Why Wembanyama is 'Not Worried in the Slightest' About Poor Performance After Spurs Lost Game 1 to Knicks

SAN ANTONIO -- As Victor Wembanyama dazzles in his first playoff run, leading the Spurs to the NBA Finals, he also reminds us from time to time that he still has a lot to learn.

The alien's counting stats were pretty good in Game 1. 26 points, 12 rebounds, and three blocks sounds like a spectacular Finals debut for a 22-year-old kid, but watching the game or reading the box score a bit further reveals that his inefficiency is what sank the Spurs in a 105-95 loss that was a lot closer than the final score would indicate.

"I'm going to figure it out," Wembanyama said after the Knicks stole Game 1 in San Antonio. "I was bad tonight. It's not more complicated than that."

Apparently Gregg Popovich agreed. Wemby said on Thursday that his first NBA coach had texted him after the game.

"I've been bad and I'm better than this," Wembanyama said, paraphrasing the five-time champion's message.

Wembanyama shot 6-21 from the floor against a vaunted Knicks defense that focused on keeping him away from the rim. He jumped at too many pump fakes by New York big man Karl-Anthony Towns, who was able to get downhill to the rim. The Spurs built a 14-point lead, but made a few mistakes in the final few seconds including Wembanyama's sixth turnover as he put the ball on the floor and tried to make something happen.

San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) attempts to steal the ball from New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3). — Jun 3, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) attempts to steal the ball from New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) in the second half during game one of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

"It was quick. I think we let that one go," Wembanyama said. "That's an experienced team, they know how to play with momentum. We had the momentum until late in that game. That's why I said we let that one go."

Asked afterward if there was anything specific about his poor performance that he was kicking himself about, Wembanyama gave a confident answer that has since been chopped up and taken out of context.

"Nothing," he said. "Obviously, we've been down in a series before. Never in the Finals, obviously. But I'm not kicking myself about anything really. I'm not worried in the slightest."

Outside of occasions when he's truly exhausted, Wembanyama's poor performances rarely stem from lazy mistakes. It's usually just the opposite. A prevailing critique of Wembanyama's first Finals game is that he was trying too hard and doing too much. Too much dribbling, too much shooting from the perimeter, too much trying to use his incredible talent to make an incredible play instead of trusting his teammates and the game plan to make the right play.

"It's almost not like I have anything to figure out," he said. "It's almost like I have to play normal, not even good... Doing the right things is enough. When we play bad, when I play bad, is when we shoot ourselves in the foot. This is why I'm not worried. We're going to be so much better. I'm going to be so much better."

Jun 3, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama speaks to the media after game one of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Wembanyama was asked about his matchup with KAT the day after the game, and he brushed off that tree to speak about the forest.

"Really I think the reason we lost that game isn't even technical," he said. "It's not even technical, tactical. We need to approach the game with a better mental state. We just need to play our game. We just need to be normal. We don't need to do anything incredible."

Some may see these words and read them as cocky, a claim that the Knicks got lucky. Really, it's as mature and accountable a response as one could hope to hear from a 22-year-old star who has never been here before. It's about getting back to basics, back to the simple things that the Spurs have built over the last 100+ games.

"'Normal' means trusting each other, trusting the basketball gods, trusting the game plan, executing, and not relying on talent so much to make shots or to save the day," he said. "We've been playing a certain way all season. We've been successful this way. There's no reason to change the day the Finals start."

Coach Mitch Johnson agreed that San Antonio didn't play the way that they typically do, and cited 16 assists as a low number that reflected a deviation from the team's identity and principles.

"I think the way we played offensively in terms of a team and our brand, we didn't play with the pass enough, we didn't put enough pressure or force at the rim, in the paint," he said. "It led a lot of making or missing shots, us trying to play with talent offensively instead of playing together and finding opportunities to take advantage of... New York gets a lot of credit for that."

There's a difference between playing with force and forcing it, and San Antonio was on the wrong side of that in Game 1.

"I think we have to make sure we don't fight the game. If a team is going to be very adamant and committed to taking away something, typically that means it's opening something else up elsewhere," Johnson said. "That doesn't mean that's going to be a direct result in that. We have to make sure we pass the ball to open guys, make sure we continue to put pressure on the rim. That's not always for ourselves, that could be with a roll, a cut, a drive. I think last night we got a little away from that."

Even though the Spurs have never been in the Finals before as a group, and most of them including Wembanyama haven't been here individually, Johnson made a salient point in the Western Conference Finals that no team in the league has experienced more in this season than this team.

That experience includes missteps in games that, to that point, were the biggest games any of these guys had ever played in. Many thought that a team this young would need to take their lumps and learn from them in the offseason before they could truly compete for a title. They've taken their l.umps, but invariably they respond in the next game.

"I think one thing we have learned in our three series is that series are long. Games are long. Things shift quickly, whether that's health, who's playing well or hot, quote/unquote, at the time," Johnson said. "In this moment right now, we're coming off a loss, and it's on us to get into that balancing act of change, tweak over here, be better and sharper over there."

"It's looking at a picture, understand if you see that moving forward, whatever that pattern is, whatever led to that situation, if you can recognize it and make a better decision next time or understand maybe where there's a better opportunity to look for an advantage, we'll try to help them with that. We'll show them on film, walk it on the court, rep it out, and trust our guys will continue to make good decisions as they learn what they're looking for."

San Antonio Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson huddles with his team during the fourth quarter. — Jun 3, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson huddles with his team during the fourth quarter during game one of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

That's why the Spurs aren't panicking. They know they played poorly, left a lot of fruit on low-hanging branches, and still almost came out on top.

"We can be much sharper on just a lot of game plan execution stuff," Johnson said. "Then I think you add that I think Victor will play better? Sure. I think a couple guys will make more shots than they did. If you do that stuff, that's just going to happen on its own over time, water finding its level, percentages evening out."

Wembanyama shot 5-17 in Game 1 against the Timberwolves at home, and though he blocked 12 shots the Spurs lost and he admitted afterward that he spent too much energy on things that didn't help his team win. He responded with efficiency and fire in Games 2 and 3, a blowout at home and a win on the road.

When Wemby lost his cool in Game 4 and got ejected for swinging his elbow, he talked to Pop on the tarmac when the plane landed in San Antonio. He responded with composure that jumped off the page, ignoring rage-bait from the Timberwolves en route to 27 and 17 before leading the Spurs to a 30-point win in Minneapolis to close them out.

San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) reacts after scoring a three point basket during the first half of game five. — May 12, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) reacts after scoring a three point basket during the first half of game five of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

When Wemby was held to 4-15 in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, he skipped out on media availability and got reamed for it in the press. He felt the pressure of elimination for the first time, and responded by leading two wins over the defending champions. Notably in Game 7, all seven Spurs who averaged double-figure scoring during the season reached that mark.

Asked why he seems calmer now than he did in the previous series, Wembanyama noted that the pressure ramps up as the series gets closer to deciding a winner. In all three playoff series he's played in, his team has found a way to bounce back from disappointment and faced more daunting challenges than an 0-1 hole.

"It's very reassuring," he said. "We know we're not here by chance. We've been through some weird situations."

Knicks coach Mike Brown said that the biggest way he's grown since his first Finals, almost two decades ago as an assistant with the Spurs, is that now he doesn't get too high and doesn't get too low. Wembanyama is showing that even-keeled approach at 22. Asked if the extra attention and outside noise has any impact, Wemby gave an answer that shows just how focused he is on the next game.

"No, it's not," he said flatly. "The thing that's impacting my routine the most right now is that we're practicing at the arena and not at the facility. The driving time is a little bit longer."

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