San Antonio Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama is in concussion protocol after falling and hitting the side of his head in Game 2 of the first round vs. the Portland Trail Blazers last night.
The 7-4 big man was terrific in Game 1, dropping 35 points in 33 minutes and shooting five-for-six from three, but he only managed to play 12 minutes in Game 2 before his scary fall. Wembanyama was on the ground for an extended period of time before eventually running into the locker room under his own power.
Of course, the Blazers went on to win the game 106-103 as Scoot Henderson - drafted one pick after Wemby in the 2023 Draft - dropped 31 points and shot four-for-six from the paint without the defensive stalwart lurking inside.
Wembanyama, crowned as the first unanimous Defensive Player of the Year just one day before the game, is in doubt to play in Game 3. With the series now tied at one game apiece, his potential absence certainly opens the door for the No. 7 seed Blazers to give San Antonio a real scare.
Per NBA protocols, the Alien can not partake in practice, workouts, etc. for 24 hours since the time of the injury, and San Antonio will have to wait 48 hours before going through their own concussion protocol to determine if Wemby is cleared to play in Game 3.
Will Victor Wembanyama Play in Game 3?
The injury was suffered on Tuesday night, meaning Wembanyama will have to wait until Thursday night to be evaluated. With the game happening on Friday night, the window for being cleared is tight.
According to Sports Illustrated, the average return time for a player in concussion protocol is a week - Game 5 would mark exactly seven days since the injury.
Wemby is the central hub for all things defense and offense for the Western Conference's No. 2 seed, and the Spurs looked lost at times on the offensive end without their leading scorer.
De'Aaron Fox, who scored 17 points in both Games 1 and 2, needs to step up his average play until Wemby returns.
Wembanyama averaged 25 points in just 29.2 minutes per game, along with grabbing 11.5 rebounds and blocking 3.1 shots per game in 64 contests in the regular season.
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