The San Antonio Spurs are among the hottest teams in the NBA heading into the playoffs, and they’ll kick off their series against the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday, April 19, in prime time.
When it comes to the Spurs’ lineup, Victor Wembanyama is a force on the court. He’s considered one of the greatest draft prospects of all time and has helped carry this team to becoming a contender, and feared team, in the NBA.
With Wembanyama, his success is about the heart and soul that he brings to the game, each and every time he hits the court. But, it’s also about the numbers, and ahead of the Spurs and Trail Blazers series, the NBA announced some stellar stats for the player.
NBA Takes to Social Media to Announce Victor Wembanyama Stats Before San Antonio Spurs Series
On Sunday, April 19, hours before the Spurs and Trail Blazers series, the NBA took to social media to announce impressive stats from Wembanyama. It’s numbers like these that prove he’s already among the elite.
“In his young career, Victor Wembanyama has shared the floor with 547 opponents… and he’s blocked 273 of them (49.9 percent) at least once,” the NBA shared. “Wemby makes his postseason debut tonight as the No. 2 Spurs host the No. 7 Trail Blazers.”
So, it’s wild to think that Wembanyama is close to a 50 percent average on blocks. He could surpass that during this series. The Spurs and Trailer Blazers game will air at 9:00 p.m. Eastern time on NBC and Peacock.
Spurs Heavy Favorites Heading Into Series Against Trail Blazers
If you’re a Spurs fan, then you have to be pumped that San Antonio is such a favorite in this series against the Trail Blazers. The Spurs are even favorites to go all the way, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
In a pre-series feature for Pounding the Rock, Jeje Gomez predicts the Spurs will take this series in four. So, he doesn’t even think this is a gentleman’s sweep.
“The Trail Blazers are likely better than the numbers suggest, but this is a terrible matchup for them,” he states in the piece, making a good point. “San Antonio is good at preventing what Portland does well on offense, namely getting transition points and offensive rebounds.”
He adds, “Avdija, who can shoot but is at his best when he touches the paint, will face a challenge because the Spurs will live with some threes from Clingan if it means Wembanyama gets to shut down the paint.”
So, both teams here are deep, and both have solid defenses, but the key to the Spurs’ success in this matchup is Wembanyama. He’s a problem that the Trail Blazers won’t be able to overcome.
“A safer bet than a sweep would be to give Portland at least one game, based on the Spurs’ inexperience, Avdija’s brilliance, and the Trail Blazers’ ability to make teams uncomfortable with their defense,” he adds of the series.
I actually do see this series being a gentleman’s sweep instead, with the Spurs in five. But, there’s a case to be made for the idea of it being a total sweep leaving Portland in the dust.
NBA Announces Victor Wembanyama News Before Spurs-Trail Blazers Series