Mitch Johnson admits what the Spurs must continue to do to maintain their winning form originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The San Antonio Spurs have finally ended their winless run to start the 2026-27 NBA season. They lost their first two games of the year, but they finally got a win on the board by beating the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday in a 122-106 victory.
It was a much better effort from the Spurs compared to what they did against the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Houston Rockets. This was a well-rounded performance that head coach Mitch Johnson appreciates and would love to continue seeing moving forward.
Mitch Johnson wants to keep seeing the Spurs fighting
The Spurs have one of the most talented rosters in the NBA today, but they had a slow start to the season. Everyone knows that they are contenders now, so they have to meet sky-high expectations. However, they were quite disappointing in those first two games.
Victor Wembanyama, in particular, had some bad performances. Since he is considered by a large chunk of the NBA community to be a favorite to get the MVP award, the win against the Mavericks was a return to form for the 7'5" behemoth.
MORE: Dylan Harper believes the Spurs fans should calm down after a slow start to the 2026-27 season
Johnson also wanted to highlight something that the Spurs did against the Mavericks that was absent in the first two games. That was the effort they put into the game with hustling for the ball, rebounding, defending, and many more. That was a big deal for Johnson, and he would prefer to keep that going.
"Effort goes a long way. It's as simple as it sounds. As talented as these guys are, consistent effort with just a little bit of togetherness and execution can really be something to grow upon and build upon... We just have not been consistent enough in a lot of ways," Johnson said after the Spurs' win against the Mavericks.
Johnson is ready to jumpstart the Spurs' campaign now with what he has seen. In preseason, Johnson said that the Spurs weren't ready just yet, but with the performnace against the Mavs, it seems that he unlocked something that will spell trouble for the rest of the league.
More NBA news:
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- Victor Wembanyama has gotten honest about the problems the Spurs are having on offense
- Mitch Johnson comes to Victor Wembanyama's defense after a bad opener
- Victor Wembanyama is at the center of the scuffle with the Thunder in the season opener
- Things get ugly when De'Aaron Fox threw Chet Holmgren to the floor