NBA's latest power rankings just gave Spurs improbable opportunity

The Spurs are 8-3 without Victor Wembanyama, and their efforts have kept them in the top ten of the NBA's power ranking. NBA.com's John Schuhmann dropped his latest list, and San Antonio landed at the ninth spot, down one from last week. They've been somewhere in that range since a week or two into the season. With Wemby seemingly coming back any day now, they may not slide for the rest of the year.

In Schuhmann's final 2024-25 power rankings, the Spurs ended the season 23rd. It's been a long time since this team has been viewed in the light of the elites, but they've returned to their perch. If they were able to float at the top of the league without their best player, there's a legitimate chance that they'll keep that going once everyone is back together, but their schedule won't make it easy.

The Spurs have a treacherous path ahead

San Antonio has the third-toughest remaining strength of schedule in the NBA. Their spot in the top six of the Western Conference should still be safe, though. This is a good team. They aren't faking anybody out. The way they've played consistently over the first quarter of the season has been a revelation for many. But that's not the only factor at play here.

The top six teams with the toughest remaining schedules all play in the Western Conference and will be the ones the Spurs are jockeying for position with. OKC has had the easiest start to the year in the sport, and that's reflected in their 23-1 record. They're a special team, no doubt, but they're not that damn good.

The rest of their journey will be much more difficult. They have the most difficult remaining schedule in the league, followed by Denver (2), San Antonio (3), Phoenix (4), Golden State (5), and Minnesota (6).

I'm not going to lie to you. It feels appropriate. Everyone knows that the West is where boys become men, or whatever silly idiom you want to use here; it's hard. It's a fight among the best in the league, so to truly find out who the real threats are, tough challenges are needed. We shouldn't want it any other way.

If San Antonio is going to surpass OKC and become the next dynasty that nobody wants to see (other than Spurs fans, of course), they need to be the bully on the block, looking at everyone else as food, no matter who they are. They might as well get started on hardening their resolve now.