Egregious stat paints a bleak picture of the Spurs season

It's safe to say this season hasn't met the expectations many set going into the year. After going 22-60 and landing the first overall pick in Victor Wembanyama, there was zero reason to believe the following year would be worse than the previous. Unfortunately, it is. There are a handful of bright spots on the roster, but aside from that, the lack of depth and gaping holes have resulted in the 11-47 record the Spurs currently hold.

A thrilling first five games of the season included back-to-back statement wins in Phoenix, making the entire fanbase ecstatic about what was to come in the season—potentially even a postseason birth for the first time in four years—which was followed by an eighteen-game losing skid, setting the true tone for the rest of the season.

San Antonio's disastrous season shouldn't have happened

The theme of the year for San Antonio has been one of two options: either digging themselves into a grave too early that becomes impossible to get out of or an all-gas no-breaks start in which the Spurs end up taking their foot off the gas, allowing for a second-half spark from the opponents, resulting in a loss for the Spurs.

San Antonio finds themselves on par with the Golden State Warriors for one of the most disturbing statistics of the season.

The Spurs are the youngest team in the league on average, with an age of 23.5 years old, so there will be plenty of learning curves for this squad. Without a true veteran star to pave the path for this young squad, they will face many challenging situations where they'll need to learn how to either come back from large deficits or hold on to leads.

However, there are strengths and weaknesses to being without a proper, experienced star leading the charge for the Spurs. This means that in any problematic scenario, these young guys are going to be consistently challenged, as they will be the ones going through the growing pains, learning what it's like to be in deep holes, how to face a resurgence from opponents after a hot start, and how to play in the clutch. Responding to all of these challenges will help improve their mental toughness and improve them as a team and as players.

In today's NBA, it's no easy task to hold onto any lead, as basketball is a game of runs. One minute, you look up, and a team may be up by ten, and in the blink of an eye, the opposing team has battled back to take the lead. The game's pace has evolved, and teams are becoming remarkably efficient at managing an offense.

The Spurs should go out and add an experienced star to the roster. With all the stars aligning, Brian Wright can get his hands on Trae Young, as we've been discussing in the past few weeks. Young, who is only 25 years old, would bring that elite scorer who's also born for the big moments and knows how to keep a team above water.

With the finish line in sight for San Antonio, this will be an actual test to see what hidden gems or potential trade candidates the Spurs will have. Projected to hold $56.8 million in cap space going into the offseason and a haul of picks that could be used as trade assets, it will be a sight for sore eyes to see the Spurs address the lack of veterans and depth in the offseason, looking to end the issues they've faced all season.