The Spurs Are Cooking Something Special In San Antonio

This all starts with Victor Wembanyama, who is arguably a top-five player in the league, the best defender in the sport, and also an outstanding rebounder. Even recently, he’s played five games since coming back from a calf strain that sidelined him for 12 games. and hasn’t played in over 30 minutes in any of those games. The Spurs are still finding success in managing his minutes, getting the most out of him when he’s in the game, and it’s unreal that he hasn’t even started since his return.

Wembanyama is living up to his generational tag, and Spurs fans should wake up every day knowing just how lucky they are to have him. It’s actually insane just how great of a defender he is; he alters so many shots even when he doesn’t jump. The fear of his presence is tantalizing. I like to compare it to using a striker in air hockey, and you keep it on your goal. There’s seemingly no way to score on him when he’s protecting the rim, and he’s also good on the perimeter with his 7’4 frame, long arms, and bounce as well.

Now imagine this alien level player, being paired with star guard, De’Aaron Fox, who’s great and the rim and has a smooth mid-range jumper. Fox gets in where he fits in, doesn’t really force up shots, and it feels like the entire team is in sync now. Earlier in the season, you could tell that they still had some things to iron out, as the late-game execution wasn’t up to par.

It’s also great to see that Wembanyama is instituting an elite crowd environment in San Antonio, as the progression of the “Spurs Jackals” has been amazing.

The Youth of the Spurs

In the last three seasons, San Antonio has drafted Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper, and Carter Bryant.

Castle was scrutinized last season for his efficiency, but even through all that, he took home the 2025 Rookie of the Year award. A lot of his struggles last season came during the second half of the season, where he had to be the first option when both Wembanyama and Fox were out. Even the biggest Castle fan will tell you that he isn’t a first option currently, and there’s a chance that he never is, with all due respect.

This year, we’ve seen Castle continue to be one of the most relentless finishers at the rim, improve his playmaking, and still be a very stout defender. Castle’s three-point shot comes and goes, but it feels like he always hits them when it matters, and his two-point efficiency has improved.

Harper is only 19 years old, but you can already tell that his potential is through the roof. The former Rutgers product and son of former Chicago Bulls guard Ron Harper is also constantly wreaking havoc at the rim. Harper and Castle are pretty similar players as they’re both 6’5, freakishly athletic, and play with so much energy. This is a trickle-down effect from the Spurs; they never give up, and look like they’re having so much fun.

Bryant hasn’t really gotten his opportunity yet, but the other three have already shown themselves to be pillars of this new Spurs core. Bryant is touted as a very impactful defender and projects as a 3 and D player down the line for San Antonio. This is a player who has the height at 6-6, is a work in progress, and is oozing with potential.

The End Of My Spurs Rant

Coming into the season, a ton of people were high on the Spurs, banking on Wembanyama regaining his form after a brutal blood clot diagnosis last season. Even the biggest advocate or San Antonio fan couldn’t foresee this happening. This is one of the better teams in the league, and it feels like it happened so quickly.

San Antonio was alright last season, then they got Wembanyama, his running mate in Fox, but still, it didn’t feel like they would be contenders. Castle had his peaks and valleys in his rookie season, then they drafted Harper, and people like me questioned the spacing. This is where you give a lot of credit to Head Coach Mitch Johnson, who has the impossible job of being the successor to the legendary Gregg Popovich.

The Spurs have such a good mixture of veterans like Luke Kornet and Harrison Barnes, who play a big part in this team. Kornet has come a long way from the “Kornet Kontest” meme, where he would jump upwards with his hands overhead to try to block a shot. Now, he’s one of the league’s best backup big men, a legit lob threat, a good rebounder, and an underrated shot blocker.

Kornet is so massive for the team with his ability to spot start whenever Wembanyama goes down, especially for a long stretch of games, and he still plays at a high level of the bench, too.

Barnes brings that much-needed spacing to the Spurs, is an elite veteran, and doesn’t take away from any of the young players as well. Julian Champagnie also helps them out in that regard as well and he’s also an impactful defender, all while only making an average annual value of $3 million.

The Spurs are an extremely selfless team; they have elite chemistry, and this is only the beginning for them. Fox doesn’t always have to go off every single game; they have so many weapons that he doesn’t always have to be in that mode. They also have the courtesy to know when it’s someone’s night and continuously keep feeding them the ball.

Wembanyama and Castle are both 21, Harper is 19, and Bryant is 20 years old. Unsung heroes Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson are 25 and 26 as well. This is a great place to be if you are in San Antonio. This is why the draft is so important, build from within, even if down the line you want to cash in on a big fish.

This team really shouldn’t look to make any catastrophic moves; minor moves around the margins will do the trick. That’s how highly I view this young core; they should aim to keep them together for as long as they possibly can. At worst, you can see who’s expendable come the playoffs, as the Houston Rockets did before making the Kevin Durant trade.