The Series-defining Chess Match Between The Timberwolves And Victor Wembanyama

In Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals series between the Minnesota Timberwolves and San Antonio Spurs, Victor Wembanyama showed why he was awarded the 2026 Defensive Player of the Year and seems poised to win the award for years to come.

Wembanyama blocked an incredible 12 Timberwolves shots in the series-opening game, an NBA record in a playoff game dating back to when blocks became an official stat during the 1973-74 season. Unofficially, according to Basketball Reference, the last time a player had 12 or more blocks in a playoff game was Wilt Chamberlain in 1970.

The Wolves’ ability to generate offense when Wembanyama is on the court is likely to be the largest determining factor of whether or not Minnesota can win this series. Unlike the last series against the Denver Nuggets, where Nikola Jokić provided little to no resistance at the rim, the Spurs have a generational rim protector underneath the basket.

Despite being rejected at the rim so many times, the Wolves made the correct choice to continue attacking the paint as much as possible. While the 3-point shot and the midrange will be a large part of the Timberwolves offense, it cannot be the only way they put the ball in the basket.

“We’re not going to just not attack the basket because he’s down there,” Randle explained about the team’s mindset. “We can be smarter about how we do it, be a little bit smarter. We’re not going to let him deter us from attacking the rim.”

One place the Wolves could do a better job offensively is to more often push the ball in transition and off of defensive rebounds.

If the Wolves can beat Wembanyama down the floor, he won’t be in a position to block the shot, which will lead to makes at the basket and open looks from beyond the arc. Terrence Shannon Jr. executed that idea best in Game 1 by pushing the pace early and often.

“He gonna have to block it every time,” Shannon said of Wembanyama after the game. “I ain’t gonna stop going downhill.”

The Timberwolves scored just 69 points through the first three quarters of the game, but put together a 35-point fourth quarter to win the game.

The big adjustment was moving Rudy Gobert to the bench, which allowed the Wolves to put all five players on the court who could shoot and stretch the floor. Instead of Wembanyama sitting by the rim and ignoring Gobert on offense, he was forced to guard out on the perimeter, which allowed the Wolves to get some open looks near the rim for the first time all game.

The question for the rest of the series is, can the Wolves score enough with Gobert on the floor, or will they need him on the bench to go on a scoring run?

The truth likely lies somewhere in the middle. The Timberwolves still need Gobert to play a large role in this series, as his defense and rebounding are invaluable, and the team did win his 30 minutes in Game 1 by two points, but there will likely be times when it makes sense for Chris Finch to go with the five-out spacing lineup with Randle and Reid.

Finch has been outstanding with adjustments and lineups this entire postseason. Even though the Wolves have been down multiple rotation players since Game 4 against the Nuggets, he has consistently pulled the right levers in each game and will need to continue doing so for the Wolves to win this series.

Game 2 on Wednesday night should be another interesting test for Minnesota as they look to take the first two games on the road of a second-round series just as they did two years ago in Denver.