Why Victor Wembanyama's Struggles in Spurs' First Loss Were 'Wake-Up Call'

LOS ANGELES — Before the sixth game of the regular season, Victor Wembanyama looked nothing short of inexorable.

The San Antonio Spurs star was an unstoppable force with no immovable object in his path; he could simply go over, or through, any willing defender. It was a worrisome reality for the Brooklyn Nets, especially, who sat among the silenced in the wake of the Frenchman's desire to make history.

The Spurs, despite lauding the NBA's best win percentage, had never been 5-0. Wembanyama wanted to be 5-0. Brooklyn stood no chance.

"He gets the ball in certain areas of the paint," Nets guard Cam Thomas said after Wembanyama's 31-point outing that evening, improving the Spurs to 3-0. "And there's really nothing we can do. We sell out."

After another victory over the Toronto Raptors, Wembanyama had eyes on his goal. All he needed to do to was win again.

"Let's beat that record," he said, smiling.

Oct 30, 2025; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) reacts after losing the ball out of bounds during the second half against the Miami Heat at Frost Bank Center. | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

A near 20-point, 20-rebound performance helped the Spurs secure their first 5-0 start in franchise history, and the high it gave them filled the team plane en route to Phoenix. When San Antonio came back down, it came down hard.

Nets coach Jordi Fernández outlined turnovers as perhaps the one weakness of Wembanyama's game. The 21-year-old cleaned up his act at the beginning of the season, but his height and high dribble left him susceptible to creeping defenders. Phoenix exploited it.

"They imposed their will on the game," Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said after a 130-118 defeat to the Suns. "They set a tone from the jump."

Wembanyama had been on a five-game tear. San Antonio watched him overpower five defensive schemes in five games as one of the league's few 30-point-per-game scorers, but he fell short of double digits against the Suns.

His explanation was blunt.

“They were expecting everything that we did," Wembanyama said, also citing an abundance of missed shots. "That makes everything hard for us.”

Without a slew of players, including De'Aaron Fox, Luke Kornet, Dylan Harper and Jeremy Sochan, finding defensive success was a harder ask.

Suns star Devin Booker notched 28 points to will Phoenix to victory, but the Spurs were prepared for that. Their lack of preparation stemmed from an offense revolving around Wembanyama.

Without two star facilitators, the Spurs needed to rely on the center to create shots for himself. On the tail end of fiery five games, fatigue caught up to him. In turn, it fueled the Suns' defense; what they were doing was working.

“We have to make sure when they send two people or try to take something away we ... take advantage of that," Johnson said. "We did not do that at all.”

They were ready," Wembanyama added. "They let me catch the ball, but then they were ready to double me.”

Nov 2, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) drives to the basket against Phoenix Suns forward Royce O'Neale (00) in the second half at Mortgage Matchup Center. | Allan Henry-Imagn Images

Wembanyama's struggles with minimal depth put the Spurs in a hole they couldn't dig out of. As Johnson put it, his squad was caught chasing its tail. It didn't do enough of the little things; reactionary basketball is no way to play.

It's why the Spurs plan to be better prepared, especially while plagued with availability issues. Stephon Castle knows it starts with him as a facilitator. His main goal is to find a way to get Wembanyama involved.

“We’ve got to get to our spots a lot quicker," the guard said. "Give him more space so he can see where doubles are coming from.”

Castle, like the rest of Wembanyama's teammates, know Wembanyama will be the center of attention for opposing defenses. Over the offseason, he spent ample time learning more efficient ways to score. He harnessed his body.

Despite that, teams may still find a way to slow him down. That knowledge spoke levels to the now-imperfect Spurs.

“We kind of needed this," Castle said. "We were starting to get a little comfortable. It was a wake-up call. I’m happy to see how we respond."

Stephon Castle is the spokesman ahead of tonight’s game. Says the team had taken the last few days to focus on itself.

“We put a lot of work in … it’s been showing so far. We had one drop off in one game, but we’ve got to get back to being us.” #PorVida
— Matt Guzman (@mattgzman) November 5, 2025

Wembanyama will be afforded a new challenge every time he steps on the floor. Against the Dallas Mavericks on opening night, the young star had to navigate scoring on two of the league's premier center tandems in Anthony Davis and Dereck Lively II.

Against Brooklyn, Miami and Toronto, the Spurs' unblemished record hung in the balance. It toppled in Phoenix, despite Wembanyama's efforts.

“The season is long," Johnson reiterated. "There’s teaching moments in every game. We did not start with the proper approach."

A new challenge awaits San Antonio on the West Coast. Fox, Harper and Kornet will remain sidelined, leaving Castle to handle facilitation again. Meanwhile, a magician is burdened for the Los Angeles Lakers.

"Luka (Dončić) is one of the hardest players to scout," Wembanyama said, "he (has) mastered the game more than almost everybody else."

Countering the Lakers' high-powered offense will require Wembanyama to lean on the improvements he made over the offseason. Facing yet another defensive scheme, he plans overcome it the same way he did the first five.

“We’re going to see this again and again," he said. "Every single game, it’s a battle to prepare. Our preparation starts now.”

The Spurs prided themselves in marginal improvement heading into the regular season. After five games, they relished in history. They now seek identity and hope two days' rest will help get them back on track.

“We get every team’s best game," Castle said. "Especially with Vic. Teams have to be ready to play us, and we understand that ... we had one drop off in one game, but we’ve got to get back to being us.”

Wembanyama, for one, knows what he hopes will be on display Wednesday night. He won't settle for anything less.

"Hopefully (my) best," he said.