Victor Wembanyama injury: How do things change for Spurs vs. Blazers?

San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) falls to the ground while driving to the basket past Portland Trail Blazers center Robert Williams III (35) during the first half of Game 2 of the first round playoff series at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio on April 21, 2026.

San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) lies on the court after falling to the ground during the first half of Game 2 of the first round playoff series at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio on April 21, 2026.

San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) talks with guard Stephon Castle (5) after falling to the ground during the first half of Game 2 of the first round playoff series at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio on April 21, 2026.

San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) reacts after falling to the ground during the first half of Game 2 of the first round playoff series at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio on April 21, 2026.

San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) reacts beside guard Dylan Harper (2) after falling to the ground during the first half of Game 2 of the first round playoff series at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio on April 21, 2026.

Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs holds his head after falling to the court against the Portland Trail Blazers in the first half of Game 2 of the first round playoff series at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio on April 21, 2026.

Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs holds his head after falling to the court against the Portland Trail Blazers in the first half of Game 2 of the first round playoff series at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio on April 21, 2026.

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Spurs' Victor Wembanyama in concussion protocol after hard fall

San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) drives to the basket against Portland Trail Blazers center Robert Williams III (35) during the first half of Game 2 of the first round playoff series at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio on April 21, 2026.

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Spurs' Victor Wembanyama in concussion protocol after hard fall

San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) drives to the basket against Portland Trail Blazers center Robert Williams III (35) during the first half of Game 2 of the first round playoff series at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio on April 21, 2026.

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Spurs' Victor Wembanyama in concussion protocol after hard fall

Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs drives by Robert Williams III #35 of the Portland Trail Blazers and falls hard to the floor in the first half of Game 2 of the Western Conference First Round NBA Playoffs at Frost Bank Center on April 21, 2026 in San Antonio.

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Spurs' Victor Wembanyama in concussion protocol after hard fall

San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) falls to the ground while driving to the basket past Portland Trail Blazers center Robert Williams III (35) during the first half of Game 2 of the first round playoff series at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio on April 21, 2026.

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Spurs' Victor Wembanyama in concussion protocol after hard fall

San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) lies on the court after falling to the ground during the first half of Game 2 of the first round playoff series at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio on April 21, 2026.

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Spurs' Victor Wembanyama in concussion protocol after hard fall

San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) talks with guard Stephon Castle (5) after falling to the ground during the first half of Game 2 of the first round playoff series at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio on April 21, 2026.

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Spurs' Victor Wembanyama in concussion protocol after hard fall

San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) reacts after falling to the ground during the first half of Game 2 of the first round playoff series at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio on April 21, 2026.

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Spurs' Victor Wembanyama in concussion protocol after hard fall

San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) reacts beside guard Dylan Harper (2) after falling to the ground during the first half of Game 2 of the first round playoff series at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio on April 21, 2026.

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Spurs' Victor Wembanyama in concussion protocol after hard fall

Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs holds his head after falling to the court against the Portland Trail Blazers in the first half of Game 2 of the first round playoff series at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio on April 21, 2026.

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Spurs' Victor Wembanyama in concussion protocol after hard fall

Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs holds his head after falling to the court against the Portland Trail Blazers in the first half of Game 2 of the first round playoff series at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio on April 21, 2026.

It’s a safe assumption – the safest assumption? – that Portland would not have been so aggressive in attacking the rim had Wembanyama been posted down low; Wembanyama led the NBA with 3.1 blocks per game and just became the first unanimous Defensive Player of the Year winner in league history.

Just look at the on/off numbers from this season, when the Spurs allowed 103.6 points per 100 possessions with Wembanyama on the floor, versus 113.7 when he was off.

So, presuming Wembanyama misses Game 3, the first priority for the Spurs will be to shore up the interior.

"Obviously, that’s a big piece that’s going to be missing, but we’ve played games without him," Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox told reporters after the game. "We’ve played games without a plethora of guys. …

"You say ‘next man up mentality’ but the entire team has to step up because he leaves a big hole in the lineup, both offensively and defensively. And obviously we don’t know how long he’s going to be out, but we’ve got to be ready to play without him."

Although the Spurs played very well this season in games Wembanyama missed, going 12-6, the playoffs do present different challenges.

For one, teams have the ability to make micro adjustments game-to-game to neutralize a team’s strengths or attack its weaknesses.

So, what might San Antonio do?

Backup center Luke Kornet would almost certainly start in Wembanyama’s place, and he would be tasked with establishing the tone for San Antonio’s low-post defense. But because Wembanyama is a singular talent, Kornet alone cannot fill that void.

The Spurs guards and wing players will need to be hyper-aggressive and will have to try to prevent paint touches to make Kornet’s job easier. But also look for rookie forward Carter Bryant to take on a bigger role.

At times this season when the Spurs have been without Wembanyama, they’ve also deployed a small-ball unit to change the pace of the game, with Bryant – who is officially listed at 6-foot-6 – as the center in those lineups.

Those units have relied more on speed and tempo, but it’s unclear whether the Spurs would want to resort to that style of play for the majority of a game.

"We definitely have gone to it, and we’ll kind of have to sit down as a staff and really think about the game holistically," Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said after the game of Bryant as a small-ball center. "Can we get through a game doing that, or do we need to play somebody else? So that will be the conversations we’ll have.

"But I do think those guys have – throughout the year and even tonight – showed some good moments doing that."

San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) reacts beside guard Dylan Harper (2) after falling to the ground during the first half of game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs against the Portland Trail Blazers at Frost Bank Center.

Either way, Fox’s point from above stands. Whether Kornet or Bryant (or both) take on more responsibility, San Antonio’s success without Wembanyama will require all its players to operate a little differently. All the while, however, they must maintain the same culture and intensity that got them here.

"It’s the playoffs," Spurs forward Keldon Johnson said after the game. "Even if we didn’t play a lot without him, we’ve got to figure it out. But we have, so we just stick to what we do, honestly. We fall back on our habits. We’ll clean some things up and we get ready for a good game in Portland."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How Victor Wembanyama injury changes what Spurs do vs Trail Blazers