It’s unfair, but Victor Wembanyama has to be bigger person

This would’ve been a very different game had Victor Wembanyama been on the floor for most of it.

The San Antonio Spurs wasted a chance to take a commanding 3-1 series lead on Sunday, May 10 over the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference semifinals when Wembanyama’s second quarter ejection sabotaged their efforts.

Wembanyama, 22, is a bright, young player, one who has been transparent about his relative inexperience in playoff basketball. Treat this as another lesson, rather unfairly, that he’ll have to learn.

Because not only did Wembanyama miss two and a half quarters of an eventual five-point loss, he might face further discipline from the NBA league office, including a possible suspension.

With Game 5 set for Tuesday, May 12, the NBA is expected to review the incident and make any determination on discipline by Monday evening. And if Wembanyama does indeed face a suspension in Game 5, the series might very well slip away from the Spurs.

No team is better than the Timberwolves at annoying opposing players, getting under their skin to force them to respond in ways that are uncharacteristic. Jaden McDaniels, an all-world defender and sometimes-troll, is the perfect example.

McDaniels, one series after he called out the entire Denver Nuggets by name for being “all bad defenders,” joined teammate Naz Reid in the second quarter on Sunday night, pestering Wembanyama to the point of frustration that prompted the Spurs phenom to throw a reckless elbow at Reid’s throat.

It was a dangerous play, and Reid and Wembanyama are both fortunate that the elbow appeared to catch Reid’s collarbone before striking his throat.

And, to be completely fair to Wembanyama, McDaniels and Reid were aggressively harassing Wembanyama, and he should have the right to protect himself. This, unfortunately for Wembanyama, is nothing new.

“At some level, it’s starting to get actually disgusting, just in terms of when he tries to fight through things and be professional and mature and deal with some of that stuff,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson told reporters after the game. “I’m glad he took matters into his own hands — not at all in terms of hitting Naz Reid, I want to be very clear about that. I’m glad Naz Reid was okay, I didn’t want him to elbow him. But he’s going to have to protect himself if (the officials) are not.”

Johnson is absolutely justified, but Wembanyama will nonetheless have to learn that he and the Spurs stand to lose more in cases like these. He’s one of the top three best players in the world, and teams are going to hunt and target him — whether that’s in an attempt to put him in foul trouble, or, like Sunday night, to get in his head. This is only magnified in the playoffs, when a suspension can swing an entire series.

Wembanyama is too good. No player impacts the game on both ends the way he does. His defensive presence alters the way opposing teams attack San Antonio, and his shooting range and offensive portfolio are singular for someone with his frame.

After playing just 12:29 on Sunday night, Wembanyama left with 4 points on 2-of-5 shooting, adding 4 rebounds and 1 assist. And the Timberwolves, both in the minutes following the ejection and in the fourth quarter, spammed attacks in the paint, knowing Wembanyama would not be there to protect the rim. Simply put: Wembanyama’s ejection made the prospect of a Spurs victory far more challenging.

“Everybody know the rim’s going to be a lot more open when he’s not on the floor,” Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards told reporters after the game. “Yeah, he’s 8 feet tall, so he’s gonna cover up the rim anytime he on the floor.”

When reviewing possible suspensions, the league looks at several factors, including a player’s history. Since this was Wembanyama’s first Flagrant 2 and first ejection, the NBA might opt to let the time missed in Game 4 stand. The league can also fine Wembanyama.

Johnson, who obviously has an agenda to push in this case, said it “would be ridiculous” if Wembanyama was suspended.

Either way, the Spurs should prepare for the possibility. And beyond that, they should continue to expect teams to provoke Wembanyama like this, simply because San Antonio is easier to beat when he’s not on the floor.