Wembanyama sat on the bench in street clothes Friday night while the Spurs won Game 4 without him. Based on how quickly he is moving through concussion protocol, Sunday could be a different story in Portland.
Victor Wembanyama did not play Friday night in Portland. He also did not go home.
The 22-year-old sat on the Spurs bench in a colorful shirt-jac for the entirety of Game 3, watching his team rally from a 15-point second-half deficit to beat the Trail Blazers 120-108 and take a 2-1 series lead.
For a player who three days earlier had slammed his face into the hardwood at Frost Bank Center and been diagnosed with a concussion, his presence on that bench told you something about where his recovery stands.
The Spurs won without him. Stephon Castle delivered a postseason career-high 33 points and became the youngest player in franchise history to score 30 or more in a playoff game. Dylan Harper came off the bench for a career-high 27. San Antonio needed every bit of it, blowing a lead in the third quarter before closing the game out in the fourth. The Spurs are now one win away from advancing.
The bigger story heading into Sunday is Wembanyama's availability for Game 4.
And now we know ... as multiple outlets are reporting that Wemby is a go for today.
Wembanyama's progression through the protocol has been faster than most expected. He did light cardio on Wednesday, got shots up at the practice facility Thursday and participated in shootaround Friday morning before being officially ruled out before tip-off.
The NBA's concussion policy requires at least 48 hours before a player can return and a full step-by-step clearance process after that. The average recovery time is seven to ten days, which puts Game 5 as the standard expectation. Wembanyama has not followed the standard timeline. Game 4 on Sunday is realistic.
The numbers explain why his return matters so much. San Antonio's net rating swings nearly 17 points per 100 possessions when he is off the floor. The Spurs blew a 14-point fourth-quarter lead in Game 2 without him and needed a second-half comeback in Game 3 to avoid going down 2-1. They have been the better team in this series, both with him and without him.
Sunday's injury report in Portland is the most important piece of news the Spurs will release all postseason.