The San Antonio Spurs have emerged as one of the best teams in the NBA, and as they blow away the preseason expectations, one of their All-Stars reflected on where they began the season.
The San Antonio Spurs are 38-16, already posting more wins than any season since 2019. As the Spurs rebuild around Victor Wembanyama, they were expected to take a big step forward this season, provided everyone could stay healthy.
At the start of the year and in the offseason, San Antonio made it clear that it would just be happy with a playoff appearance in a tough Western Conference, just to get some experience under their belt.
Instead, the Spurs are the best team in the West and have emerged as legitimate title threats, and are the Oklahoma City Thunder's biggest rivals. Their jump up the standings from last season has been surprising, and even their most confident players admit that they did not expect to be this far.
Spurs Reflect on Success So Far
If anyone on the Spurs knows about expectations, it would be De'Aaron Fox. Drafted fifth overall to the Sacramento Kings in 2017, Fox emerged as one of the better point guards in the NBA, leading the Kings to their third-place finish in the magical 2023 "Beam Team" season.
The Kings fell flat in the following season, and by 2025, Fox was asking for a trade. Unlike the Spurs, the Kings went the other way, disappointing fans after a promising season.
"I mean, our first goal was, you know, get 50 wins," said Fox. "Want to put ourselves in a position to have home court advantage. Like those are the things that are building blocks towards winning a championship."
Before the season, Wembanyama made it clear that their goal was just the sixth seed, missing the play-in tournament. As the Spurs exceed those expectations, they've set their sights on a more lofty goal.
"If we can win a championship this year, obviously that's our goal," Fox said.
We would love to do it."
Fans are pining for a return to contention with a new cast from the Dynasty Days, and with two All-Stars, excellent young pieces, and a solid supporting staff, the Spurs are clearly ahead of schedule. A deep playoff run, once thought unlikely, is now seen as an inevitability.