Spurs tip hand on major Wembanyama adjustment before Game 2 even begins

Lost in the San Antonio Spurs' ugly Game 1 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves is a surprising Victor Wembanyama stat. Yes, we all know that he had a mixed performance, which included a triple-double with 12 blocks, but equally as important is the fact that he played 40 minutes.

In fact, he played the entire fourth quarter, and that could pose a huge problem for the Timberwolves going forward. While Luke Kornet is one of the best backup centers in the NBA, teams aren't nearly as afraid of him as they are of Wembanyama.

Therefore, they are much more likely to attack the paint when he's in the game. However, if Wembanyama is playing around 38 minutes per game during the series, the Wolves won't have much time to attack the basket.

Victor Wembanyama playing big minutes is a game-changer

When the Timberwolves attacked the rim with Wembanyama in the game, he made them pay, rejecting shot after shot. To their credit, they benched Rudy Gobert in the fourth quarter, forcing Wembanyama to guard either Julius Randle or Naz Reid.

That forced him out of the paint, and the Spurs compensated by having him spend time guarding Terrance Shannon Jr. Not playing Gobert definitely helped the Wolves' offense, but it made it easier for the Spurs to attack too.

If Wembanyama continues to play big minutes, it could force the Wolves to make that trade-off. Sacrificing defense for more offense may backfire for the Wolves, especially if Wemby continues to play major minutes.

The Spurs must play Wembanyama big minutes vs. the Timberwolves

Minnesota doesn't have many bad shooters for Wembanyama to sag off of, but San Antonio has shown a willingness to give up open threes in the name of shutting down the paint.

If they can shut down the paint for 38-40 minutes per game, then it forces Minnesota to beat the Spurs with jumpers. The Wolves shot 10-26 from three in Game 1, on a respectable 38% 3-point percentage.

On the other hand, they only attempted 26 threes, no doubt because Spurs defenders were staying at home on drives with Wembanyama lurking in the paint. If that trend continues, then even if the Wolves shoot well from three, it may not matter nearly as much if they aren't able to bomb away from outside.

Beyond defense, Wembanyama averaged a terrific 25 points while playing fewer than 30 minutes per game and 30.9 points per 36 minutes during the regular season. Receiving extended minutes would only help him put up monster offensive numbers.

Especially if the Wolves move away from playing Gobert. Hopefully that will be the case, because the Spurs find themselves in an early series hole.

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