The San Antonio Spurs want the ball in Victor Wembanyama’s hands late in games - that much is clear. But what happens next when he gets it? That’s still a work in progress.
With the Spurs trailing late in a tight one against the Charlotte Hornets, Wembanyama pulled up for a three-pointer with 27 seconds left on the clock - early in the shot clock, and with options still on the table. The shot missed, and the Spurs fell 111-106. After the game, head coach Mitch Johnson addressed the decision.
“There was a couple of options on the play…
— Hector Ledesma (@HectorLedesmaTV) January 31, 2026
that was one…; him coming off the screen, whether he wanted to take the three or curl in, try to get something at the rim”
-M Johnson on Wemby 3-pt attempt w/plenty on shot clock & :27 left in a game #Spurs trailed by 3
Full answer⬇️ pic.twitter.com/yAV0k0ZDXJ
“I didn’t get a good enough look at it to give a super deep explanation,” Johnson said. “But that was one of the options on the play - him coming off the screen, deciding whether to take the three or curl it and try to get something at the rim.”
It’s the kind of moment that underscores where the Spurs are in their development - and where Wembanyama is in his. The third-year big man didn’t have his best outing.
He finished with 16 points, eight rebounds, one assist, and, notably, no blocks - a rare blank in a category where he usually makes his presence felt. The Spurs were out-rebounded by 15, and Wemby’s impact wasn’t quite enough to tilt the balance.
“It was disappointing for sure,” Johnson admitted. “Charlotte’s playing really well, but we won three out of the four quarters. So that means there were things we were doing well - we just need to do it longer than 48.”
That second quarter loomed large. The Spurs were outscored 35-17, and the game slipped away in that stretch. Johnson pointed to a breakdown in execution, especially on the defensive end.
“A little bit of everything,” he said when asked what went wrong - and he didn’t hesitate to highlight Brandon Miller. The Hornets rookie lit it up with a game-high 26 points, and the Spurs struggled to contain him.
“Our discipline in how we wanted to guard multiple actions wasn’t up to standard,” Johnson said. “We fell asleep a couple of times, didn’t stay connected to him, got lost in transition.”
Offensively, the Spurs didn’t help themselves either. Shot selection got shaky, and turnovers piled up. Johnson didn’t sugarcoat it.
“When you win three quarters out of four and still lose the game, that means you had a quarter where multiple things went wrong.”
The loss dropped San Antonio to 32-16 on the season and, for the first time since December, out of second place in the Western Conference. It’s been a bit of a slide since their Christmas Day win over the Oklahoma City Thunder - a signature victory that now feels like it came from a different chapter of the season.
Adding to the unusual nature of this game: tipoff came three hours earlier than originally scheduled. Severe weather in the Charlotte area pushed the start time up to noon Eastern - 11 a.m. back in San Antonio. It was the earliest the Spurs have played all season, but Johnson wasn’t pointing to the clock as an excuse.
“I don’t think it had much effect on the game,” he said.
Still, the weather did have one final say. With snowstorms grounding flights, the Spurs were forced to spend the night in Charlotte instead of heading home to prepare for their next matchup against the Orlando Magic.
It’s a bump in the road, both literally and figuratively, for a Spurs team that’s still figuring out how to close games - and how to maximize the unique talent they have in Wembanyama. The tools are there. Now it’s about putting them to work when it matters most.