Last season, nobody expected to see the Pacers make a run to the NBA Finals, but they did because of a few reasons, a big one being their depth. That's the superpower this year's Spurs can lean on to shock the world on the off chance that they're the next giant rising from their slumber earlier than anyone expected.
ESPN's Tim Bontemps revealed [insight into the minds of league insiders](https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/47039949/nba-first-month-lessons-intel-thunder-lakers-warriors-knicks-every-team#lal) and their thoughts on teams across the league. One Eastern Conference scout expressed doubt about the Lakers' chances to compete for a title, despite their star power. His concern was their lack of depth.
"Are they up there with Oklahoma City, Denver, and Houston... Their depth overall isn't good," he said. Obviously, he didn't name San Antonio as a threat the likes of the other top seeds in the conference, but that's the thing about being a surprise team: nobody expects it.
The Spurs have the tools to upset good teams in the playoffs
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First, allow me to set the table here just a little bit. It's not that uncommon to see an underdog make a deep playoff run. They may not always make it to the NBA Finals, but then again, they do it at a consistent enough rate that nobody should rule out a team with Victor Wembanyama elevating to never-before-realized heights.
In the past three years running, the championship round has hosted a surprise guest. Last year, it was the Pacers, but in 2024, the fifth-seeded Mavericks made it to the final dance, and it was the eighth-seeded Heat the year before that. Each team had one guy play like a superstar, while everyone else took turns stepping up, playing with ferocity and fearlessness.
The Spurs' franchise star has proven himself to be a big-game performer, so a playoff atmosphere is not going to intimidate him. He wants that, so we'll always see the best of him, the brighter the lights get. Fortunately, he also has the formidable squad he needs to back him up. At least, we'd like to think so. You never truly know until the players get to the postseason, but we're taking an optimistic approach here.
De'Aaron Fox is a [fantastic number two for Vic](https://airalamo.com/spurs-coming-de-aaron-fox-realization-shouldve-known-along), and if the rest of the team is healthy, they can come at their opponents in waves. We've already seen a few flashes of some really special basketball. Their injuries have caught up with them, but they'll all be on the court together eventually. Then the fun really begins.