Sports

Mitch Johnson and the Spurs are not worried about Victor Wembanyama's motivation

Nairavoice · Jun 9, 2026 · 2 min read

Mitch Johnson and the Spurs are not worried about Victor Wembanyama’s motivation originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Victor Wembanyama had his best performance of the NBA Finals in Game 3. He was dominant with 32 points, eight rebounds, six assists, two steals, and three blocks. It was a stat-stuffing performance, and every bit of contribution was key to the 115-111 win against the New York Knicks.

Now, the San Antonio Spurs can rest a bit while knowing that they have one win on the board. They can build on this momentum, especially with Wembanyama as the star player. He is motivated like no other, which head coach Mitch Johnson loves to see from his superstar.

Mitch Johnson knows Victor Wembanyama will live up to his expectations

As the player who is considered the premier talent of his generation, Wembanyama always has to meet expectations. That is no trouble for him because he is so impactful that his coach has no issues with him.

Of course, Wembanyama can be a bit passive at times, but he always bounces back. This is his first NBA Finals, so it is clear that he is hungry to win the championship in his first-ever postseason run.

MORE: Victor Wembanyama knows making fewer mistakes helped the Spurs finally win a Finals game

Coach Johnson has been a great mentor for Wembanyama because he knows how to maximize his player’s potential. That has worked out well for Wembanyama, but it seems Johnson does not need to motivate his star player much because he already has that handled.

“I’m sure Victor has numerous sources of motivation, and I don’t think any of us are surprised or expect anything different than a strong performance and him being on his front foot when it comes to being in attack mode,” Johnson said after winning Game 3 of the 2026 Finals.

Now, the Spurs are building good momentum. However, they are not getting carried away because they are motivated to take this game by game, so they can stack wins and eventually take this series.