The San Antonio Spurs, on paper, are title frontrunners, although there is one major concern that they can't shake.
The San Antonio Spurs have heard your concerns.
"Victor Wembanyama is injury-prone."
"They're young and inexperienced."
"No one on the roster has made the playoffs as a Spur."
The second two points are true. The first? A paranoid fantasy pushed by people who see injuries and illnesses as the same thing.
That's not to say that the Spurs are title favorites. Contenders, absolutely, although as they march towards the 2026 playoffs, they are very aware that its uncharted territory for most of the roster.
Victor Wembanyama Addresses Major Concern
The Spurs, it seems, are going to make the playoffs. In fact, it's more likely that they topple the Oklahoma City Thunder and finish with the best record in the Western Conference than it is that they find themselves in the play-in tournament.
However, records and standings don't matter unless the Spurs can go on a deep playoff run.
Wembanyama is well aware of the lack of experience that he and the rest of the roster have, but he refuses to dwell on it.
"I think it's useless to linger on these thoughts," he summed up. "I mean, we will see at the end of the year. But we're doing everything we can to get better in that time. But, in my opinion, nothing replaces playoff experience. So, we will see."
Wembanyama, he would like to remind fans, is an Olympic silver medalist and led his Metropolitans 92 team to the French League Finals before being drafted first overall in 2023. In his mind, that counts as meaningful experience.
"We're clearly a competitor," he added in French. "We're clearly in the race for the title. But as I said earlier, nothing replaces the experience of the playoffs. We're curious to learn and to know how it's going to go."
The Spurs currently boast the second-best record in the West, only two and a half games behind the mighty Thunder. Despite owning a 4-1 season series lead over the defending champs, the Spurs will have to battle past more experienced teams like the LA Clippers, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves, LA Lakers, or Denver Nuggets to even get a chance to take on OKC in the postseason.