The San Antonio Spurs haven’t seen the grit and grind of the NBA playoffs since 2019. During the Duncan-Parker-Ginobili era, the Spurs actually made an NBA record 22 straight playoff appearances. However, after the Big Three called it a career, this Texas team has been at the bottom of the Western Conference. But, with Victor Wembanyama already showing signs of greatness, the Spurs could potentially return to the biggest tournament in the league.
Can the San Antonio Spurs reach the playoffs this season?
As of this writing, the Spurs are sitting on the 8th seed in the West, just behind the Los Angeles Lakers. Although it’s still very early in the season and there could be a lot of things that could happen in the next 70 games or so, it is still great to see SAS back on top (even for now, at least). Last season, San Antonio had a similar great start. They entered 2023-2023 strong by winning 4 of their first 6 games. But, SAS finished the season with a 22-60 record, the second-worst in the NBA.
Before the 2023-2024 season kicked off, Las Vegas projected that the Spurs would only be getting 29 wins, just 7 more than what they were able to secure last season. According to lineups.com, the Spurs currently have a +700 odds of reaching the 2024 playoffs. They’re obviously not a favorite despite having the French sensation. Right now, the top 5 with the highest odds are the Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, and both the Los Angeles Teams (Lakers and Clippers).
If we’re going to talk about a potential run at the NBA championship, Wembanyama and the Spurs have a +50,000 odds to win it all. Unfortunately, this is more likely not the year for Spurs fans, but it will be a great development for these young stars. Who knows, maybe we’ll get to see San Antonio back in the finals in the next five years or so, right?
How good is the 2023-2024 Spurs team?
Despite being in a very stacked Western Conference, the Spurs are actually holding their own even against star-studded teams like the Phoenix Suns, who they actually beat twice (back-to-back). Compared to last season, this young squad comes into the 2023-2024 season as a better team.
Drafting Victor Wembanyama as the first overall pick in the 2023 draft is the only major move the Spurs front office made in the break. Aside from that, there are no exceptional changes in their roster. However, with Wembanyama on the court, both their offense and defense receive a major boost. The French superstar rookie made this team look and play better, to say the least.
Your ‘23-‘24 San Antonio Spurs Training Camp Roster 🩶🖤 pic.twitter.com/Qw2uUc2frC
— SpursMuse (@spurs_muse) October 3, 2023
It’s also worth noting that other young Spurs players like Jeremy Sochan, Keldon Johnson, Devin Vassell, and Tre Jones have been putting in great work. With a talented young core, San Antonio really has a bright future.
Coaching this young team is no other than the winningest head coach in NBA history, Gregg Popovich, who’s already had success in 27 years as the man spearheading the Spurs. Compared to the Nuggets, Warriors, or Lakers, this relatively young Spurs basketball club is far from being a contender. But, give these talented and skilled young men some time, and with the help of Pop, we could be seeing a dynasty in San Antonio once again.
