Heading into this season, the San Antonio Spurs were expected to compete for a playoff spot or, at the very least, make the Play-In tournament as the ninth or tenth seed. However, a series of unfortunate events outside of their control quickly spiraled their season for the worse.<\/p>\n
No one can be blamed for De’Aaron Fox’s finger surgery, Victor Wembanyama’s blood clot, or Gregg Popovich’s stroke. The season was one of the unluckiest in franchise history, and all three figures, especially Coach Pop, have been at the center of fans’ thoughts.<\/p>\n
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As the Spurs prepare for next season, there are still a lot of questions to be answered: who will they draft? Will they make a trade? Will Wembanyama be ready to start the season?<\/p>\n
Regardless of the answers to any of those questions, the Spurs should be a playoff team next year, missing the Play-In entirely.<\/p>\n
At worst, the Spurs will trot out a starting five of Wembanyama, Harrison Barnes, Devin Vassell, Stephon Castle, and De’Aaron Fox. Wembanyama is a top-ten player in the league, Fox is in the top 25, Barnes is an elite shooter, and Castle is a do-all guard.<\/p>\n
Off the bench, they will boast at least one unnamed rookie, Keldon Johnson, Julian Champagnie, Jeremy Sochan, and perhaps Chris Paul.<\/p>\n
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Even in a loaded Western Conference, that rotation should be good enough to make the playoffs. In the West, Wembanyama is clearly worse than just three players: Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Luka Doncic. Other than that, there’s a case to be made that he’s the fourth-best player.<\/p>\n
The Spurs have missed the postseason for the last six seasons. Fans have been patient, but the time to start winning is getting closer and closer.<\/p>\n
Check out the Inside the Spurs home page<\/a> for more news, analysis, and must-read articles.<\/p>\n Related: WATCH: Spurs Celebrate Players for Breaking 24-Season Drought<\/a><\/p>\n