Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

NBA Power Rankings Point to Spurs Not Collapsing Quite Yet

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jonah Kubicek | Last updated Feb 25, 2025 6:31 PM ET

When the news broke that the San Antonio Spurs would be without Victor Wembanyama for the rest of the season, it became immediatly clear that the team would not be in the running to go on a deep playoff run. However, currently 12th in the standings, it's hard to imagine them falling behind the teams that have been tanking all season, and in fact, they could even leap the Phoenix Suns in the standings.

In a recent power ranking by The Athletic, the Spurs remained at 20th in the NBA, and they are not expected to dip much further than that.

The Spurs, however, do have talent. Stephon Castle is the best rookie in the league, and a backcourt duo of Chris Paul and De'Aaron Fox, while not championship-caliber, have the experience to keep the team afloat.

"It’s simply devastating to see that Victor Wembanyama’s first All-Star season is already over because of deep vein thrombosis," wrote Law Murray. "Add that to the uncertainty of coach Gregg Popovich’s return following a mild stroke in November, and San Antonio is left in a holding pattern while it starts contract-year point guard Chris Paul next to trade acquisition De’Aaron Fox.

There have been reports that Fox will need finger surgery this summer, and if the Spurs decide to embrace the tank and fall down the stadings, shutting down their trade deadline aquistion might be their only option, lest they stay near the tenth-worst team, which all but prevents them from landing the first overall pick.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: