Victor Wembanyama's dominance fuels the Spurs' surge, shattering preseason predictions and positioning them as serious Western Conference contenders.
After preseason expectations pegged the San Antonio Spurs as a middling team, the team has steadily outperformed those early forecasts and now look like legitimate contenders in the Western Conference.
And a recent article by Bleacher Report reflects that.
In a recent piece by Grant Hughes of BR, he gives updated final record predictions for every team now that the All-Star festivities have passed. The Spurs have steadily risen in the site's predictions, and are now projected to finish 56-26.
"As it is, the Spurs are on pace to smash our preseason expectations while also handily surpassing the ones we set earlier in the year," Hughes writes. "Though San Antonio's offense still qualifies as its relative weak point, that has more to do with its dominant defense than anything else."
At the heart of San Antonio’s rise is Victor Wembanyama, already acknowledged as one of the most impactful young players in the league. His presence changes games on both ends: elite rim protection and rim-rattling offense. Even when the Spurs face offensive droughts from their backcourt, Wembanyama’s influence keeps them competitive night in and night out.
The Spurs’ defense has been especially dominant. With Wembanyama anchoring the paint, San Antonio has emerged as one of the league’s most stifling units. Opponents struggle to find easy baskets, and San Antonio’s ability to control the defensive glass and generate turnovers has powered a number of crucial wins.
At the beginning of the season Bleacher Report predicted the Spurs to finish the season 42-40, and they changed their prediction to be 48-34 in an updated list on December 1.
But now the team is going above and beyond, and are just three games behind the No. 1 seeded Oklahoma City Thunder.
With this level of performance, the Spurs are not just headed to the playoffs—they’re shaping up as a team that could make some serious noise once the postseason begins. For a franchise with a rich history of overachievement, this feels like the return of the Spurs’ brand of tough, disciplined, and exciting basketball.