When the Spurs announced De'Aaron Fox's timeline, the expectation was that he would return in the first week of November. That remains the case, according to local reporters who indicate that the league's fastest guard looked good in 5-on-5 drills recently. The team has fared well without him thus far, but they'll need him to reach their peak.
However, if they go undefeated with their second-best player sidelined, that tells us something about what that peak could look like. Knocking off Dallas was a big deal. It was the first time the Spurs won their first game of the season in years, and the [Mavericks' frontline posed a challenge](https://airalamo.com/underrated-spurs-takeaways-buried-beneath-wembanyama-monstrous-return) that was confidence-boosting to conquer.
Following that up with a [team win against the Pelicans](https://airalamo.com/spurs-proved-drastically-important-point-decisive-win-over-pelicans) and Zion Williamson, whom Victor Wembanyama had never beaten before, is another great moment for the young team. They outrebounded New Orleans and were the more physical team. Now, they should only have three more games to get through without their floor general, and at least one will be very challenging.
The Spurs haven't beaten the Miami Heat in years
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The coaches and players have to take it one game at a time, but that doesn't mean that I have to. Anything can happen in pro sports, but after what we just saw from the Spurs in the first two games, I expect them to beat their next two opponents. The Brooklyn Nets in SA's home opener and the Toronto Raptors in their second game at the Frost Bank Center.
The Silver and Black are on a three-game winning streak against both, and they've only gotten much better. Those teams? Not so much. The Raptors added Brandon Ingram in the offseason, but I've never been that high on him, so I'm not really moved by that addition. They'll give the Spurs a game, but the home team should end the game with another victory.
The Miami Heat are a different animal. They're still coached by one of the best in the game, Erik Spoelstra, and Bam Adebayo has upped his game. They just beat the Memphis Grizzlies by 30 points, and Adebayo is out here shooting threes now. That was never really part of his game before, but he went 4/8 from outside.
San Antonio hasn't beaten them since December 10, 2022. That's five straight losses, and it means Wemby has never beaten them. That needs to change. There should be no organization with those kinds of bragging rights over the Spurs superstar. It'll be the toughest challenge over the next three games, and pulling it off could be the launch point for a truly special season.