MVP candidate sustained a left rib contusion in the second quarter Monday when he collided with Philadelphia forward Paul George. Wembanyama originally returned to the game for a few minutes, but was in visible pain and didn’t play in the second half.

Testing done on Tuesday showed that Wembanyama avoided serious injury and is day-to-day, per ESPN. Wembanyama needs to play at least 20 minutes in one of the Spurs’ final three games in order to reach the 65-game threshold required for postseason award consideration.

In addition to being in the MVP conversation, Wembanyama is a heavy favorite to win her first NBA Defensive Player of the Year award in his third season. He finished second in DPOY voting as a rookie in 2023-24.

Wembanyama, 22, is averaging a career-high 24.8 points and 11.5 rebounds per game. He leads the league in blocks per game (3.1, more than one more than anyone else) and is fourth in rebounding.

–Field Level Media