Amid Distance-Shooting Slump, Spurs Remaining 'Aggressive' Near Paint

SAN ANTONIO — Fortune hasn't favored the bold San Antonio Spurs since Christmas Day. Not from distance, at least.

After an impressive road victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in the teams’ third meeting this season, the Spurs fell from the pedestal they were placed on. Two separate two-game skids in their next seven contests served as a needed reality check.

At the forefront of the recent slump is 3-point shooting and perimeter defense — two issues Spurs coach Mitch Johnson had a simple explanation for.

“A lack of energy and resistance," he said.

The Spurs have spoken at length of the waves that accompany an 82-game season. After starting 5-0, the team managed to surpass Victor Wembanyama's win total from his rookie season through the first 30 games. The losses came more frequently in the following week.

"We've been having a rough stretch," Keldon Johnson admitted after a win over the Los Angeles Lakers Wednesday night. "It's at that point of the season — the dog days."

Jan 7, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward/guard Keldon Johnson (3) beats the drum following the game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Frost Bank Center. | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

The Spurs, while maintaining possession of the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, haven't felt the quantifiable impact of their not-so-pretty post-holiday stretch, but they've noticed the lacking pieces of their game plan.

Over the past seven games, San Antonio has averaged 27 percent from beyond the arc. Not counting Julian Champagnie's historic night against the New York Knicks, its best shooting game came at home in a loss to the Portland Trail Blazers while shooting 32 percent on 10 made 3s. Its worst came against the Lakers, shooting 4-for-25 for the game.

"Right now we're figuring out how to help our teammates leave the state of ... (being) consistently sloppy," Wembanyama explained. "Having little slumps of confidence."

Part of breaking out of their funk is finding other ways to keep the offensive generating points. A trio of Stephon Castle, De'Aaron Fox and Keldon Johnson have been integral in that regard, helping the Spurs outscore the Lakers by 26 in the paint.

"That lends itself in our advantage," Mitch Johnson said. "Just continuing to play fast, spin bodies and dictate the tempo."

Jan 3, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5) dribbles against Portland Trail Blazers forward Kris Murray (24) in the first half at Frost Bank Center. | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

This season, the Spurs sit in the top six in opponent points per game behind both Wembanyama and Luke Kornet's rim defense; on offense, they've crept into the top half. Finding success down low is both a work in progress and a dependency.

"We're trying to stay aggressive whether (3s) falling or not," Stephon Castle said. "A lot of our kick-out 3s come from us continuing to attack the basket. When we start to make them, it's going to open up the paint even more for us."

While the Spurs work to fix their funk from outside, they'll have to rely on paint scoring to keep them competitive against teams with weaker defenses. Against stronger defenses — especially Oklahoma City — they'll almost have to be firing in both ways.

"That's where we hurt ourselves, at times," Mitch Johnson said, adding that the Spurs' paint scoring hasn't been as constant as he'd like. "We've taken some quick shots and not put as much pressure on the rim."

Part of the fix will come from Kornet and Wembanyama learning to set better screens. The former seems to have a handle on being in the right places at the right times; it's begun to rub off on his French counterpart.

"He's really improved as a screener," Mitch Johnson said. "Angles. Timing. Understanding matchups ... it's created a ton of advantages for himself and his teammates."

San Antonio will use whatever advantages it can get heading into the second quarter of the season. As it learns to be the hunted, it will have to "answer the call every night" — the hardest part of continued success, Wembanyama says.

The inevitability of mistakes and shortcomings aren't lost on the Spurs. But neither is the incessant need to improve and keep pace, especially down low.

They feel well equipped in that regard.

"It's not going to be perfect," Keldon Johnson said. "We had a really good start, then we had a couple of rough games. That's as expected. It's a long season. But I feel like those games, those loses, build character. It shows you what you're made of."

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