How did the San Antonio Spurs complete one of the most remarkable turnaround seasons in recent memory? That’s the question. Here’s my take on the answer.
Consider these numbers: 34-48 last season to 62-20 in 2025-26, a 28-game improvement in just one year. That improvement enabled San Antonio to go from a 13- to a 2-seed. Wow!
The result wasn’t a one-year project.
A key factor was getting the first pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, and then selecting wisely, namely Victor Wembanyama. Wemby dropped 21 PPG on 30 MPG in the 2023-2024 season, won Rookie of the Year, placed 2nd for Defensive Player of the Year, and made the All-Defensive 2nd Team.
Fox and Wemby (photo courtesy NBC Sports)
Then there were contributions made by scoring threats Devin Vassell, who averaged 20 PPG that season at age 23, and Keldon Johnson, who averaged 16 PPG, also at age 23. Suddenly, San Antonio had promise, even though they missed the playoffs that year with a 22-60 record.
Again, they used the Draft to strategically select Stephon Castle with the 4th overall pick. Castle averaged 15 PPG on 27 MPG in the 2024-2025 season and won Rookie of the Year. In the same season, the Spurs acquired superstar guard De’Aaron Fox from the Sacramento Kings in a mid-season trade three days before the deadline.
Still a work in progress, San Antonio won 34 games that year. But the foundation was being built with back-to-back Rookies of the Year and a young, talented roster. The Spurs went from 22-60 with little hope to becoming a “Threat in the West.”
To get there, still more work was required. While 34-48 wasn’t good enough to secure a playoff spot that year, it was “bad enough” to earn another top Draft pick. This time, it was Dylan Harper with the second overall pick.
Flash forward to today, and the San Antonio Spurs–with a core of Wemby, Fox, and Castle, with Johnson and Harper coming off the bench–are on a playoff run. They have won nine of 13 playoff games, and stand 2-2 in the Western Conference Finals after Sunday’s blowout win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, 103-82.
In Sunday’s contest, four of the aforementioned five players (all except Harper) scored in double figures, led by Wemby’s 33 points on 11-22 shooting.
Adding evidence of their excellence are the honors already accorded to Wembanyama (Defensive Player of the Year) and Johnson (Sixth Man of the Year).
Will the building blocks yield an NBA Championship? Only time will tell, but one thing is for sure. With so many NBA teams stumbling and bumbling as they try to build a championship-level roster, the San Antonio Spurs have shown how it can be done.
Impressive!
