Spurs deserve better than DraftKings’ latest lowball win total

If you want to make easy money, take the over on the win total DraftKings projects for the Spurs next season. The gambling giant released their complete list of win projections for every NBA team, and San Antonio's is a reserved 43.5. That's a 10-game increase from what they achieved last season, so most would say that's reasonable, but I think it's flat-out wrong.

The Spurs' 34-48 record doesn't tell full story

Those 48 losses have to be taken into context. If not, you'll misjudge how good this team actually was. They went through tremendous and unusual adversity. Gregg Popovich was more than a head coach; he was the tone-setter of the organization. Losing his presence on the sideline because of a stroke early in the season was impossibly difficult.

Devin Vassell missed time early, then Sochan missed time. In spite of it all, they were playing .500 basketball, which means they were on pace for 41 wins. That was completely achievable under normal circumstances, but they weren't playing under those.

January hit, and they hit a rough patch that was compounded by very few home games and a ton of travel. De'Aaron Fox was added to the roster, but he was dealing with an injury to his shooting hand (thumb). Then, before he and Victor Wembanyama had a real chance to develop chemistry, Vic was ruled out with a blood clot. Fox was shut down not too long after that, and the season was lost.

It's completely reasonable to assume that had the majority of those things not occurred, the Spurs would have won more games. 40+ was not out of the question. They'll come into the new season healthy with an improved roster, time to work together, and Mitch Johnson will have the helm as the full-time head coach, no longer needing to worry about whether he's just keeping the seat warm.

Mitch Johnson is the right coach to lead the Spurs' new age

Some fans have their reservations about Johnson, but he performed admirably in a tough situation. They were in the playoff hunt for much of the season, Stephon Castle won Rookie of the Year under him, and the team played very well in different stretches.

They were sixth in offensive rating in March. They were already without Wembanyama by then, and Fox played his final game on the 12th of that month. The defense was middle of the pack, so that needs improvement, but adding Luke Kornet will help the team avoid falling off a cliff with their rim protection when Wemby sits. The starters were a top-10 defensive unit in November and December.

Johnson will need to put it all together for the entire year, but having complete control of the team with a staff of his own will make that much easier. The addition of Sean Sweeney as an assistant coach will also play a major factor in the Silver and Black's defensive identity.

Not to mention, there's an alien on the roster who's due for a true breakout year. The Cleveland Cavaliers won 17 games before they drafted LeBron James. They won 50 games in his third season, and he didn't have De'Aaron Fox and a reigning ROY on his team.

I believe Wembanyama is going to have an unbelievable season and end up in the MVP race. If he does, this team wins 50 games for the first time since the 2016-17 season.