Wemby ready to return Sat. on limited minutes

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 no reason to take inconsiderate risk two days after my injury. It was almost never painful or even uncomfortable. I had to trust the process."

Wembanyama initially suffered the injury last month against the Golden State Warriors, and after receiving MRI results on the strained calf, San Antonio opted for a cautious approach, immediately declaring him out for at least two weeks. The Spurs won 9 of their next 12 games with Wembanyama sidelined, including their last two group games of the NBA Cup and Wednesday's quarterfinal victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

In his third season, Wembanyama is averaging career highs in points (26.2), rebounds (12.2) and assists (4.0).

"We want him to continue to come out here and be himself," Spurs veteran guard De'Aaron Fox said. "We don't want him to change the way that he plays. Obviously with him missing time, I think we have been playing extremely well when he has been out. Him coming back into the fold, I think that adds to us offensively and defensively.

The Spurs will face a Thunder team that is 24-1, tied for the best record through 25 games in NBA history. The Orlando Magic and New York Knicks will match up in the other NBA Cup semifinals Saturday at T-Mobile Arena.

ESPN's Shams Charania and The Associated Press contributed to this report.