Victor Wembanyama is not exactly tipping his cap to the Portland Trail Blazers after seeing them off in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
The San Antonio Spurs center spoke Friday about his excitement to play the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Semifinals after the Wolves beat Denver in six games. In doing so, Wembanyama said beating Portland had been “pretty straightforward,” and that he was eager to be tested by teams that “will challenge more of the tactical, technical basketball aspect.”
After facing "pretty straightforward" Portland, Wemby said he's "excited to play against teams that will challenge more of the tactical, technical basketball aspect.”
— Tom Orsborn (@tom_orsborn) May 1, 2026
The Spurs did beat Portland in five games, though it was not quite as straightforward a series as that would imply. The Blazers split the first two games in San Antonio and led by 17 and 19 points in Games 3 and 4. The Spurs were able to come back in both instances, including without Wembanyama in Game 3.
Still, Wembanyama clearly doesn’t see that first round series as a particularly challenging one. Perhaps he has a point, since the Spurs were able to rally back twice and won by double digits in all four of their victories. He even suggested that the series would have been a sweep had he not missed a game and a half, and he may well be right about that.
The Timberwolves won the season series against the Spurs 2-1, with two of the three contests being one-possession games. Clearly, they will provide Wembanyama with more of a challenge than Portland did.
