Why The Spurs’ Roster Is Actually Genius

Why The Spurs’ Roster Is Actually Genius

The Spurs are in basketball heaven. They’ve got a generational talent who’s already solidifying himself as one of the best players on the planet while still playing on his rookie deal. He’s so good so early that they’ve already been able to build a competitive roster around him that features young talent, proven vets, and everything in between. But what can we expect from them in 2026? Are they good enough to compete in the West? And what can we make of their future? Last season, San Antonio’s front office showed us just how much they value this era of Wemby’s career. As long as he’s this good this early, he’s playing at a bargain of a contract, which means there would be no better time to start competing. So, they brought in Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes for some veteran presence. CP3 in particular really helped WMBBY break out as an offensive player as he got more comfortable as a screener while also having so many more opportunities to catch and shoot from three. In addition to WBY and the Vets, they drafted Stfan Castle, who’d go on to win rookie of the year after an impressive showing as a slasher. Then at the beginning of February, they went allin, trading for De’Aran Fox without sacrificing anyone from the young core and getting a legitimate lead ball handler to pair next to Wii. Unfortunately, that group only made it five games before Victor was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis and shut down for the remainder of the season. Any semblance of the Spurs being a competitive team sort of fell apart from there. And that’s because he was basically responsible for the entirety of their defense. Castle had some moments at the point of attack. Jeremy Sohan developed into a pretty versatile defensive forward. But for the most part, their team was reliant upon the game’s best rim protector covering for every single mistake they made. And without him under the basket, they collapsed. In the 46 games he played, they had a 115 defensive rating, good for 18th in the league. And in the 36 he missed, just a rating of 121, which would have been the worst in the league over an entire season. As a result, they were only four games below 500 in those games with him and played at a 30 win pace in the others. So, in total, WebMy’s health made them look a bit worse than they actually were, finishing with the number 20 offense, number 25 defense, and winning 34 games on their way to the number 13 seed. All of that losing turned out to be a blessing in disguise, though, because they ended up with the second pick in the lottery where they drafted the highly touted Dylan Harper. He’s a big combo guard with official measurements of 6’6 and a 610 wingspan in a mostly filled out frame. He’s very crafty and great at using his body to create contact, attack smaller defenders, or get downhill, where he’s a smooth, balanced athlete who’s always in complete control. Although his outside jumper hasn’t proven to be consistently great, he’s a good ball handler with the touch to score from all three levels, which he pairs with natural playmaking skills to legitimately run an offense. By all accounts, he projects to be a highle pick and roll ball handler, which should create immediate chemistry with WBY. However, the one drawback with Harper is that he isn’t an explosive athlete. He doesn’t have that incredible burst, speed, or verticality and often relies on strength or craft to get deep paint touches. While this limits his ceiling as a high-end slasher, with the Spurs, it doesn’t matter quite as much because he’ll almost always have highle rim pressure by his side. Before we get into that, I want to give a huge shout out to Factor for sponsoring this video because this 31-day video series wouldn’t be possible without them. 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Head to factor75.com or click the link below and use code hoop venue FB50 to get 50% off plus free breakfast for a year. You heard that right. That’s code hoopenf50 at factor75.com to get 50% off plus free breakfast for a year. I think we’ll see Harper spending a lot of time next to De’aran Fox at the two, which he of course has the size to do. Fox isn’t quite the slasher he was a few years ago, but still has the agility and handle to get downhill consistently where he’s got some of the best touch in the league. If Harper’s initiating, Fox can play off the catch where he’s shown to be a quick decision maker and explosive attacker. If Fox is initiating, I think we’ll be seeing lots of twoman game with WBY between his use of pace, ability to get downhill and an elite mid-range game. He’s somebody who can really pressure defenses as a scorer inside the ark. It’s worth noting that he’s never played with a multifaceted scoring threat in the front court like Wemi. If the big drops too far back, he’ll likely pop for the three. If the big steps up, he’ll roll hard where he’s one of the game’s most physically imposing scoring threats. If he catches the ball early, he’s a very good decision maker out of the short roll who’s going to make the right reads. If the defense switches, either Fox will attack the mismatch or WBY will post up the smaller player. And if the big stays glued to him off the screen, that opens things up for Fox to do what he does best as a scorer. The twoman game of Fox and WBY should help get the best out of both guys, pressuring defenses from all three levels and putting the rest of the offense in favorable positions. That means easier opportunities for Kell Johnson, a bulldozing slasher who’s great at using his body to create with the use of contact. It means more utility for Jeremy Sohan, a high field offball player who’s a threat to score on cuts or get on the offensive glass. Sohan can even be used as a screener or passer in certain actions, opening up the door for a little bit more flexibility. With all of that said though, the biggest slashing threat on this roster is Stfan Castle. As a rookie, he led all guards with over six shot attempts at the rim every 75 possessions. Like Harper, he’s a big, lengthy combo guard with great strength. While he isn’t quite the level of ball handler or playmaker Harper is, he’s a really impressive athlete with great agility, change of pace, and explosive verticality. He can play in transition, in isolation, away from the ball. So, when he’s on the court, you know you’re going to get lots of layups and dunks, as well as lots of drawn fouls. However, you also know you’re going to lose a lot of spacing. Castle’s biggest flaw is his complete lack of a jumper. As a rookie, he shot just 28 12% from three on about four attempts per game, and he’s got basically nothing going for him in terms of shooting indicators. Pairing that lackluster three ball with about a 34% mid-range shot and a 72% free throw. He’s the type of guy who needs to be surrounded by space. So, there could be a bit of clunkiness next to either Fox or Harper, who aren’t necessarily elite shooters, or if he’s sharing the floor with Sohan, another complete non-spacer who’s made just 29% of his threes since entering the league. Luckily for them, the one thing they do have going is that WMBB is basically a spacing cheat code. In his 46 games last season, he shot the sixth most catch-and shoot threes of any player, and he hit them at a more than respectable 38% clip. Keep in mind, he’s doing this at 7 foot4 from above the break and oftentimes from extended range. that completely warps the geometry of the court, forcing opposing bigs to pick him up as far as 30 ft away from the basket. It doesn’t matter if he’s operating in the pick and pop, trailing an early offense, or just simply spotting up. Everything opens up by him just simply existing on the court. Then he adds a few other skills to the table that supplement the spacing, such as his ability to find cutters with tight window passing, or his ball handling and agility at that size, which allow him to attack slower footed bigs in space, or how the combination of everything I talked about allows him to operate like a super sized wing, or even a guard. You’ll see him curl off of screens where he’s a threat to shoot or attack on the move. You’ll see him run inverted pick and roll with either castle or Sohand and actually pressure defenses as a shooter, slasher, and passer. This is what especially excites me about the signing of Luke Cornett. Cornett’s a really good pick and roll big, not only having the size and above the rim finishing, but the decision-making needed to make plays out of the short role. He’ll be a big help for both Fox and Harper as the Spurs should have a good screen and roll big on the floor for all 48 minutes. But also, because of WMBB’s versatility, we should be seeing lots of double big action, which already popped up in their first preseason game when they connected on multiple pick and rolls. I wouldn’t be surprised if double big units become a staple for them. Over the summer, they also brought in Kelly Olen, another really skilled offensive big who can handle the ball, pass, and hit the outside shot at volume. I can’t stress enough how versatile this offense is. Between the highle slashing and pick and roll play on the wings, as well as the size, playmaking, and versatility of the front court, they can go to so many different lineups, types of action, or even just ways of setting up the floor. That’s without even getting into their more perimeter oriented guys. Harrison Barnes is a very good shooter and versatile offball scorer who’s coming off the most efficient season of his career while being skilled enough with the ball to attack mismatches one-on-one if needed. Julian Champagne is a volume three-point shooter who’s going to let that thing fly at a decent clip anytime he touches the rock. Devin Vel is a crafty scorer who can play with or without the ball, utilize the three ball at volume, then also get into the mid-range and put in work there. All things considered, they’ve got ball handlers and playmakers. They’ve got shooters and slashers. They’ve got size and athleticism. They’ve got scheme and lineup versatility. Although, I do think they still lack high-end shot creation unless WBY took a serious leap over the off season, which seems more than plausible, or Harper’s immediately ready to be an NBA creator, because it is worth noting that there’s usually a grace period for rookie guards. Either way, it’s the defensive side of things that’s most intriguing to me. Here’s a look at some of the best rim protectors in the NBA over the past two seasons in terms of how many shots they contested within 6 ft and how much worse players shot than expected on those attempts. You’ll see some big-time rim protectors like Porzingis, Czech, Gobear, and WMY. Well, you’ll also find Luke Cornet in that same group. Of course, these numbers don’t account for rim deterrence, which is probably the most important aspect of paint defense, but I’d say WMY and Cornet are both great in that area as well. The reason I bring that up is because I started this video talking about how the team collapsed when Vic went to the bench or missed some time. Cornet can step in and pick up right where he left off as a primary rim protector, giving them an awesome look with the bench. Also, I talked about how they’ll probably run lots of double big units. So, we’re going to see some lineups with two of the best rim protectors on the planet. That alone should get them to an above average regular season defense because the floor is just so high when you have that much resistance in the paint. I do question their translate ability to the playoffs, though. Jeremy Sohan’s an awesome defensive forward and somebody who unlocks versatility through his ability to execute different schemes or switch across the board. However, it’s hard to play him in certain lineups alongside guys like Castle or Cornet due to the lack of shooting. Rookie Carter Bryant has all of the tools to become an elite defensive wing. He’s big, lengthy, and strong. He moves his feet well, is gifted vertically, just the type of guy who can be a huge defensive chess piece. However, he’s still incredibly raw on offense, and even then doesn’t have too much upside. So, it could be a few years before he’s able to consistently crack the rotation. That means their remaining options for defense on the wings are Harrison Barnes, Julian Champagne, Kell Johnson, and Devin Vel. Not exactly great. In the back court, Castle had flashes as a rookie. He’s going to have to turn some of those flashes into consistent value between his size, strength, and agility. He’s someone who can hound the ball in space. He needs to improve his screen navigation, though, because the team doesn’t have much switchability, and he also needs to be much more attentive away from the ball. Fox is quick, lengthy, and has amazing hands. So, when he’s engaged, you get good flashes at the point of attack. He’s not always engaged, though, taking plays off or gambling for risky steals. And like Castle, he can be a bit spacey away from the ball. As for Harper, he has the tools to one day be a good defensive player, but again, rookie guards are basically never impactful on defense, so it would take some early development. In terms of who I expect to start, I think they go with the cell at the three for his shooting next to a back court of Fox and Castle. That not only gives offense is a weaker link to attack with Barnes at the four, they don’t have a secondary rim protector if WBY has to step out while not having the wings to consistently prevent dribble penetration. They’ve got some defensive depth with Cornet, Sohan, and Bryant, but those three probably won’t see the floor together. So, while they have the flexibility to put out insane defensive lineups or insane offensive lineups, they don’t have the flexibility to field elite two-way lineups. That’s my big push back with the current roster. WBY can cover for almost everything defensively in the regular season. But come playoff time, it’s all about the team. They’ve got immense rim pressure. They’ve got tons of offensive versatility. They can protect the rim and they’re young. But between a lack of onball defense or defensive versatility, not having the greatest shooting talent, as well as not being able to construct elite two-way lineups, it does feel like their ceiling is capped on both sides of the ball. I personally think they’ll lean more into the offensive side of things and trust WBY to hold it down, which would likely mean an average to slightly below average defense with a solid offense. That seems like a team that should land a couple games above 500 in a stacked conference. However, their regular season ceiling is a lot higher because Wem and Cornet could get them to a top 10 defense. So, it wouldn’t surprise me if they ended up in the high 40s or even contesting 50 wins. Come playoff time. Though, I don’t see them being ready to make a push just yet. All of this goes out the window if WBY just solidifies himself as a top three or four player on the planet. If the offensive leap is real and he’s seriously leveraging his added strength in the way it looks like he can now, that instantly solves half of my concerns. I think the scariest part though is that they’re already good while having maybe the best future in the league. Bryant and Harper are 19. Castle is 20. Web is 21. Sohan is 22 and each of them still have tons of room for improvement. So if they’re not ready to compete for a championship just yet, I think the core is in place. And if they’re able to add a few more two-way wings, the sky’s is the limit for basketball in San Antonio.

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The San Antonio Spurs might have the best future in the NBA, surrounding Victor Wembanyama with young talent, proven veterans, and tons of versatility. But are they good enough to compete in the West?

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