Magic's Wendell Carter Jr. didn't mince words about performance vs. Spurs

Carter had one of the worst games of his career.

Jan 30, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. (34) reacts after a basket against the Toronto Raptors in the third quarter at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Coming off arguably his best game of the season, water found its level for Magic center Wendell Carter Jr.

The Magic big man has largely been a steady force this season. However, that's not good enough to match the impossible task that is defending superstar big Victor Wembanyama. The San Antonio Spurs' sensation poured on 25 points with four steals and five blocks, while Carter barely scraped together any production in his 19 minutes of play.

Carter didn't mince words about his performance in the Magic's nine-point loss.

"Probably one of the worst games of my career," Carter said, according to the Orlando Sentinel's Jason Beede. "It was just tough. I know what kind of impact I have on this team when I'm scoring, rebounding. But I've got to be out there. I've got to be a lot smarter, knowing the guys we are going against.

"I can't allow myself o be out of the flow of the game early and then it kind of just messes up my flow for the rest of the game."

"Probably one of my worst games of my career, honestly," #Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. told the @orlandosentinel in the locker room about his performance at San Antonio. He picked up 5 fouls, scored 2 points, and grabbed 2 rebounds in 19 mins.

"It was just tough.”

More: pic.twitter.com/uT4yvR0pHR

— Jason Beede (@therealBeede) February 2, 2026

Wendell Carter Jr. is a critical piece to the Magic:

Feb 1, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) and forward Carter Bryant (11) block out Orlando Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. (34) in the second half at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

Against San Antonio, Carter scored just two points on 1-of-7 shooting with just two rebounds. He did add two steals to his box score, but his impact was essentially nonexistent, consistently battling foul trouble without any answer for the Spurs' 7-foot-4 behemoth.

It marked the first time in his career that Carter scored two or fewer points with two or fewer rebounds in at least 19 minutes of play. Jonathan Isaac, who's had a disappointing season, stepped up off the bench with nine points on 4-of-6 shooting, but the Magic will need Carter to be better.

For the season, Carter is averaging 12.1 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists on 50.3 percent shooting and 34.6 percent shooting from 3-point range. He's developed as a floor spacer while being a good-not-great offensive rebounder and play finisher.

However, he's impact goes beyond the stat sheet and, most importantly, when he plays well, it leads to Magic victories more often than not.

The Orlando Magic, currently 25-23, are in need of a shakeup ahead of the Feb. 5 trade deadline, which is just over 48 hours away. The Magic will look to get back on track Tuesday against the reigning-champion Oklahoma City Thunder at 8:00 p.m. EST, their final game before the deadline.