The Spurs had some robust instances within the first half of 2025, however the previous few months have been nice. What has been your favourite a part of the trip thus far this season?
Marilyn Dubinski: Though I’m often an optimist, I made certain to mood my expectations coming in simply because there have been nonetheless so many query marks. Whereas I felt the media had been overblowing the “too many guards” narrative, we nonetheless hadn’t seen what a wholesome De’Aaron Fox would seem like for the Spurs, if their new heart depth would repay, and so on. Due to that, I used to be saying they could possibly be a high 4 seed at finest however saved my official highest expectations as high 6. They’ve confirmed me flawed. Regardless of ongoing damage points, they’ve constructed a workforce with depth that may outlast these points, even to Victor Webmaynama. If you happen to had instructed me he, Fox and Fortress would have missed so many video games, I might not have guessed they’d nonetheless be the 2nd seed within the West to start out 2026.
Mark Barrington: Whereas Wembanyama needed to sit out almost a month with calf soreness, it was superb to observe how the workforce was capable of preserve profitable with completely different gamers stepping up from sport to sport. However for drama, it needs to be the wins over the Thunder. The primary win was superb, as Wembanyama in some way propelled the workforce to a win regardless of restricted minutes. You can see the whole workforce elevating their video games after his first half stint, and the pattern continued within the second and third video games because the Silver and Black turned extra dominant every time they confronted their nemesis.
Invoice Huan: Positively the event of Fortress and Harper. I totally admit that I used to be lifeless flawed about Fortress, who I believed really harm the Spurs when he was on the court docket final yr, and thought that the ROY was extra the product of one of many worst rookie courses ever, relatively than an indication of potential stardom. Effectively, he’s utterly confirmed me flawed this season and appears like a surefire All-Star within the making, and somebody who could possibly be the third-best participant on a contender on the very least.
However, I couldn’t have been increased on Harper, and he’s been even higher than I anticipated. The driving and ending are already among the many finest within the league, and he’s already a optimistic contributor on an elite workforce, which is extraordinarily uncommon amongst rookie guards. I might nonetheless choose Harper over Fortress if pressured, however the excellent news is that we are able to have our cake and eat it too (to not point out additionally having a 7’5” alien as properly).
Devon Birdsong: For me, going 3-0 in opposition to the NBA Champs needs to be *the* spotlight. The Thunder have continued to be brutally environment friendly and are on a 60+ win tempo, so it’s not as in the event that they fallen off in any possible way, and the Spurs have in some way confirmed to be their foil despite well being and associated lineup fluxations. Sure, there’s nonetheless a lot fluctuation with this workforce, however to see them constantly play their finest in opposition to the most effective? No, I wouldn’t have guess on that but. I might have been thrilled in the event that they gone 2-1. And whereas I already felt sure that this Spurs workforce would win 50 video games barring catastrophic damage, they may do this and extra if they will preserve exhibiting up like that in opposition to Western contenders.
Jeje Gomez: Sorry for being unoriginal, however it’s Wembanyama for me. After the DVT prognosis, fears that he would take a very long time to return to type and proceed to progress had been cheap. He did miss the second half of the 20224/25 season, in spite of everything. Happily, he’s been pretty much as good as anybody may have hoped for this yr. When he’s on the court docket, something feels attainable for the Spurs. There are solely a handful of gamers each technology who can elicit that stage of optimism. Wemby is one in every of them, and he has wasted no time returning to type.
Wanting on the schedule, which options some robust stretches, what do you suppose a sensible report and place within the standings are for the Spurs on the All-Star break?
Dubinski: They’ve already proven they will deal with a brutal journey schedule, and oddly this current stretch could have proven they’re extra targeted on the highway than at residence. I believe they’ll stay in the same win/loss share, and so they shouldn’t fall any decrease than third, contemplating the Lakers are barely hanging on with Luka Doncic’s defensive limits and LeBron James seemingly checked out, and the Nuggets ought to fall off a bit with Nikola Jokic and Jonas Valanciunas out. The Rockets are their solely actual menace, and there are a few matchups in there to assist create separation or make issues tighter.
Barrington: As traditional, the All-Star break is greater than midway, after sport 54, which is about 2/3rds of the way in which by means of the season. Superior stats present the Spurs’ wins whole barely outperforming their anticipated report, and that pattern may revert to the imply a bit, particularly if Wembanyama misses vital time together with his hyperextended knee. I’m nonetheless wildly optimistic, and I believe that the win/loss report shall be one thing like 38-16 after they face the Warriors on February 11, a sport that I predict the Spurs will win. That implies that they’ll surpass final yr’s win whole properly earlier than the break, which is a superb end result for Coach Mitch and the workforce. That report ought to preserve them within the high 4 within the Western Convention, which might assure them a house playoff collection if they will stick with it for the remainder of the season after the break.
Huan: It could take a catastrophic stretch for the Spurs to fall out of the highest 3 within the West, contemplating Houston is the one menace for the #2 spot, now that Jokic shall be out for a month. With the Rockets two video games behind, I might nonetheless guess on the Spurs to carry on to the 2-seed, however I can see the battle coming all the way down to the wire, given Wemby’s unsure well being within the close to future.
Birdsong: Effectively, they’ve already confirmed they will beat the most effective groups within the league with some extent of consistency, and so they’ve rolled alongside regardless of lacking key contributors, so at this level I believe solely a season-ending damage for Wemby may preserve them out of the highest 4 within the West. Nevertheless, with Jokic lacking vital time, the highest of the West simply bought rather less aggressive. I truthfully suppose the #2 seed is realistically inside attain. Based mostly on the present profitable share (.714) the Spurs are on tempo for 58 wins this season, however they’re nonetheless figuring out some issues as they proceed to gel, so I’m going to say 54 wins feels reasonable. Final yr, that also would have landed them 2nd within the West over the Rockets.
Gomez: The Spurs have struggled in opposition to dangerous groups, however realistically, they need to win greater than they lose from right here to mid-February. The back-to-backs could possibly be difficult to navigate, however the workforce has proved to be deep sufficient to win with out a few of its higher gamers. I may see them holding on to the second-best report within the West with the Nuggets lacking Jokic and, at worst, discovering themselves nonetheless within the high six if issues go awry.
The nice has been nice, however there have been some weaknesses. What is that this workforce’s ceiling, and what’s the greatest space that wants enchancment for the workforce to achieve it?
Dubinski: Technically their ceiling is the highest seed and a shot on the finals, though at this level, they’ll should be extra constant and get some assist to surpass the Thunder (on a aspect word, OKC has had one of many best schedules thus far, however it will get tougher for them from right here as properly). The 2nd seed might be extra reasonable. The largest space that wants enchancment is consistency. That’s loads to ask from a younger workforce, however they could be a bit Jekyll and Hyde from sport to sport and even quarter to quarter, and plenty of that has to do with the three on each ends of the ground. They overhelp and due to this fact depart shooters open an excessive amount of on D, and on the opposite finish, they want their very own shooters to be extra constant. Past Julian Champagnie’s 11-three outburst in opposition to the Knicks, having each him and Harrison Barnes in a hunch on the similar time has been taking a toll on the offense.
Barrington: The workforce’s greatest weak spot has been the lack to restrict different workforce’s three level shooters, however that appears to be extra associated to the scheme than an inherent weak spot. In opposition to the Knicks, the Spurs rolled out a zone protection for a lot of the second half, which appeared to disrupt the Knicks’ offense and assist gas the comeback. They might want to proceed to make use of a versatile strategy based mostly on matchups on protection to beat the highest groups, as a result of in opposition to opponents with elite capturing, you’ll be able to’t simply play a generic protection the entire time, even with Wembanyama’s means to erase errors on the rim. It appears to be like just like the workforce is constant to enhance, and by the top of the season, they could be an excellent higher defensive workforce than they’re now, and higher ready for the playoffs.
It could be nice for the workforce to win a playoff collection of their return to relevance after lacking the playoffs for the final six seasons, however the one gamers on the roster who’ve been vital contributors on a workforce that gained a playoff collection are Harrison Barnes, Luke Kornet, Kelly Olynyk, and Bismack Biyombo.* My expectation is that the Spurs aren’t going to make it out of the primary spherical, but when they do, they’ll be a menace to go even additional, as a result of this workforce is made up of quick learners.
* I’m not counting Lindy Waters or Jordan McLaughlin, who barely performed for his or her groups within the playoffs, and De’Aaron Fox, who performed rather well for the Kings, however by no means made it out of the primary spherical.
Huan: This may get me kicked off PtR, however I nonetheless don’t see the Spurs as official title threats. To be truthful, I solely have the Thunder and Nuggets in that tier, and San Antonio could very properly be the third-best workforce within the league. A practical ceiling might be the West Finals with a collection win over a kind of two juggernauts, however I don’t see them making all of it the way in which to the finals because the highway will probably undergo each OKC and Denver. Subsequent season, although? We may win the entire thing.
Birdsong: They nonetheless don’t have sufficient high quality long-distance capturing to climate any streakiness, and so they solely managed to snap their most up-to-date dropping streak on the behest of an all-time breakout from one in every of their sharpshooters. That is the true drawback. They only don’t have a participant who’s large enough to function additional rim deterrence and rebounding on the 4, who also can knock it down from three. To be truthful, it’s concerning the rarest (and costliest) mixture of traits within the NBA proper now, however I simply don’t see the Spurs taking residence the title with out filling that void (barring a face-melting extended scorching streak), and I don’t suppose they’re going to have the ability to commerce for it. Their finest guess might be hoping that the Hawks’ free-fall continues, and so they get yet another serving of draft luck. In a twist of nice irony, this workforce can be excellent for a Kawhi Leonard-type participant proper now (particularly the model from 2014), which is nearly as ironic as this workforce’s weak spot being at Energy-Ahead after a really outstanding 19-year stretch of basic excellence on the place.
Gomez: The Spurs’ ceiling is championship rivalry, however provided that they make an incredible commerce that solves their weaknesses. As presently constructed, their capturing just isn’t ok to win three Western Conferece playoffs collection, except they get fortunate, and the protection has holes. But when a discount seems, damage luck goes their manner, and the Thunder proceed to wrestle in opposition to them, they may come out of the West. After that, something is feasible.
