San Antonio Spurs coach Mitch Johnson has publicly called out Victor Wembanyama following a difficult Game 5 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Spurs now face a must-win situation on Thursday when they travel to Frost Bank Center to take on the defending champions.
Oklahoma City’s defensive game plan worked effectively, disrupting Wembanyama’s offensive rhythm by denying him the ball and limiting his ability to post up and drive.
Forced into settling for outside jumpers, Wembanyama finished Game 5 with 20 points on just 4-of-15 shooting from the field.
He added six rebounds, one assist, two steals and three blocks, while going 0-of-5 from three-point range in an underwhelming overall performance.
Johnson made his expectations clear after the game, demanding that his star player take significantly more shots in the must-win contest ahead.
“[Victor’s] got to take more than 15 shots,” Johnson said. “Even with the [12] free throws, he’s going to have to score more than 20 points for sure…Oklahoma City did a good job. We’ve got to do a better job.”
Johnson also acknowledged that the responsibility for improvement extends beyond Wembanyama alone, pointing to collective failures throughout the team’s performance.
San Antonio allowed the Thunder to shoot 48 percent from the floor and 44 percent from three-point range, while the Spurs managed only 29 percent from beyond the arc themselves.
“He’ll definitely need to take more shots, but there’s a lot of things all over the place,” Johnson said. “Even when we had advantages, we just didn’t make simple plays and take advantage of the opportunity, that possession.”
Johnson added that in high-stakes games like these, the team must perform with greater maturity and security in every decision made on the court.
“In this type of game, you’ve got to be sure of everything you’re doing in a very secure, mature way,” Johnson said, emphasising the need for composure when it matters most.
With the Spurs’ season on the line, Wembanyama will have the opportunity to deliver a defining performance when San Antonio visits Frost Bank Center on Thursday night.
