Spurs starting lineup is blowing the league out of the water

No one expected much from the San Antonio Spurs this season. A second-year Victor Wembanyama and the offseason addition of Chris Paul were enough to build some excitement around the Spurs. But being exciting is far from being a contender.

It would still be a stretch to say that San Antonio is anywhere close to claiming contender status but things have improved from last year. Ignore that the team's record is just .500 and consider that last season the Spurs hadn't won their eighth game until mid-January. We're two months ahead of schedule!

Players and coaches in San Antonio will tell you they're far from a finished product but there are glimpses of greatness in what the Spurs are building. Their record doesn't show it yet but something special is brewing in the 210.

San Antonio Spurs starting lineup is one of the best in the NBA so far

The NBA season is long, and it can take some time for teams to find their rhythm. Accounting for that, it's generally best to wait until roughly a quarter through the season before making any firm judgments. While we're not quite there yet, we're close enough to say that what we've seen from the Spurs starting lineup is stunning.

We knew there would be an improvement from last season, but I did not see the Spurs' starting lineup pacing ahead of the Celtics, Nuggets, Wolves, or Lakers. But no matter how you look at it, the Spurs starters are some of the best in the league.

A deeper look at what's powering this lineup's stellar early-season performance shows that the same tenets of Spurs basketball that propelled the Big Three are alive and well today.

Chris Paul, Victor Wembanyama, Julian Champagnie, Stephon Castle, and Harrison Barnes have been locked in, and it's showing up on both ends of the floor. This group has the best net rating of any lineup with 70+ minutes. They've done that by putting opposing teams in a vice—they allow just 93 points per 100 possessions—and finding the open man and assisting on 75% of their baskets.

Watching this group play has been a revelation from last year. It makes sense that adding a bona fide basketball genius, a seasoned veteran, and one of the best defensive prospects in his draft class would lead to a marked improvement but even now Spurs fans are asking what's next.

Devin Vassell is still slowly being reintegrated into the team. While it's still unclear when it may happen, there will be another significant shift when Jeremy Sochan rejoins the team. Thankfully, there are early signs that should make Spurs feel good about the rest of the season.

We know that Victor Wembanyama will continue to let it rip from behind the arc. His elite rim protection and what that does for the Spurs' defense isn't going anywhere. We also know that Stephon Castle is exactly who we hoped he would be and that Chris Paul will be one of the best facilitators in the NBA until he decides to hang it up.

That knowledge should make Spurs fans confident about whatever the rest of the season might bring. The team has already proven that they can mix new veterans with improved homegrown talent and put a highly competitive team on the floor. With a few more changes here and there, San Antonio should be ready to make some noise around the playoff/play-in border come spring.