Victor Wembanyama is experiencing his first significant struggles of the season as NBA defenses have adjusted their schemes to contain the San Antonio Spurs star. Mitch Johnson is urging the 21-year-old to demand the ball more aggressively despite facing constant double teams and physical coverage.

Wembanyama has scored just 28 points on 28 shots over his last two games combined. The Spurs lost 118-116 to the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday.

Teams are deploying multiple defenders on Wembanyama throughout possessions, preventing him from establishing position and rhythm. The Phoenix Suns employed a box zone around the paint, hitting him with one defender at the free-throw line and another waiting in the post.

"He should yell at everybody in the gym," Johnson said. "Including his teammates and myself. He'll be fine. We'll be better."

Johnson indicated Wembanyama needs to resist getting pushed off his spot by smaller, stouter defenders. The coach emphasized establishing position earlier in possessions and forcing contact to draw fouls.

Wembanyama spent the preseason focused on playmaking and operating away from the center position. Since moving back to the post for the regular season, he has struggled to adapt as opponents study film.

"Personally, I haven't seen this kind of defense from teams," Wembanyama said. "We need to adapt as a collective, and obviously, our offense was bad against Phoenix as well. We got stalled out some times. So we're learning. We're going to learn."

Wembanyama has dramatically reduced his three-point attempts this season in favor of post-ups. He acknowledged defenses have stepped up their intensity as both he and the team have improved.

"There's no worry, really," Wembanyama said. "It feels like the game is going fast."