The Victor Wembanyama hype has reached the stratosphere as the San Antonio Spurs reached the NBA Finals in Wemby's first playoff run — dispatching of the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the process. But it became rather evident in Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the New York Knicks that even someone as great as Wembanyama can trip up on a banana peel.
Wembanyama did finish with 26 points and 12 rebounds, but he shoot very poorly from the field, making just six of his 21 field-goal attempts on the night. The Spurs star looked to have so much difficulty creating for himself on the perimeter, and sometimes, his long limbs worked against him, as his handle came loose on multiple occasions, including on a very crucial possession in the fourth (he had six turnovers in Game 1).
Nonetheless, all the Spurs star has on his mind is how he can bounce back in Game 2.
“I'm gonna figure it out. I was bad tonight. It's not more complicated than that,” Wembanyama said in his postgame presser, via Underdog NBA on X (formerly Twitter).
Article Continues Below
Wemby on his Game 1 performance:
"I'm gonna figure it out. I was bad tonight. It's not more complicated than that."pic.twitter.com/3vNCnLUkvm
— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) June 4, 2026
Wembanyama is only 22 years of age, so there are bound to be things for him to figure out still, as advanced in his development he already is. He's already risen to the occasion by getting the Spurs this far in his first taste of the playoffs, but the NBA Finals is a different animal, and he's facing a Knicks team that's had plenty of experience navigating playoff series over the past four years.
It's easy to believe in Wembanyama when he says that he'll figure it out. The great ones typically do. And as things stand, he's on a path to near-unprecedented greatness this early in his career. He'll have the backing of his home crowd yet again on Friday night as he looks to put his rough Game 1 shooting night in the rearview mirror.
The Victor Wembanyama hype has reached the stratosphere as the San Antonio Spurs reached the NBA Finals in Wemby's first playoff run — dispatching of the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the process. But it became rather evident in Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the New York Knicks that even someone as great as Wembanyama can trip up on a banana peel.