Victor Wembanyama Makes Candid Admission After Spurs' Opening Loss

Victor Wembanyama isn't making excuses after one of the most frustrating performances of his NBA career.

The San Antonio Spurs superstar struggled offensively during Tuesday's 116-104 season-opening loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Following the defeat, Wembanyama offered a revealing explanation for what went wrong.

"I need to go back to playing the basketball I like," Wembanyama told reporters. "This is not the sport I like right here."

The 22-year-old finished with 12 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks but connected on just one of his 13 field goal attempts, marking the worst shooting percentage of his career.

Wembanyama missed his first 12 shots before finally scoring on an alley-oop from De'Aaron Fox as the third quarter expired.

According to ESPN, his 12 consecutive misses tied for the second-most missed shots to begin a season opener since the NBA began tracking play-by-play data in 1997-98.

However, Wembanyama believes his struggles extended beyond simply missing shots.

The Spurs center acknowledged that his confidence and decision-making became increasingly affected as the game progressed.

"I might be overthinking it," Wembanyama said. "I don't need to do more. I need to think less probably."

His comments offered insight into the mental challenges he faced against an Oklahoma City defense determined to limit his offensive opportunities.

Thunder center Chet Holmgren helped lead that effort, while Oklahoma City consistently surrounded Wembanyama with additional defenders. The performance was particularly surprising considering Wembanyama's success against the Thunder during last season's Western Conference finals.

He averaged 27.3 points in that seven-game series, helping San Antonio eliminate Oklahoma City and advance to the NBA Finals.

Despite Tuesday's struggles, Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson refused to place the blame entirely on his franchise player.

"I think everybody struggled pretty equally," Johnson said. "I know his field goal [percentage] will stand out, but we all participated in that one."

San Antonio will have an opportunity to respond Friday against the Houston Rockets.

For Wembanyama, the solution may not require changing his game. Instead, his comments suggest that rediscovering the confidence and freedom that made him one of the NBA's most dominant players could be the key to bouncing back.