The Spurs better be ready to go to war pretty consistently throughout the season. Every team plays every team during an 82-game season, but how those games line up is what determines how tough the schedule is. San Antonio's is among the most difficult in the league, so there won't be many chances to take a deep breath versus a slew of weak opponents.
The Spurs have the 6th-toughest schedule per Positive Residual, which factors in things like site altitude, rest advantages, and estimated team ratings. pic.twitter.com/EoaLE5XbzE
— Josh Paredes (@Josh810) August 14, 2025
This team has a lot to prove anyway. They shouldn't be looking at any team as inferior or a one they can simply walk through. It's been too long since they've made the playoffs, and it's time to fix that. To do so, they'll have to lock in from the beginning of the year and not take any team for granted.
The Spurs can surpass expectations with the right mindset
It's a long season, and there will be games lost that shouldn't be, but that's just pro sports. Players on teams believed to be lesser will play above their standard, and our guys will have off nights. What can't happen are nights where it looks like the Spurs are uninterested in playing because they may be underrating someone.
This is a deep roster, but it remains to be seen how talented it is outside of the obvious contributors. We somewhat know what we're going to get from Victor Wembanyama and De'Aaron Fox, but understanding what everyone else will bring to the table is less predictable.
Stephon Castle is obviously talented. He just won Rookie of the Year, and it was an easy decision. But now that the Silver and Black have their eyes set on making noise in the postseason, the leash on his gameplay won't be as long. The coaching staff gave him the ball to let him figure things out on the fly all season. There will be less of that; more structure. Hopefully, we don't have to worry about a sophomore slump, either.
The question of which Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson we'll get is looming large. How fast Dylan Harper and Carter Bryant come along could be the marginal pieces that swing the season further in the direction of overcoming their projected win total of 43.5. There are reasonable questions surrounding every role player on the roster.
I prefer to lean toward optimism here. The Spurs could have easily won 41 games last season if Vic had never gotten hurt, especially if Coach Gregg Popovich had never suffered the stroke in November that would lead to his retiring from the clipboard.
50 wins shouldn't be a crazy number to hear. But it all still depends on how much work is put in during the offseason, and if it will translate to consistent, impressive efforts on the floor. If it does, San Antonio will shock a lot of people.