The San Antonio Spurs’ Game 1 loss to the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals didn’t sit well with anyone in the organization, starting with Victor Wembanyama. The French star finished with 26 points, 12 rebounds and 3 blocks, but the shooting numbers told a much tougher story: just 6 made field goals on 21 attempts and a disappointing 2-for-9 from three-point range.

Reinforcing his own feelings about the performance was a message from someone who knows the meaning of excellence better than most: Gregg Popovich.

Popovich’s message to Wembanyama

Following the 105-95 defeat, the legendary former Spurs head coach reached out to his young superstar with a short but direct message. Recalling what Popovich told him, Wembanyama explained:

Basically, he told me I played badly and that I’ve shown much better basketball than what I showed in this game

Victor Wembanyama

Those words perfectly reflected the assessment Wembanyama himself gave immediately after the game.

I played badly tonight. There’s not much else to say

Victor Wembanyama

Even though the final stat line remained impressive, Wembanyama understands that a player of his caliber is expected to make a different kind of impact, especially on the NBA Finals stage.

We’ve played a certain way all season long, and we’ve had success doing it. There’s no reason to change now just because the Finals have started

Victor Wembanyama

With Game 2 of the NBA Finals fast approaching, the Spurs know they must respond immediately. And if Popovich’s message serves as motivation, Wembanyama has already received the most important reminder of all: the level he showed in Game 1 is not the level that carried him to the Finals.