The Spurs are coming [into this season with major expectations](https://airalamo.com/spurs-could-leap-even-biggest-fans-dont-see-coming). That's not something they're really used to, and it can be detrimental to the psyche of some players/teams if they aren't mentally strong enough. It seems silly when you say it out loud, but some players never reach their peaks because the expectations are simply too overwhelming.
It puts pressure on their shoulders that they're unable to handle, and the result is repeated failure. Some guys overcome it if it happens to them, and some never do. Kevin Martin reportedly would intentionally stop scoring the ball during his career if he was playing too well. You'd wonder why someone so talented would do that, but he wanted no part of the expectations that came with that level of skill.
It's really no different than that 60-year-old worker at McDonald's who has been a staff member for 20 years but doesn't want the promotion. They don't want the added responsibility. Some just want to show up to work and go home with no extra headaches, while others are built for it. We're about to find out where the Spurs fall on that spectrum very soon.
Spurs must be ready to take on the weight of expectations
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I believe that [this team is being underrated](https://airalamo.com/spurs-deserve-better-draftkings-latest-lowball-win-total), but that doesn't mean I don't acknowledge the burden already placed on their shoulders with a 43.5 expected win total. The belief that the Silver and Black will at the very least make the play-in bracket means that they'd be reaching a place they haven't been for over half a decade.
Nobody on this roster whom the Spurs have drafted has participated in a postseason. Their last appearance in the playoffs was the 2018-19 season. Keldon Johnson was drafted that summer, immediately following their game seven loss to the Denver Nuggets, and he's the longest tenured player on the roster.
Clearly, the league also believes that there is something brewing in San Antonio, too. They have 22 National TV games this season, up one from the 21 they had last year, and the 19 in Wemby's rookie season. They don't put you in front of their largest audience that if they think you have something impressive to bring to the table.
There are only 10 teams with more nationally televised games than the Spurs this season. They'll be feeling the pressure from the league, the fans, and the media. We've seen what happens when it all gets to you. (See James Harden and Lamar Jackson). It even got to LeBron James in his first finals with the Heat, but he bounced back in a major way with help from his good friend, Dwyane Wade.
The guys will need to lean on each other and the coaching staff to tune out the noise and accomplish their goals. Spurs Nation will be ready for what follows if they pull it off. They just can't allow the weight of expectations to crush them.