Mitch Johnson Highlights Issues That Have Plagued Spurs

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jonah Kubicek | Last updated Feb 26, 2025 11:22 AM ET

On Tuesday, the San Antonio Spurs lost to the New Orleans Pelicans for the second game in a row, falling 109-103. The Spurs were led by Devin Vassell's slump-busting 20 points, but a poor effort shooting, rebounding, and taking care of the ball didn't exactly help the Spurs' winning effort.

After the game, acting head coach Mitch Johnson highlighted the trials and tribulations that may have held the Spurs back a little in recent weeks.

Between losing franchise icon Gregg Popovich in November for the season and centerpiece Victor Wembanyama early this month, off-court health scares have severely limited the Spurs' chances of success.

"I do think that this team has done a heck of a job dealing with a lot of unforeseen circumstances," said Johnson. I think a level of mental fatigue would be a fair assessment. I do not think that is why some of those things happen in terms of turnovers and gameplay. Our margin of error is zero right now."

The Spurs still believe they can win enough games to make a run at the postseason, but dropping two straight to one of the worst teams in the NBA doesn't exactly inspire a lot of confidence. Johnson urged the Spurs to continue to try and improve.

"We have to continue to challenge ourselves, to lessen some of those mistakes."

The Spurs will have little time to recover as they prepare to take on the Houston Rockets on the road on Wednesday.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: