Victor Wembanyama was put in the league’s concussion protocol after a scary incident in the second quarter of tonight’s Game 2 between the San Antonio Spurs and the Portland Trail Blazers.
The French All-Star fell after Jrue Holiday pulled the chair on him in the paint. While this is a regular move in basketball, unfortunately, Wembanyama took a harder tumble than most players do due to his size.
Consequently, he hit his chin on the floor as the 7’5 All-Star could not control the momentum with which he fell. Lying still on the floor for a few seconds potentially scared the entire arena in that moment.
Subsequently. Dr. Evan Jeffries, the NBA and NFL’s injury insider, reviewed the footage on social media and gave his initial prognosis on the incident.
“Victor Wembanyama had a VERY scary moment here. The big concern would be for a Concussion and/or an Orbital/Jaw fracture,” wrote Dr Jeffries on X.
Victor Wembanyama had a VERY scary moment here
The big concern would be for
-Concussion
-And/or Orbital/Jaw fracture pic.twitter.com/LrDsA3TSDw
— Dr. Evan Jeffries, DPT (@GameInjuryDoc) April 22, 2026
While the league had confirmed that Wembanyama was in the concussion protocol, Dr. Jeffries feared the worst. He also gave a potential timeline for when the Spurs can expect to have Wembanyama back in action.
“Wemby is in Concussion protocol, which means he is likely out 7-10 days, likely putting him out of the series until at least Game 5,” Dr. Jeffries further added.
This timeline was in line with the average time taken for players in the league’s history to return from the concussion protocol. But what about a potential fracture in his jaw?
Dr. Brian Sutterer, another injury expert, seemed more convinced that it was a concussion, but also could not deny that Wembanyama might have a fracture. Dr. Sutterer released a video on YouTube that detailed his opinion on Wembanyama’s injury.
“There is no doubt that Wembanyama completely slams his head against the floor. Now, it is good to see that he reached up to kind of grab at his head. That is one positive that he didn’t get knocked out right away.”
“We see him right away reach up towards the head, make some sort of reaction. Yes, he’s lying here with his eyes closed, but it didn’t look convincing to me like he was 100% knocked out.”
“We see him kind of start to breathe a little bit, right? He motions. He kind of grimaces a little bit there. He’s clearly conscious at least. What concerns me more is that as he goes to try to sit up, the clear distress he’s in, kind of grabbing at his face, covering his eyes.”
“And then as he tries to get up, he clearly is kind of off balance. Right? So, this is the big concern. It’s when he goes to sit up that he kind of can’t. He stumbles backwards, head in his hands. This is why I’m concerned about a concussion here.”
“Not because I think it was convincing that he was out. He very well may have been unconscious, but more so right here, going to try to sit up. That’s ataxia, we call it when you’re up trying to stand and walk around. That, to me, is a sign of a concussion. So he’s back in the locker room.”
“Essentially, the key thing to take away from this in terms of the return to play exertion process is that there is no time frame to complete the process. In the NFL, it’s very clear that this is at minimum kind of a five-step five-day process.”
“In the NBA, that doesn’t exist, and so theoretically Wembanyama might not miss another game. Theoretically, he could be back for game three.”
“Should he come back for game three? I don’t think so. Will he? I don’t think so. I think it is far more likely that we see him back somewhere around the five to 10-day mark. If you give this the appropriate time and attention that it deserves.”
“Yes, that could obviously have an impact on his availability for the rest of this first-round series. I would not see this continuing into the second round if the Spurs advance, but I would fully expect to miss at least a few games as he progresses through the concussion protocol.”
“Because again, he is young. They’re not going to want to take any chances. Yes, this is a big year for them, but I hope that they give him more time than maybe they could push to allow him to have a full recovery, which I would fully expect a good medical organization like the Spurs will do.”
“The final thought I just want to put out there in everybody’s mind is to also be on the lookout for something like a jaw fracture. Like when Wimbyama falls here, he lands square on his face. And this is absolutely something that could lead to a fracture of his mandible or fracture of the jaw.”
“If he has a fracture of his jaw, we’re talking about a whole different return to play timeline that could definitely keep him out of the entire postseason.”
“The hope here, right? I mean, when you’re concussed, it’s going to be harder to get a good physical exam in terms of where you’re having pain, where you’re having symptoms.”
“But we absolutely need to keep an eye out for the possibility of some sort of facial fracture, some sort of jaw, mandible fracture, because of how hard he landed directly on the court,” concluded Dr. Sutterer.
In conclusion, just a day after the 22-year-old became the youngest Defensive Player of the Year and the only unanimous one in league history, Wembanyama’s first postseason run can potentially come to an end.
The Spurs will hope that this is nothing more than a concussion and that he can return within five to seven days. If he takes 10 days to return, he could still be back in time for Game 7 of this series, if the Spurs manage to extend the series without him. Meanwhile, we hope for the French star’s quick recovery.
