Encouraging advanced stat should give Spurs fans all the hope in the world

The San Antonio Spurs were a dynasty from 1999 to 2017, and they're working on re-establishing themselves as the team of old. They have Victor Wembanyama in tow, and that's a start, but they have more work to do. Defense and selflessness are still the name of the game, but the wins aren't flowing quite yet.

They'll get there as the players continue to grow together with Wembanyama as the anchor, but in the meantime, fans want to see improvement. Well, I'm here to tell you that there has been plenty of that, and these numbers bear it out. The Spurs had one of the best 5-man lineups in the league this year, and that's something to build on.

The Spurs aren't as far off as people think

The Spurs started the season with a positive differential in clutch games. That's changed since the turn to 2025, but the shift to a new year is only a measuring point. The guys didn't forget how to play basketball because we reached the halfway point of the 2020s. The schedule got harder, guys hit slumps, and not having Gregg Popovich finally caught up with this ball club.

Look no further than the Detroit Pistons, who had a worse record (14-68) than San Antonio (22-60) last year but sit in the playoff picture with a record seven games above .500 (35-28). They'll be skipping the Play-In Tournament altogether if their momentum holds. Considering they're five games above the Miami Heat, who are struggling with their identity since the Jimmy Butler saga, they'll do just that.

They don't even have a Victor Wembanyama on their team. They've drafted well, and they're picks have started to show up. They added Tobias Harris in the offseason, and he's been a steady veteran presence for them. The Pistons are the surprise of the NBA this season. That title could easily belong to the Spurs next year with the proper moves, more cohesion, and growth from the young guys.

Remember, not so long ago, this team reached the eighth seed in a crowded Western Conference. Sure, they may have collapsed, but that just means they need to build a stronger foundation. That's what the front office will be tasked with this off-season. This team was in the mix to win a bunch of games they ended up losing. They still had a chance to make the Play-In at the beginning of February.

At that point, the difference between the 10th and 5th seed was fewer than six games. The Spurs have defeated Denver, Milwaukee, OKC, Houston, and several other good teams this year. The Silver and Black are coming down the turnpike, and the league better throw down some of those tire-shredding spike strips because the Spurs won't be slowing down once they hit top speed.