San Antonio walked into Game 2 expecting the celebration to continue. Just a day earlier, Victor Wembanyama had already etched his name into history as the first unanimous Defensive Player of the Year the league had ever seen. Game 2 against the Trail Blazers felt like the perfect stage to carry that moment forward. For a while, it did. Then, in the second quarter, everything changed. Wembanyama lost his footing and came crashing down hard, his chin taking the full force of the fall.

The Spurs’ cornerstone stayed on the floor for several seconds, face toward the hardwood, and when he first tried to get up, he couldn’t do it on his own. That moment alone led to him entering concussion protocol, effectively bringing his celebratory night to a halt. But beyond the immediate concern of the fall itself, the bigger worry now is what this means for the rest of the series, with Wembanyama’s availability suddenly uncertain at a time when San Antonio needed him the most.

Kevin O’Connor wrote, “Victor Wembanyama’s fall sure looked like a concussion. Knocked out cold after his chin hit the ground. The average NBA recovery time for a concussion is 7-10 days. 7 days would be Game 5. 10 days would be Game 7”.

The treatment for a concussion isn’t as simple as that ofe a calf strain.

The treatment for a concussion isn’t like a calf strain. Players have the autonomy to decide whether they want to play through injury in the case of a regular ailment with risk of aggravation. That’s where you would recall Tyrese Haliburton choosing to play in Game 7 of the NBA Finals last season. However, a concussion is trauma to the brain. There’s an entire procedure Victor Wembanyama will have to clear before returning to play.

That includes a gradual process of starting physical activity and being cleared by the team doctor. Wemby is gutsy. But in this case, the most practical and only pathway to returning is following the NBA’s concussion protocol. With the potential risk to life in such cases, there really are no shortcuts.

Under league guidelines, players placed in concussion protocol must rest for at least 48 hours and then complete symptom-free neurological benchmarks before receiving final clearance from the team doctor in consultation with the league’s concussion protocol director. Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson confirmed the diagnosis after the game, saying, “He has a concussion, he’s in the protocol. Obviously, we’ll take the proper and appropriate steps.”

Victor Wembanyama played 12 minutes, scoring 5 points to go with four rebounds and a block before his accident. His fall came with 8:57 remaining in the second quarter while he was driving toward the basket against Jrue Holiday, landing chin-first on the floor before teammates Dylan Harper, Carter Bryant, Harrison Barnes and Stephon Castle rushed over to check on him as the Frost Bank Center crowd broke into “Wemby” chants during the stoppage. He later ran through the tunnel toward the locker room accompanied by head athletic trainer Will Sevening and was ruled out shortly afterward.

In the playoffs, luck is as real a factor as playing great team basketball. This series has taken a turn without Wembanyama’s overwhelming presence on the court. The Portland Trail Blazers have the talent to press the rim and cause some chaos. However, the Spurs have faced this crisis before during the regular season.

Can the Spurs survive without Victor Wembanyama?

In the playoffs, luck is as real a factor as playing great team basketball. This series has taken a turn without Wembanyama’s overwhelming presence on the court. The Portland Trail Blazers have the talent to press the rim and cause some chaos. However, the Spurs have faced this crisis before during the regular season.

In 18 games without Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs went 12-6. San Antonio has relied on De’Aaron Fox, a veteran guard, to elevate himself in such times. Fox may get overshadowed by the 7’4” Spurs cornerstone. But in all the games without him, the former Kings star averages 24.6 points per game, an eight-point jump when compared to sharing the floor with Wembanyama.

Still, Game 2 showed how different things look in a playoff setting. San Antonio built a 14-point lead early in the fourth quarter before the offense stalled late, managing just 46 second-half points as Portland closed on an 11-2 run to steal a 106-103 win and level the series at 1-1. Scoot Henderson led the comeback with 31 points, while Robert Williams III finished an alley-oop from Deni Avdija with just over 10 seconds remaining, exactly the kind of interior defensive sequence where Wembanyama’s absence was most noticeable.

The Spurs will gravitate towards the dazzling point guard to make huge contributions in the remainder of the first-round series. Eyes will also be on Stephon Castle. The Spurs’ sophomore has turned into a dynamic, do-it-all demon. He’s put up some huge performances without Wemby, including a 30-point triple-double against the Denver Nuggets in December. The starting backcourt will be tasked with taking this series by the horns.

Castle himself acknowledged the adjustment after the game, saying, “Obviously we want everybody healthy and to have him on the court. But whatever five guys are on the court for Game 3, we’re going to play like ourselves.”

Then there’s the Spurs’ depth that’s enabled the franchise to be successful without the NBA’s blocks leader. Backup center Luke Kornet is swift at rebounding, with the ability to be a rim protector. Moreover, rookie Dylan Harper has earned the coaching staff’s confidence to thrive in high-pressure moments. The Spurs have several other players to impact the game and ensure they jump past the first hurdle. Kornet, who logged extended minutes after the injury, finished plus-11 across his 28 minutes on the floor, offering stability inside even as the defensive drop-off compared to Wembanyama’s rim protection became evident late.

However, without Wembanyama’s influence, this series is much closer than most people would think. The Trail Blazers also have depth and a relentless cornerstone in Deni Avdija. They stunned the NBA community by making it to the playoffs despite the distractions during the regular season. The Spurs’ near guaranteed path to the second round isn’t as certain anymore. Game 3 now shifts to Portland on Friday night, and if Wembanyama cannot clear protocol in time, the momentum from the Blazers’ comeback win could make that matchup even more pivotal than expected.

It’s subject to Fox and Castle’s performances and how they can match up with the Trail Blazers’ diverse roster. For a team without much playoff experience at all, Wembanyama’s freakish skillset was a necessity. But the Spurs need to mature, and they need to do so immediately to allow their talisman to continue his postseason story. As forward Keldon Johnson put it after the loss, “Obviously, it’s a big hit that we don’t have the big fellow. But we’re a good team, and we’ll continue to stay together, have each other’s back and do what got us here.”