Charles Barkley Critiques Victor Wembanyama's Struggles in NBA Finals Game 2
The Knicks are halfway to the NBA title now after stunning the Spurs in Game 2 at the Frost Bank Center. Despite a game-leading 29 points, it was a rough game for Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama and Charles Barkley let everyone know it afterwards.
Following the Knicks' 105-104 win over the Spurs, Barkley said on Inside the NBA that Wemby looked like he was "in shock" at the end of the game. He believes that Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns has been defending him so well that Wemby "got his ass kicked" throughout the game.
"Wemby's in shock right now. It's probably been a long time since he got his ass kicked like this... Wemby's spinning... He's 22. He's gonna own the league soon. But right now, big KAT is just taking his ass to the woodshed. Plain and simple," Barkley said.
Inexperience?
Fans couldn't agree more that Wembanyama has not been dominating the Knicks like he's been dominating throughout 2026:
"It's early, but it's hard not to think Charles is right, the kids just aren't ready for this yet," one fan conceded.
"He's killing his team. His inexperience is showing. He's cracking under pressure. MSG will not be kind to him," wrote another.
"I'm afraid Charles is right about Wemby. But remember Lebron got swept his first time in the finals. And Jordan got swept a few times before he won the championship in his 6th year. This is just part of the process for a future goat," a third remarked.
On one hand, even with Wembanyama "getting his ass kicked," the Spurs nearly won the game but were undone by a slew of errors in the waning moments of the game. With just a couple of different ball bounces, we're talking about a tie game.
On the other hand, the Knicks had more than a fair share of their own errors in Game 2. If Jalen Brunson shoots just 40-percent rather than just 28-percent last night, the Knicks might have run away with the game.
Simply put, the superstar that corrects their mistakes first will probably wind up with their hand on the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
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This story was originally published June 6, 2026 at 3:24 PM.