Are Spurs living up to the preseason expectations? A month in review

A month into the 2024-25 season, the San Antonio Spurs are starting to find their footing. They are currently 6-8, and after a slow offensive start from star Victor Wembanyama, both have begun to live up to expectations. The Spurs have been much improved on the defensive end, ranking 12th in defensive rating, largely thanks to Wembanyama, who is again leading the NBA in blocks per game.

Not just that, but he is on pace to do something that only one player has done defensively in the last 30 years. That gives him a strong case to win Defensive Player of the Year, assuming that he can stay healthy, especially with Chet Holmgren out for up to three months. 

Reviewing the Spurs' early season

On offense, they haven't been as good, which goes back to Wembanyama's early struggles. Then again, last season's second-leading scorer Devin Vassell has only played 3 games, while Jeremy Sochan, who was having a breakout year, has missed the previous seven. 

He will be out several more weeks in street clothes, while Tre Jones just barely made his way back to the court for the first time since opening night. Missing three key rotation players, not to mention coach Gregg Popovich's health scare, it's impressive that the Spurs haven't gotten off to a worse start.

Had they not been so injured, the Spurs would probably have a winning record. They look like they have enough talent to make a push for the playoffs and have also successfully incorporated rookie Stephon Castle into the lineup. That is about as good of a start as can reasonably be expected for the Silver and Black after such a rough start.

Once Wembanyama's offense stabilizes, Vassell returns to the starting unit, and Sochan comes back, we will finally see how good this team can be. The team's lack of shooting could force some tinkering with lineups and is probably why Wemby is taking nearly half of his shots from outside. 

Be that as it may, the rebuild is progressing nicely, and the team is indeed more competitive than they were a season ago. They will still face an uphill battle to make the playoffs in the brutal Western Conference this season, but they should be in the mix.

Especially since the floor of the conference has been raised, and many teams are likely to be within a few games of one another in the standings. Considering all of these circumstances, they are more than living up to expectations, and Spurs fans should be proud of this team.