The NBA made the right decision Monday morning.
After Victor Wembanyama was ejected in Game 4 for elbowing Minnesota Timberwolves forward Naz Reid, many fans feared the league could suspend the young superstar for Game 5 of one of the best playoff series of the year. Instead, the NBA announced there would be no further discipline, meaning Wembanyama will suit up Tuesday night in San Antonio.
That is absolutely the correct outcome.
Yes, the elbow deserved a Flagrant 2. Yes, Wembanyama crossed the line. But suspending one of the faces of the league in a tied 2-2 playoff series would have been a disaster for basketball.
The NBA Needs Wembanyama On The Floor
Victor Wembanyama has completely taken over these playoffs.
The 22-year-old has already put together one of the greatest defensive postseason stretches in NBA history, including a ridiculous 12-block triple-double earlier in this series against Minnesota.
Every single Spurs-Timberwolves game has felt massive, and Wembanyama has become the center of the basketball world during this playoff run.
That is why a suspension would have felt brutal.
Fans do not wait all year for playoff basketball just to watch star players sit because of borderline disciplinary decisions. The NBA already punished Wembanyama correctly during Game 4 by ejecting him immediately after review.
That should have been enough.
This Series Has Become A War
At this point, Spurs vs Timberwolves feels more like a heavyweight fight than a basketball series.
Anthony Edwards has been attacking relentlessly. Naz Reid has brought nonstop physicality. Wembanyama has been getting bumped, grabbed, and challenged every possession. Spurs coach Mitch Johnson even defended his star afterward, saying players constantly try to impose physicality on Wembanyama because of his unique size and skill.
The frustration finally boiled over in Game 4.
Wembanyama’s elbow clearly deserved an ejection, but it also did not feel like some malicious attempt to injure Reid. It looked more like a frustrated reaction during an extremely physical playoff battle.
The NBA clearly agreed.
The Spurs Need Wembanyama To Survive
San Antonio barely lost Game 4 after Wembanyama’s ejection, falling 114-109 as Anthony Edwards exploded late in the fourth quarter.
Even without their superstar for most of the game, the Spurs still nearly stole a massive road win.
Now the series shifts back to San Antonio tied 2-2, and suddenly Game 5 feels like one of the biggest games of Wembanyama’s young career.
If he dominates Tuesday night, this moment may actually fuel the Spurs emotionally instead of hurting them.
The NBA Made The Smart Choice
The playoffs are supposed to feature intensity, emotion, and physicality. That is what makes great series memorable.
The NBA punished the play appropriately in real time and avoided overreacting afterward. That balance matters.
Because the truth is simple: the league is better when Victor Wembanyama is on the court.
And after the chaos of Game 4, Game 5 just became must-watch television.
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