Spurs 2024 in review: 7 Defining moments of the year in San Antonio

The end of another year brings a chance to take a step back and look at what we've accomplished over the last 365 days. And though they're still far from a finished product, 2024 was a year of impressive growth for the San Antonio Spurs.

Consider for a moment where the Spurs were at this time last year. With just five wins under their belt, excitement was at an all-time low for the fan base. Then, still a rookie, Victor Wembanyama hadn't quite gotten his feet under him, and the team's performance had suffered.

But shortly after we rolled the calendars to 2024, things started to turn around in San Antonio. It seems like just weeks ago, Spurs fans were rejoicing at Gregg Popovich's decision to start Vic at center, and here we are, almost a year later. Time sure does fly.

Before we bid adieu to 2024 and shift our focus to 2025 let's take one last look at some of the San Antonio Spurs defining moments of the past year. Big or small, on the court or off, these moments thrilled us, shaped the Spurs into who they are today, and some will even have a heavy hand in informing what the next 365 days look like for the Silver and Black and their fans.

1. San Antonio Spurs break Christmas Day hiatus with a bang

For the first time in nearly a decade, we were lucky enough to watch the San Antonio Spurs take the court on Christmas Day. Never one to shy away from an opportunity to be great, Victor Wembanyama did everything in his power to bring home a win for the Spurs faithful. But it's a team game and one man's contributions will rarely ever be enough on their own.

Vic was outstanding in his Christmas Day debut. He recorded 42 points, 18 rebounds, four assists, and four blocks, setting Madison Square Garden on fire before cooling off in the rain with some fans later in the week.

Although it was just one game, the Spurs Christmas performance was an important indicator of what's to come. On the court, the performance shined a clear light on the Spurs' pressing need for clear number two to help Vic. Off the court, it's plain as day that continuing to promote Wembanyama in every way possible is in the best interest of the league.

If this was a trial run for pushing the Spurs and their young superstar to the forefront of the league then consider it a successful one. With ratings a primary concern for Adam Silver, the results of Wemby's holiday debut speak for themself. With any luck it could be a long, long time before we have another Christmas without Spurs basketball.

2. San Antonio selects their point guard of the future in Stephon Castle

If 2023 showed us anything it was that the Spurs desperately needed help at the point guard position. Point guard play was a source of constant frustration over the last year with Tre Jones, Jeremy Sochan, and others all taking a shot at running the offense in San Antonio, all to little avail.

These struggles paved the way for a game-changing decision in the 2024 NBA Draft. GM Brian Wright and the front office elected to use their 4th overall pick on Stephon Castle from the University of Connecticut. The selection, largely applauded by Spurs fans, was pivotal in defining their last year and will hopefully be equally impactful for the Spurs' future.

It's still very early in Castle's career but it's looking like another homerun selection for Brian Wright and company. The same versatility, hard-nosed defense, and command of the offense that made Castle an attractive draft selection have stuck with him in the NBA. He's one of the frontrunners for Rookie of the Year and has already stunned Spurs fans with what he can do.

Still just scratching the surface; here's to hoping that Stephon Castle will be as impactful for the Spurs' future as he was for UConn last year.

3. Spurs team up with an old rival and sign former nemesis Chris Paul

It's not a stretch to say that Chris Paul was a nemesis of the San Antonio Spurs before he arrived in San Antonio this summer. The future Hall of Famer had spent his career traveling across the Western Conference and was a thorn in the side of the Spurs every step of the way.

That rich history of being, with all due respect, a huge pain in the rear made the summer acquisition of Paul so surprising. But in many ways, the move made perfect sense.

Coming to terms with his own NBA mortality, the Spurs offered Paul one thing that few teams could or were willing to; an immediate starting role. Clearly the struggles from the point guard position were a point of emphasis for the front office and if Castle was the future then Paul was going to own the present.

Paul's impact has been evident from the day he arrived in San Antonio. He's running the Spurs offense with the same calm demeanor that we've become accustomed to seeing from the Point God, gliding through pick-and-roll sets, finding his spots, and throwing easy lobs to the outstretched arms of Victor Wembanyama.

Less visible is the impact Paul is having on the younger players on the team. You'll catch him coaching up the young guys during timeouts and the on-the-floor communication is constant.

What we don't see is the little moments of veteran knowledge getting passed down on plane rides, in practice, or over dinner. This passing down of knowledge from a basketball encyclopedia such as Paul is worth the price of his contract alone.

4. Gregg Popovich suffers mild stroke, remains away from team

There are whole generations of Spurs fans who don't know what the team is like without Gregg Popovich. The longest-tenured coach in the NBA, Pop has been an ever-present presence on the Spurs bench since he took over the top job in 1996. That omnipresent aura that Pop casts over the franchise has made his early-season absence all the more startling.

After a few days of silence and widespread speculation, the Spurs organization released a statement in mid-November announcing that the legendary head coach had suffered a mild stroke and would remain away from the team while he recovered. That absence remains ongoing.

Basketball impact aside, this has to be one of the most defining moments of the last year for the Spurs. You cannot talk about basketball in San Antonio without talking about Pop. You can't talk about Pop without talking about the Spurs. Their stories are as intertwined as we've ever seen from a team and a coach and his impact on the franchise is immeasurable.

Whether we someday see Gregg Popovich coach the Spurs again is almost immaterial at this point. The primary concern of every Spurs fan should be his health. In that light, we wish for nothing other than a smooth and full recovery and hope to see him again soon.

5. Wemby's 5x5 games show his otherworldly versatility

Recording a 5x5 game is one of the most challenging things that an NBA player can do. It requires a varied skill set and two-way impactfulness that few players possess. It's so rare that before this last year, only two players in NBA history had done it multiple times.

Victor Wembanyama became the 3rd member of that exclusive brotherhood when he recorded his second 5x5 game just a week into this season.

In a classically Wembanyama way, Vic somehow managed to turn this accomplishment into a self-challenge, telling Tom Orsborn "I need to get my standards up when I don’t get 5x5s because I am able to help my team in all those areas. It should be a consistent thing. As I have said before, it is something we must have, something I must have more often to help my team"

Leave it to Vic to find something that only two other players have ever done in the history of the NBA and make that his standard. This young man really is something else.

6. Wembanyama continues to make history with first 50 point game

Adding to the ever-expanding folder of content called "Times Victor Wembanyama makes NBA history" Vic became the fourth-youngest player in NBA history to score 50 points and the youngest center ever to hit that mark.

Wembanyama had it going every way he wanted during his gutting of the overmatched Washington Wizards. Poor Alex Sarr looked lost out there as Wemby took him to the rack, dropped long-range threes, and pretty much did whatever the hell he wanted over the course of 48 minutes.

The plain and simple truth of it is that there isn't a player on earth who can stop Vic when he's got it going like this. Former multi-time MVP and DPOY winner Giannis Antetokounmpo is the only player who might stand a chance.

The crazy thing is this is still just scratching the surface of what Vic can become. His conditioning should continue to improve as his body matures. He'll continue to add muscle to his extraterrestrial frame. He'll learn his spots and how to get to them until the go-to moves and counters he loves become second nature.

David Robinson's franchise record of 71 is a lofty aspiration, but there's little doubt that Vic is capable of hitting that mark. The only question left is when it will happen.

7. Every time Wembanyama redefined what we thought was possible

This is less of a unique moment and more of a collection of moments. Take every time Victor Wembanyama did something so absurd that it made you immediately rewind your TV, text your group chats with a series of four-letter words and exclamation points, or question if we really are alone in the universe and just lump it into this category.

The time he blocked Jabari Smith Jr., ran out of bounds, and then came back and blocked him again. That belongs here. A nonchalant dunk from the free-throw line? Obviously included as well.

The alley-oop dunks, authoritative blocks, and step-back threes look so easy and natural that sometimes it's easy to forget that a 7'3 unicorn shouldn't be able to move like that.

At the ripe age of 20 years old, Wembanyama has already put together a highlight reel of moments too innumerable to list out here. God bless the NBA media employee who put together the two-and-a-half-hour summary of his rookie year for your casual viewing.

If this list of defining moments for the San Antonio Spurs reads a bit like a list of defining moments for Victor Wembanyama that shouldn't come as a surprise. So much of the Spurs past year rests on his shoulders and as much as we've enjoyed watching what he's done so far, we're looking forward to what's to come even more.