Fueled by a stinging Finals loss and the addition of Tobias Harris, Victor Wembanyama’s relentless squad aims to turn preseason hype into a dominant championship redemption run.
The San Antonio Spurs might be the best team in the NBA.
Of course, they might've been the best team in the NBA a season ago, too ... until they weren't.
Enter what "The Ringer'' is predicting might be "an epic revenge tour'' while ranking San Antonio as the NBA's No. 1 team.
Via The Ringer's Preseason Power Rankings, we have ourselves the outline for what might be on the horizon for the 2026-27 Spurs, who stormed to the NBA Finals last season only to be humbled by the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals.
Writes "The Ringer'' ...
"This has potential to be an epic revenge tour. Everyone who directly contributed to last season’s Finals team is back, plus Tobias Harris (who was just the third-leading scorer on a first-place team). The offense is relentless and versatile. The defense is a brick wall that can punch you in the face.''
And what about Wemby?
"Victor Wembanyama is somehow still only 22 years old, coming off a precedent-obliterating MVP-caliber campaign that was ultimately stifled by some shaky stamina in the playoffs,'' the site writes.
And more praise for individuals on the roster ...
Writes the outlet: "Dylan Harper is the prohibitive favorite to win Sixth Man of the Year until/unless he forces Mitch Johnson to insert him into the starting lineup sometime before Christmas. Steph Castle should make his first All-Star team.''
Some of this stuff is educated guessing; The Ringer insists that the Spurs are "pissed off,'' when in fact there is no way to measure the emotions of more than a dozen different guys with different personalities driven by different emotions.
Indeed, the Spurs cynic might argue, "If they were motivated by being 'pissed,' if it was all so simple ...
'Why didn't they get more 'pissed' against the New York Knicks?''
We are not saying we disagree with the overall evaluation and the lofty prediction from the respected national outlet when it writes, "All the above, and everyone else, is pissed off, motivated, and now understands what it takes to win at the highest level. Good luck beating this team four times in a seven-game series!''
In fact, our Spurs insider Jonah Kubicek recently wrote, "It might seem too good to be true, but the Spurs don't really have a glaring area of weakness heading into the season. If anything, they got better, adding Tobias Harris in free agency while losing not a single rotational player. ...
"In 2016, the Spurs won 67 games. It remains a franchise record. Heading into this season, the Spurs are expecting their 62-win roster to have gotten even better.
"Remember, Wembanyama is just scratching the surface, even if that's impossible to believe. ... Buckle up.''
Oh, we're ready. And if the predictions come true? The "epic revenge tour'' is about ready to roll as well.
