The Spurs finally got their first win of the season Saturday night, rolling past Dallas 122-106, but the bigger story was what Victor Wembanyama said afterward. San Antonio’s 1-2 start has left plenty of fans uneasy, yet Wembanyama wasn’t interested in dressing it up as frustration.
“I don't know if frustrating is the word, but I would say I'm experiencing, you know, learning how to navigate it, having less preparation time than every other team in the league, except one. It's a different sort of challenge, but I guess it's like everything. The best, or maybe the only, way to learn is to go through it.”
That sounds less like an excuse than a player taking a hard look at reality. The Spurs’ offseason was compressed because their season didn’t end until June 13, when Game 5 wrapped at the Frost Bank Center.
San Antonio had already been done for two weeks by then, after Oklahoma City knocked them out in seven games on May 30. Training camp still didn’t open until late September for everyone, but the Spurs were working with a much tighter window than most of the league.
Wembanyama said as much before the 2026-27 campaign, when he was asked about the offseason grind and answered plainly: “It was short.”
The only other team dealing with that same kind of turnaround is New York, and the Knicks have stumbled out of the gate too. They lost their home opener to Philadelphia 106-100 and then fell in Boston 107-103 to start 0-2. The teams that played for the championship are a combined 1-4, while Houston is 3-0 and Oklahoma City, Memphis, Minnesota, Portland, and the Lakers are all unbeaten.
Saturday’s result was a win, but it didn’t leave Mitch Johnson pleased. He made that clear in his postgame availability, and the mood was unmistakable. The Spurs coach said the team’s floor is currently “too low,” and the frustration made sense even with a 16-point victory in hand.
Dallas was missing Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving, but San Antonio still found itself in a high-scoring game that was only 92-89 heading into the fourth quarter. The offense was there.
The defense, not nearly enough. The Spurs gave up 89 points and were too loose for Johnson’s taste.
That’s the tension right now: the Spurs are saying the right things, but they know they can be better. Johnson also said, when asked about post-ups, that everyone can improve, including him. It’s the kind of self-aware message that fits a team still sorting itself out early in the year.
And Wembanyama put the bigger picture in perspective afterward, too. There are still 79 games left, plenty of time for this to tighten up.
If the cost of reaching June is a sluggish start, that’s the tradeoff. The Spurs are learning how to handle a shorter summer, and Wembanyama is right in the middle of that process.
The rest of the league may want to take note now, because once he and San Antonio figure it out, they’ll be the ones dealing with the consequences.
In Other News...
Spurs First Win May Have Changed Wemby's Backup Picture
The Spurs first win of the season came with a little more than relief, because it also gave the staff a fresh look at who might soak up minutes behind Victor Wembanyama. In the 122-106 victory over Dallas, Wembanyama did most of the heavy lifting with 23 points, seven rebounds and five steals, attacking the paint with the kind of force San Antonio has wanted to see more often.
Lost in the final score was the debut of Tarris Reed, who got into the game for six minutes and managed two points and three rebounds. It was a small sample, but the opportunity itself mattered, especially for a team still sorting out the center rotation around Wembanyama and trying to find a reliable backup option who can hold the fort when he sits. [Read more 🡒]
Stephon Castle May Have Given Spurs Lineup Exactly What It Needed
The Spurs finally got into the win column with a 122-106 result over the Mavericks, and Stephon Castle was a big reason the night looked so much smoother. He scored 19 points, knocked down three triples and handed out eight assists, a mix of shot-making and playmaking that gave San Antonio a more dynamic feel on offense.
Castles versatility stood out because it helped the Spurs keep Dallas from settling in defensively and gave the group a cleaner rhythm throughout the game. For a team still sorting out its best combinations early in the season, that kind of two-way offensive blend can be the difference between looking stuck and looking like a lineup worth sticking with. [Read more 🡒]
Tarris Reed Jr. May Force His Way Into Spurs Minutes Fast
Tarris Reed Jr. arrived in San Antonio with a clear purpose, and the preseason only sharpened that idea. The rookie big man averaged 9.2 rebounds in 17 minutes per game, giving the Spurs an early look at the kind of interior presence they were targeting when they brought him in on draft night to help fill the need for a third center.
What makes Reed interesting is how quickly he could become more than an insurance option. His value starts on the glass, especially offensively, where his energy and positioning can swing possessions, and his role could expand depending on the health of the other centers ahead of him. For a Spurs team still sorting out its frontcourt depth, Reed has already done enough to make himself hard to ignore. [Read more 🡒]