Optimistic win odds force sobering concession for Spurs this season

The juxtaposition of excitement surrounding the San Antonio Spurs at the beginning of last season to the crushing disappointment felt at its conclusion was jarring. Rightfully so, the addition of Victor Wembanyama infused the fan base with unbridled energy. Nobody expected to make the playoffs in his inaugural campaign, but a substantial improvement was expected from the sloppy play that had become commonplace for the Silver and Black.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case, and the Spurs remained at the bottom of the standings in the Western Conference, finishing with the same exact record that netted them Wemby the previous season. Well, it seems that everyone was just a season early for the leap they expected from San Antonio. Admittedly, the front office made a couple of moves to help speed things along, but the growth the coaching staff was hoping for last year should be arriving now, and bettors agree.

FanDuel places the Spurs' win total odds at 36.5

That's quite the line for a team that just finished 22-60, even with the addition of Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes. It's not like those guys are in their prime. Spurs fans already had high expectations for the season, with many projecting the team to challenge for a play-in spot. It just goes to show the range of expectations different analysts have for the team and what's necessary to make the postseason a reality.

Several projections show them remaining in the same range they've been in the past two seasons. That means a bottom-three finish. FanDuel's prediction, while a 14-win leap, would have only amounted to a 12-seed last season. The Rockets finished on the outside looking in at 41-41, so the Silver and Black wouldn't have even beaten out their inner-state rival, who also couldn't make the play-in.

Things don't usually stay the same from year to year in the NBA. Teams rise and fall all the time. But it's different in the West because the number of teams that rise and fall seem to mirror each other, making it painfully difficult to break into the upper echelon.

The league is deeper than ever and staying afloat is going to be a battle from day one. OKC has taken San Antonio's blueprint for team building and dialed it up to a 10. The results have been spectacular and the Spurs are now implementing the same technique. They're years into their rebuild, and with Chris Paul coming in, they hope to make a push for the playoffs, but it will be anything but easy in the vaunted Western Conference.