The San Antonio Spurs boast the seventh-best record in the entire NBA so far this season, and they are expected to get even better as the season and upcoming years come to pass.
The San Antonio Spurs sit fifth in the Western Conference, closer to first place than missing the play-in tournament. For a team expected to just be in the mix, it's safe to say that they're ahead of schedule. Even with the recent veteran additions of De'Aaron Fox, Luke Kornet, and Harrison Barnes, the Spurs are still a young team.
The Oklahoma City Thunder clearly have the best young core in the NBA. Not only that, they have the best roster, period. Still, the Spurs are lurking, and one expert declared them the second-best young group in the Association, for one clear reason.
"I don't like to put ceilings on players," prefaced NBC's Kenny Beecham. "Maybe the ceiling of Cade Cunningham is top-five. Maybe the ceiling of Sengun is top five, I don't know. That's where Wemby is right now, in year three. Wemby's ceiling is legitimately the best player on the entire planet."
There is an argument to be made that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the best player right now, although Wembanyama has taken bigger leaps in three injury-filled seasons than SGA has at this point in his career.
Add in other youngsters, and the Spurs are certinaly on the rise.
"There is a lot of hoopla about Stephon Castle as a player, based on his first season," Beecham added. "Dylan Harper has a super high ceiling as well, and then lastly, I added Carter Bryant to their young core."
While Fox is the splashy move that the Spurs were expected to make immediately after adding Wembanyama, it's safe to say that they've drafted well. Of course, the lottery has been friendly to them, but it's still a far cry from where they were.
In Wemby's rookie season, he was starting alongside Zach Collins, Jeremy Sochan, Devin Vassell, and Keldon Johnson. Vassell is the only player still in the starting unit, and Castle (when healthy), Fox, and Barnes are all clear upgrades.
Where were the Spurs when Wemby got drafted? Two spots below where they are now.
"My number four is the San Antonio Spurs," Beecham said in 2023, just a week into Wemby's rookie season. "It's because of the big fella. What can I say? The big fella cares. The big fella could have me on his team and the homies, and I would probably put them as the fourth-best core because he's that nice."
The fact that Wembanyama was able to elevate the Spurs that early in his career was remarkable. The fact that the hype around him has only grown since then is unfathomable.