The Spurs aren’t making the playoffs this year. Will that affect Victor Wembanyama’s status against the Philadelphia 76ers?

The end of the 2023-2024 season is in sight for the San Antonio Spurs. Including their matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday, they have five games left to go.

At this point in the season, the Spurs are well-aware of the fact they won’t be punching their ticket to the NBA Playoffs. With a 19-58 record, San Antonio sits in the Western Conference’s bottom seed.

As bad as the Spurs have been, they have an incredible talent on their team in Victor Wembanyama. Knowing that they plan to have Wemby around for years to come, the Spurs are in a position where they might consider resting the number one-overall pick for the remainder of the regular season to avoid any injuries.

However, the French center pushes back on the idea of getting shut down as a healthy scratch for the rest of the year ahead of San Antonio’s matchup against the Sixers.

“It is just my mentality,” Wembanyama told The San Antonio Express-News. “I made a commitment to this team. I have a responsibility towards the organization and the team and the fans. So there’s no reason to sit out.”

The Spurs’ early injury report for Sunday’s matchup against Philadelphia does not have Wembanyama on it. Therefore, he’s on pace to face the Sixers for the second time in his career.

The first outing between Wembanyama and the Joel Embiid-led Sixers was certainly an unforgettable one. At the time, the Spurs struggled to contain the thriving MVP winner, who went on to score a career-high 70 points, leading the 76ers to a comfortable victory.

With Wembanyama getting some more playing time under his belt since then, he looks forward to a rematch. However, it’s unclear if he’ll get the opportunity to take on Embiid on Sunday night.

Jan 22, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward KJ Martin (1) shoots past

Although Embiid returned to action earlier this week after taking eight weeks to recover from a meniscus injury, the big man has been questionable leading up to the previous three matchups. Considering the Sixers fired up a back-to-back set against the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night, Embiid’s status for Sunday’s game is surely in question.

But the same can’t be said for Wembanyama, who is committed to finishing the season with the struggling Spurs as long as he’s healthy.

The Sixers and the Spurs are set to go to battle at 7 PM ET on Sunday.