Coming into the 2025-26 NBA season, nobody expected the San Antonio Spurs to move past the first round of the playoffs, let alone be on the verge of a finals appearance, while also being close to dethroning the reigning champions in the Oklahoma City Thunder.
However, when everything gets taken into account, including the Spurs’ historic ability to build championship teams through the draft alone, their success doesn’t seem too surprising in the end. With that, the franchise has always been keen on surrounding its young stars with veteran presence in the locker room, as well as mentorship from Hall of Fame players the organization has produced.
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Although they aren’t on the squad anymore, Tim Duncan, Gregg Popovich, and David Robinson’s presence through the team’s staff has been nothing short of reassuring for the Spurs’ young core built around Victor Wembanyma, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper, among others.
With them, one of the quieter positive influences the Spurs’ management surrounded their team with was last year’s addition of Chris Paul, who was an advocate for helping the franchise’s inexperienced youth gradually grow, which has started to pay off.
“With the Spurs, it ain’t just Vic,” CP3 said. “It’s Steph Castle. Dylan Harper too. We don’t be surprised by some of these guys when they get to the league and how they hooping.”
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“San Antonio gonna be good for a long time. It’s a lot of people who just talk about the players. I got a chance to see how every single day the coaching staff has been cultivating this. Now, when guys get to see that and they got to the Western Conference Finals, now it’s scary, cause now they believe in the work and the time that they done put in.”
Spurs’ ascension is nothing new
Aside from their young core tapping into their potential earlier than expected, as history tells us, the Spurs boast perhaps the most successful blueprint in NBA history for building dynasties entirely through the draft.
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Aside from drafting Wemby, the Spurs’ legendary big-man foundation started almost 40 years ago when they selected Robinson with the first overall pick in the 1987 NBA Draft, as well as Tim Duncan a decade later in 1997.
With that, the franchise revolutionized scouting by extending its talent perspective outside of the US. Most notably, the addition of Manu Ginobili in 1999 as the 57th pick and Tony Parker in 2001 as the 28th pick formed the winningest Big Three in NBA history alongside Duncan.
With the addition of Kawhi Leonard through a trade for his draft rights in 2011, the Spurs bridged the gap between the aging Big Three and the next generation by developing the Klaw into a Finals MVP and a superstar.
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The Spurs are on a trajectory of a dynasty
Depending on whether or not they move on to the finals, this Spurs season is nothing to be mad about. By an objective metric, where their age is taken into account, the team is massively overachieving.
While the franchise’s historic evidence suggests they’re on the right path, the Spurs have completely shattered expectations. Before the season, San Antonio was expected to win somewhere around 35 to 45 games, at most, which they topped with an unbelievable 62-20 record, finishing as the second seed in a tough Western Conference.
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The Spurs have shown poise well beyond their years, as seen in these playoffs. Most notably, they pulled off the second-largest playoff comeback in franchise history in Game 4 against the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round. Not to mention beating the well-seasoned Minnesota Timberwolves and having the upper hand on the Thunder throughout the regular season and the playoffs.
Instead of folding in basketball’s toughest environment, young stars Castle and Harper have been the hearts of the team, playing like veterans alongside Wembanyama, whom the Spurs will look to keep for years to come.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on May 21, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.