Victor Wembanyama To Travel With Spurs To Portland

Less than 48 hours after being diagnosed with a concussion as the result of a hard fall in Game 2 vs. Portland, Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama appears to be trending in the right direction.

Appearing on Inside The NBA late on Wednesday night (Twitter video link), Shams Charania of ESPN said that Wembanyama’s symptoms hadn’t worsened and that he was able to do some cardio work yesterday. The third-year star was back at the Spurs’ facility on Thursday, and while he isn’t permitted to fully ramp up his activity quite yet, head coach Mitch Johnson said he “looks good.”

“The update is that he is following the league’s protocol and he’s progressing and he’ll travel with the team,” Johnson said (Twitter video link via Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News).

Although Wembanyama is able to travel with the Spurs to Portland, that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be able to suit up for Game 3 on Friday or Game 4 on Sunday. Johnson didn’t rule out that possibility, but cautioned it will depend on Wembanyama’s ability to meet certain benchmarks in the return-to-play process and showing that he’s symptom-free.

As the Spurs’ coach noted, there are strict guidelines defined by the NBA for players coming off concussions, so it won’t just be a matter of the team’s medical staff making a decision on the Defensive Player of the Year’s availability. An independent neurologist designated by the league must also sign off on Wembanyama’s return.

“Obviously, we hope he’ll be back at some point, but we’ll allow the protocol to play out, and there’s nothing more important than his health,” Johnson said.

While Wembanyama’s status remains up in the air, Johnson did share some good news on guard Dylan Harper (thumb) and forward Harrison Barnes (shoulder) on Thursday, telling Orsborn and other reporters that both players will be “available and good to go” for Game 3 on Friday (Twitter link).