Mitch Johnson gets real on Victor Wembanyama’s shot selection against the Hornets

There is no doubt San Antonio Spurs I want the ball in Victor Vembanyamahands at the end of the games. The question then is what does the third-year center do with it. After a 111-106 loss to the Charlotte Hornets in which Wemby took and missed the opening 3-pointer with :27 left in the game, Mitch Johnson answered if that was the shot he wanted in that situation.

“I haven’t looked at it well enough to probably give an advanced or super deep explanation or thinking about it,” Johndson said. “But that was one of the options on the play; for him to come off the canvas, whether he wanted to take a three or bend it and try to get something at the rim.”

“There were several options on the show…
it was one…; when he comes off a screen, whether he’s going to take a three or curl up, try to get something at the rim”

-M Johnson on Wembley 3-point attempt with plenty of shooting and :27 left in the game #Spurs follow 3
Full answer⬇ pic.twitter.com/iAV0k0ZDKSJ

— Hector Ledesma (@HectorLedesmaTV) January 31, 2026

Spurs haven’t had a great performance from their generational star. Vembanjama scored 16 pointsdidn’t record a block, dished out an assist and tallied eight boards on an afternoon that saw his team outscored by 15 points.

“It was disappointing for sure,” Johnson said. “I think Charlotte is playing really well, but we won three out of four quarters, so that means there were some things we did well. We just need to do it for more than 48.”

The Spurs fall to under .500 against the Hornets

The win moved the Hornets to 22-28 for the season. They are on the outside looking into the playoff picture from the East, sitting 11th in the conference. Asked what went wrong during the second quarter of his team’s 35-17 win, Johnson didn’t hesitate.

“A little bit of everything,” Johnson said of Brandon Miller, who had a game-high 26 points.

“I thought our discipline on how we wanted to guard more actions was not up to par. We fell asleep a couple of times in terms of not staying connected with him, getting lost in transition.”

The First year Spurs coach then he reiterated the reality that plagued his current 32-16 team.

“The offense required some tough shots; turnovers,” Johnson noted. “You win three quarters out of four and still lose a game, that means you had a quarter where obviously multiple things didn’t go well.”

Mitch Johnson says Spurs’ early start didn’t matter

Although San Antonio hasn’t played their best ball since their big win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Christmas Day, the loss dropped them below second place in the Western Conference for the first time since December.

This latest loss had a unique twist before it even started as both the Spurs and Hornets took the field three hours earlier than originally scheduled. Due to inclement weather expected throughout Charlotte and the region, the game started at noon, or 11 a.m. by San Antonio standards. It’s the first game the Spurs have played this season that started before noon ET.

“I don’t think it had much of an impact on the game,” Johnson said afterward.

Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News reports that the Spurs, who are scheduled to host the Orlando Magic the following day, were forced to spend the night in Charlottehe was unable to return to the Alamo City due to the snow storms.