After a surprisingly dominant start to the season, the San Antonio Spurs are beginning to look a lot more like contenders. After beating the Miami Heat for their fifth straight win to start the season, they now find themselves with history on their side in their quest to make the playoffs.
After all, teams that have started the year 5-0 have gone on to make the playoffs 77 out of 83 times. That is a large enough sample to suggest that the Spurs may be playoff-bound if everything goes right for them this season.
> 5-0 starts have happened a total of 83 times in NBA history.
> Teams are 78-5 making the playoffs with a 5-0 start.
>
> — Casey Coggins (@caseylevane) [October 31, 2025](https://twitter.com/caseylevane/status/1984093206162665932?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
It is also worth noting that two of the last three NBA champions began their seasons with a 5-0 record. With them having started the season short-handed, the Spurs' undefeated streak has been all the more impressive.
The Spurs are virtual locks to make the playoffs after a 5-0 start
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The Spurs are still awaiting the season debut of DeAaron Fox and Jeremy Sochan and have been without backup center Luke Kornet for the last three games. Even so, that could prove to be a double-edged sword with them having to integrate Fox and Sochan into the rotation.
That means that players such as Stephon Castle, [Dylan Harper](https://airalamo.com/cold-hard-dylan-harper-truth-san-antonio-spurs-immediately-face), and Julian Champagnie will all see their minutes drop. That could lead to some growing pains, with both Fox and Sochan having yet to suit up for the Spurs this season.
Even so, adding both players back into the rotation should make San Antonio much deeper and better able to weather injuries. Fox is also the second most talented player on the team and increases the Spurs' ceiling even if it already appears quite high right now.
The Spurs are already great but have another level to reach
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It's important to point out that in a super competitive Western Conference, banking wins now could come back to help the Spurs later. After all, it took the Dallas Mavericks 39 wins to make the play-in tournament, while the Memphis Grizzlies won 48 games as the actual eighth seed last season.
That's definitely doable, and San Antonio already having five wins while they are still battling injuries is a fantastic sign that they may be a top-six team in the West, not just a play-in team. Ultimately, San Antonio's hot start may be more significant than many might expect, with them almost guaranteed a trip to the playoffs for the first time in six seasons.
Not only that, but they should be far better once they are able to integrate players such as Fox and Sochan, making them a potential sleeping giant in the West.