Despite a stunning Finals run and a victory over the Thunder in the Western Conference Finals, San Antonio slides to sixth as new superteams and unproven chemistry overshadow Victor Wembanyama’s rising dominance.
The San Antonio Spurs have earned plenty of respect heading into the 2026-27 season, but one recent ranking still feels a little too low.
A recent ranking of the NBA's best projected starting lineups by Bleacher Report placed the Spurs at No. 6, which feels a little bit disrespectful considering they just made it to the NBA Finals with such a young team.
At first glance, sixth may not seem like much of a slight. After all, the league is loaded with star power after another busy offseason. But when looking at what San Antonio accomplished just a few months ago, it's hard to justify placing five teams ahead of the reigning Western Conference champions.
One of the biggest head-scratchers is Oklahoma City sitting at No. 2.
There's no denying the Thunder remain one of the NBA's elite teams. They finished with the league's best regular-season record and still feature one of basketball's deepest rosters. But rankings like these are supposed to reflect who has the best starting five entering the new season, and the Spurs already proved they could beat Oklahoma City when it mattered most.
San Antonio knocked off the Thunder during its run to the NBA Finals, showing that its combination of size, versatility, and two-way talent was enough to overcome one of the league's most complete teams.
Victor Wembanyama continues to headline one of the most dangerous starting groups in the NBA, and San Antonio's supporting cast has only become more comfortable playing around its franchise superstar. The chemistry built during last season's Finals run is something a few of the teams ranked ahead of the Spurs are still trying to develop.
Philadelphia's addition of LeBron James understandably vaulted the 76ers to the top of the rankings. But as good as their starting lineup is, it has yet to play a game together, while San Antonio just made it to basketball's biggest stage still being so young.
Ultimately, these rankings will be forgotten once the season begins. The Spurs aren't chasing respect in July—they're chasing another opportunity to compete for an NBA championship.
Still, if San Antonio truly owns only the sixth-best starting lineup in the league, it certainly didn't look that way while eliminating the Thunder and advancing all the way to the NBA Finals.
