Last night, the San Antonio Spurs suffered what could be a catastrophic injury. Victor Wembanyama had to leave the game in the first half of Game 2 between the Spurs and the Portland Trail Blazers. He took a nasty fall and hit his face on the floor. Wemby would stay on the ground for a few moments, then get up and head immediately to the locker room. He was ruled out with a concussion and is having more tests today. What are their odds to advance past Portland without their superstar? Let’s dive into it.
Wemby’s Injury
If you watch the injury to Wembanyama, it was a scary fall. From the camera angle shown on the broadcast, I thought that someone accidentally raked their hand across his face on the way down. Then the replay happened, and we saw the way he hit his face on the floor. My immediate reaction was to ask the worst. Did he break his jaw or fracture anything in his face? It appears to be just a concussion. He is having further testing today to see the severity of his concussion.
The average timeframe for an NBA player to miss before returning from this injury is 7-10 days. That puts, at best, a case scenario that he’d play in Game 5 back in San Antonio. Now I expect him to miss Game 3 in Portland on Friday, and Game 4 is in jeopardy with the team flying there. I don’t believe the team will make or allow him to make the travel there. With the series tied, what does that mean for the rest of the series?
Should the Spurs Be In Trouble?
This team has enough talent to get back to San Antonio with the series tied 2-2. With De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Dillon Harper, and the rest of their young stars, they can get past the Trail Blazers without Wemby. If he doesn’t return for the rest of the first round, it’ll be a tough task, but they should get it done.
Now I don’t think it’ll be a layup. This Portland team has talent. Deni Avdija is a baller. He was an All-Star this season, and they came back from down 14 in the 4th quarter last night. Jrue Holiday is still one of the best perimeter defenders in the league and is averaging 10 assists per game through the first two games of the series.
When Luke Kornet is off the floor, the size of the Blazers will give the Spurs trouble. Donovan Clingan and Robert Williams III were two of the three best players in the league in terms of opponent field goal percentage at the rim. If they want to go “small ball” and run Carter Bryant as their center, he can’t hang with Williams down low, and he’s not a great enough shooter to pull him away from the rim. What does that mean? Kelly Olynyk, Mason Plumlee, and Bismack Biyombo get ready to play impactful minutes while Wemby is out.
Final Thoughts
The Spurs will be fine without the Defensive Player of the Year. San Antonio had a winning record without him this season, going 12-6 and averaging 120 ppg. What do you think the Spurs will look like in Game 3? Lastly, do you think they can get past the Blazers without Wembanyama?
As always, thank you so much for checking out my thoughts on whether the San Antonio Spurs are in trouble without Victor Wembanyama! Be sure to check out our other amazing content here at New Leaf News! We hope you’re enjoying your day and look forward to seeing you again soon.
