The San Antonio Spurs are hoping to make it back to the NBA Finals, but even with the burden of expectations on them, they know it'll be an uphill battle.
The San Antonio Spurs are keenly aware of the expectations on their shoulders. In fact, they embrace them.
After losing the NBA Finals to the New York Knicks, the Spurs are entering the 2026-27 NBA season as favorites to make it back to the Finals, this time winning them. Last year, the Spurs won 62 games and surpassed the Oklahoma City Thunder as the best team in the West.
Both the Knicks and OKC lost key players this offseason. The Spurs, meanwhile, added Tobias Harris and didn't lose a single rotation player in either a trade or free agency. Barring a hangover from last year, the Spurs should be better.
They know that's not a gurantee, though.
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Spurs Are Aware of Uphill Battle
De'Aaron Fox isn't the only player not taking success for granted. At media day, the young Spurs touted their motivation and fuel as a reason why they should be favored to make it back.
Devin Vassell agrees with his teammates, but also knows a lot can happen over the course of the NBA season.
"Everything's not guaranteed, and I think that everybody's hungry," he said. "Like we said, we're not guaranteed a number one seed. We're not guaranteed to be in the playoffs. We're not guaranteed any of this stuff. We all got to work for it. So I think them seeing it, seeing the work, going through a season like that, you're not satisfied with anything. And we didn't win anything. So at the end of the day, nobody's satisfied. We're just ready to get this thing back rolling."
The Spurs can't cruise their way to another 62-win season, and getting back to the Finals after a short offseason is a high demand. There's a reason why no team has made back-to-back Finals since the Golden State Warriors in 2019. It's a massive feat.
Of course, the Spurs are young and fresh, and boast the talent and depth to get back to June basketball. Last season's successes, though, can't be taken for granted.
The veteran players on the roster understand that. Hopefully, the young guys can ride the wind in their sails all the way back to basketball's biggest stage.
