Victor Wembanyama would be the first to say that he did not have a good game whatsoever in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. The San Antonio Spurs star did have his moments, including that insane left-handed dunk at full extension in the third quarter. He also hit some huge shots in the fourth quarter — a triple that cut the Knicks' lead to five, and some free throws to take the lead near the end of the fourth quarter. However, Wembanyama and the Spurs ran cold to end the game en route to a 105-95 defeat.
Wembanyama did end the night with 26 points and 12 rebounds, but he shot just 6-21 from the field and had difficulties getting to his spots for most of the night. The knock he suffered in the third quarter that forced him to limp to the bench may have played a factor in his struggles, but he was already having a hard time on the court way before that injury scare happened.
After the game, Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson expressed confidence in Wembanyama's ability to bounce back from this suboptimal outing that now has them down 1-0 in the NBA Finals.
“He definitely holds himself accountable, I would suspect he'll learn a lot of things from tonight's game and come out with a good approach in Game 2,” Johnson said, via SNY on X (formerly Twitter).
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"He definitely holds himself accountable, I would suspect he'll learn a lot of things from tonight's game and come out with a good approach in Game 2"
Mitch Johnson was asked if anyone was harder on Victor Wembanyama than himself: pic.twitter.com/ejkSkJWchk
— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) June 4, 2026
Wembanyama has an incredible drive to succeed, and it's clear that he takes competing at the highest level very seriously. The Spurs will have to change their approach to giving Wembanyama touches, but they've adjusted many times in this year's playoffs and have gotten this far as a result.
Wembanyama may have to catch the ball closer to the basket instead of forcing to go off the dribble one on one on the perimeter. For as a good of a ballhandler as he is for his size, his center of gravity is so high that his handle can come loose way too often. The Spurs will know how to adjust as they look to avoid going down 2-0 to the Knicks.
Victor Wembanyama would be the first to say that he did not have a good game whatsoever in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. The San Antonio Spurs star did have his moments, including that insane left-handed dunk at full extension in the third quarter.