This looked bad when it happened, and it could mean the Spurs will be without their Mr. Everything for a few games.
San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama had to exit Game 2 of its playoff series against Portland and is now out for the night and in the league’s concussion protocol following a nasty fall in the second quarter, one in which he landed face-first on the court.
The injury occurred on a play with 8:57 left in the second, where Wembanyama tried a spin move in the paint and was fouled by Jrue Holiday. As he went to the ground, Wembanyama tried to pass the ball, and with that, was unable to protect his head as he hit the court. It’s a long fall for the 7'5" Frenchman. Warning: The video is hard to watch (and not for the squeamish).
After the fall, Wembanyama remained on the ground for about 30 seconds, then sat up and talked to teammates and Spurs staff for another minute before getting up and jogging back to the locker room. He did not return.
The NBA’s concussion protocol says he cannot engage in any physical exertion for the next 24 hours and cannot start the return-to-play protocol for 48 hours from the injury. That protocol is a detailed, multi-step process that includes him not showing symptoms through several steps of increased physical exertion (from a stationary bike to jogging to on-court work). All of this is monitored and approved by a league-appointed physician who specializes in neurological issues.
Game 3 in this series in Friday night in Portland, with Game 4 on Sunday. The series is tied 1-1 after the Trail Blazers won Game 2, hitting some key shots late against a shorthanded Spurs team.
An extended absence could be trouble for the Spurs, who are the No. 2 seed in the West and have a number of high-level young players, but everything was built on a foundation of what Wembanyama can do on both ends of the court. Pregame he was handed his first Defensive Player of the Year award — the youngest player ever to win it, and also the first to do so unanimously — plus he averaged 25 points, 11.5 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game this season.
