'Handle the Dynamics': Victor Wembanyama, Spurs Still Chasing 'Little Things'

SAN ANTONIO — Energy has been the San Antonio Spurs' buzz word amid their best start to an NBA season since 2016. Ever since Christmas Day, it's been lacking.

Victor Wembanyama, especially, has experienced the mental toll of transitioning from the excitement of returning from a calf strain that sidelined him for 12 games, to the NBA Cup, to three games against the Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder that included a marquee Christmas matchup on the road.

He doesn't plan to use it as an excuse for recent woes.

"It is hard," the Frenchman admitted after the Spurs' second straight loss on Monday, "but it's harder for all 30 teams ... it's easier to lose sight of the little things that matter."

Dec 29, 2025; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) shoots over Cleveland Cavaliers center Evan Mobley (4) in the second half at Frost Bank Center. | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

The Spurs were widely regarded as the NBA's best squad after securing three wins over the Thunder in as many environments — the rest of the NBA combined has only beat Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Co. twice to date — yet failed to follow it up at home.

Hosting the Utah Jazz and Cleveland Cavaliers on back-to-back games as part of a three-game home stand, San Antonio had a chance to send a warning statement as it continued to climb toward the top of the standings. That message had nothing to do with numbers.

"We just try to take it one game at a time," Devin Vassell said. "We have a ways to go until it's playoffs ... we're not satisfied at all. We can't look at seeding. We have to keep being focused."

Even if the Spurs had grown the eight-game win streak they carried into those matchups, they knew how quickly momentum could be toppled.

They just didn't expect it to happen so soon.

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson has harped on intangibles all season. Playing long stretches without De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper and Victor Wembanyama lent itself to fostering a sense of accountability: "If not them, than me."

Devin Vassell answered that call. Keldon Johnson and David Jones Garcia created wins that wouldn't have existed without them. And when San Antonio's stars came back, the well-oiled machine continued churning.

“We have a job that started in October and go(es) until springtime,” Mitch Johnson said. “You have to go to your job every day, and you have to have the right approach. You have to execute whatever that workday calls upon.”

Dec 25, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson (3) celebrates after scoring against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half at Paycom Center. | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Accountability reared its ugly head when the Spurs returned home. Facing the Jazz without Fox, who was sidelined with adductor tightness, once again created a gap for the rest of the Spurs' roster to fill. Too many of them felt the need to play hero.

“We looked like we had an extreme amount of anxiety on offense," Johnson said. "There was an unnecessary feeling of desperation at times."

A mix of perimeter defense — a bulk of the Spurs' losses have come at the hands of the 3-point line — and forced offensive looks dug them further into the same holes they were trying to escape from. Part of that, Wembanyama says, comes back to team mindset.

"We have to handle the dynamics better," the center said. "Never get too high when we win, never get too low when we lose ... we have to be able to handle that."

Finding internal motivation to make smart passes, call for efficient screens, crash the right boards and slow down in half court offense came easy when stakes existed. Managing fouls materialized faster when more physical game play was allowed.

The Spurs know better than to expect every game to carry pomp and circumstance. What they're still learning is how to carry themselves when none exists.

“We just came out of a pretty tough stretch," Wembanyama said, "of which we came out pretty successful. Very demanding games, mentally demanding ... opponents. We have to be able to settle down after that and not let everything go to waste.”

Dec 27, 2025; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) dunks during the second half against the Utah Jazz at Frost Bank Center. | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Mitch Johnson delivered a message to his locker room after the Spurs dropped back-to-back games for just the third time this season. It was the same message he preached behind a microphone after the first of those defeats.

"The world talks," he said. "We weren't as good as they said we were after Christmas. I'm sure they'll kill us, (but) we aren't as bad as they'll say we were tonight."

It resonated well with Wembanyama.

"It's definitely a point in the season where we've tried some things," he said. "Some have worked, some haven't ... (but) it should be more calm than 20 games ago ... we're not as bad as we've showed these last two games."

Further education awaits the Spurs, who are still learning how to handle the early success they've found. No longer is the question whether or not they're capable of winning games. Wembanyama, especially, knows what his team can do.

What's left is learning how to embrace the mundane, which Johnson barked during a timeout in San Antonio's first game of the season against the Dallas Mavericks.

If the same result awaits the Spurs while hosting the New York Knicks to conclude their home stand and ring in 2026, they'll consider it a step in the right direction.

"We owe them one," Wembanyama said. "We owe ourselves one more than anything."