5 Teams the Spurs should leapfrog in the standings next season

The first year of the Victor Wembanyama era did not go exactly as planned for the San Antonio Spurs. Sure, there were some developmental wins, but not many wins in the win column. Thankfully, the team has already made some improvements within the roster, and there is a path forward to improving in 2024-25.

Yes, the Western Conference is still as stacked as ever at the top and in the middle. But toward the bottom, there are some teams with obvious weaknesses, and others that we can reasonably expect to take a step back next season.

With that in mind, the Spurs' path toward moving up in the standings and potentially even finding their way into the play-in next season becomes clearer. These are five teams that stand out as obvious candidates to be lapped in the standings by San Antonio next season.

Golden State Warriors

Talk about a fall from grace. After a second consecutive letdown season, the Golden State Warriors are looking like a total shell of their former selves. They simply did not have the pieces to compete in the talented Western Conference last season, and now they fall victim to Klay Thompson signing in Dallas. Golden State was already in the play-in last season, so do not be surprised to see them completely outside the playoff picture next spring.

Utah Jazz

Over the last couple seasons, NBA fans have liked to think of the Utah Jazz as the team that starts the season stronger than expected, then eventually comes back down to earth as the year wears on. That is likely to be true to an even greater degree next season, as the Jazz are widely projected to be one of the worst teams in the West in 2024-25.

Houston Rockets

Some are probably pretty high on the Rockets for next season. They have a solid core of young talent, and could take a leap depending on internal development. In the end, however, it is hard to see them overtaking more experienced and proven squads, and it feels more likely the Rockets will finish lower than they did last season. The Spurs should have an excellent chance of passing their heated cross-state rivals.

New Orleans Pelicans

It is certainly true that the New Orleans Pelicans have some high-end talent. Zion Williamson is a lethal offensive force when healthy, and Spurs fans know what kind of player Dejounte Murray is. But the longer you look at New Orleans' roster, the more you start to realize they do not have many pieces that actually fit well together. Look for San Antonio to jump them as well.

LA Clippers

The truth is that the Clippers have been one of the most consistent teams in the Western Conference over the course of the last 10+ seasons. However, now that Paul George has left town, they will have to figure out how to win with a lot of new pieces on the roster. While their roster is deeper than before, there is still the chance they could struggle more than expected.