Victor Wembanyama is not expected to play in Game 3 against the Portland Trail Blazers, but he has already made his return to the court.
The San Antonio Spurs may have lucked out when it comes to Victor Wembanyama's head injury suffered in Game 2 of their first-round series against the Portland Trail Blazers.
While Wembanyama is not expected to suit up in Game 3, the nature of the NBA playoff schedule allows for an extra day of rest and travel. As reported on Wednesday, Wembanyama will travel with the Spurs to Portland for Games 3 and 4, although his official status for both games remains up in the air.
Had the Spurs only had one day off between games, there is no chance Wemby would have been good to go. However, there have been some promising developments, and he might be able to make a speedy recovery.
First Look at Wemby After Injury
In the aftermath of Wembanyama hitting the floor, it seemed that the NBC and Peacock broadcast took great pleasure in showing him hit the floor, appear to pass out, and then get up unsteadily. The replay was shown multiple times throughout the remainder of the game.
Local media in San Antonio, however, offered a more optimistic look, as Wembanyama was present at the Spurs' practice on Thursday:
Wembanyama did not do any drills, non-contact or otherwise, but was steady and present. After a head injury, that's really all fans could have hoped for.
He did get some shots up as practice ended, but was not made available to the media afterwards. He will travel with the team later this afternoon.
After practice, Mitch Johnson offered a more detailed update regarding Wemby's injury and his status moving forward.
"He looks good. The update is that he is following the league protocol and he's progressing, and he'll travel with the team," said the head coach. "We hope he'll be back at some point, but we'll allow the protocol to play out. And again, there's nothing more important than his health."
The league dictates that any player exhibiting concussion-like symptoms be shut down for at least 48 hours, meaning Wembanyama could play in Game 3, although the Spurs seem to be preparing for him not to be quite ready. Overall, however, the update was largely positive, given just how hard he hit the floor.