Victor Wembanyama had his worst shooting night of his career in the San Antonio Spurs’ 116-104 loss to the OKC Thunder in the 2026-2027 NBA regular season opener.
Wembanyama talked about his struggles on opening night, citing numerous mental hurdles during the game.
Victor Wembanyama Felt He Was Overthinking In The Spurs’ Season Opener
In the post-game press conference, Wemby said that he was overthinking his offensive looks in the game, saying that he was hesitant on numerous occasions and was indecisive when he had the possession.
“Of course, I feel like it’s obvious for me. I need to go back to playing the basketball I like. This is not the sport I like right here, so I’ve got no reason to be hesitant and no reason not to be myself,” Wemby said. “For me, it’s as simple as that. I’m good when I have fun.
“I missed a lot of shots that I usually make. But after that, I didn’t go back to taking those shots. I don’t know. I wasn’t decisive.”
“I might be overthinking it, and I feel like this is a chance for me to really let go. I don’t need to do more. I probably need to think less.”
“I need to go back to playing the basketball I like … I’ve got no reason to be hesitant … I was indecisive. I might be overthinking it.”
Wembanyama finished with a double-double, recording 12 points and 13 rebounds, but suffered the worst shooting performance of his career.
Wembanyama struggled immensely to establish an offensive rhythm and started the night missing his first 12 field goal attempts.
He finally logged his only field goal of the game (1-of-13 shooting overall) on an alley-oop dunk assisted by De’Aaron Fox right at the third-quarter buzzer.
He went 0-for-4 from beyond the three-point arc but managed to break into double-digit scoring by aggressively generating contact to convert 10-of-12 attempts from the free-throw line.
Wembanyama still anchored the game defensively over his 34 minutes on the floor with 6 blocks and 1 steal.
However, his offensive struggles and 4 turnovers proved too costly as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 32-point night carried the Thunder to victory in this Western Conference Finals rematch.
Spurs Head Coach Did Not Blame Victor Wembanyama’s Awful Shooting In Loss
Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson understood that bad shooting nights happen, even for the best of the best like Wembanyama.
In the loss, Johnson did not blame Wemby’s bad shooting night. He believed everyone participated in the defeat.
“No, I think everybody struggled pretty equally. I know his field goal will stand out, but no, I thought we all participated in that one,” Johnson said after the game.
Stephon Castle led the Spurs with 24 points and seven rebounds, Guard Dylan Harper contributed 18 points, and De’Aaron Fox added 14 points, but the Spurs could not overcome a brutal second quarter where they were outscored 31-16 by the Thunder.
The Spurs have a chance to bounce back against another Western Conference contender following the loss.
The Spurs’ next game is against the Houston Rockets on Friday, October 23, at 9:30 PM ET at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas. There, the Spurs will face off against Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun, and the returning Fred VanVleet, who sat out the entire season last year.
Victor Wembanyama Gets Honest On Career-Worst Performance Vs OKC