Spurs just learned an absolutely brutal lesson from a hated rival

Following the shocking Jaren Jackson Jr. trade, the San Antonio Spurs may be kicking themselves for letting him get away. However, they should be taking another lesson from that surprise trade.

It wasn't that long ago that the Memphis Grizzlies were the toast of the NBA and widely expected to be the next team up. Remember, they routinely stomped the Spurs during the early Ja Morant era.

However, they made it out of the first round just once with the core of Jackson Jr., Morant, and Desmond Bane. Now, with two of those three players already gone, it's clear that the Grizzlies are already in a rebuilding mode.

That is a shocking turn of events and something the Spurs should be paying attention to. The clear lesson from the Grizzlies' downfall is that no matter how talented a young core is, it doesn't take much for it to all go wrong.

The Spurs must learn from the Grizzlies' downfall

Even with a rising superstar in Victor Wembanyama, two elite prospects in Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper, a star in his prime in De'Aaron Fox, and plenty of picks, it can still all go wrong for the Spurs. Not to be all doom and gloom, but Wembanyama may fail to stay healthy.

Also, Castle and Harper may each struggle to develop reliable jumpers. That would limit both of their ceilings and, therefore, San Antonio's championship hopes.

As for Fox, he could fail to live up to his max contract and force the Silver and Black to pay another team to offload him. That's the absolute worst-case scenario for the Spurs, and the only way for that not to happen is to take the necessary steps to avoid that outcome.

San Antonio should suffer the same fates as the Grizzlies

To their credit, they have been very cautious with Wembanyama in hopes of keeping him healthy for the long run. Meanwhile, time will tell with Castle and Harper.

Both rank among the worst shooters in the NBA, and that usually doesn't bode well for a player developing into a good one. Still, the odds that one of Castle or Harper develops into a star seem like a decent gamble.

Fox has played well, albeit inconsistently, though that is less on him and more about having to play out of position. Barring a major injury, he should still be playing at a high level three years from now when the Spurs may be forced to trade him due to second apron concerns.

If Wembanyama holds up, Castle or Harper breaks out, and Fox is still playing at a high level, that may be all the Spurs need to compete for a championship. The Spurs will have this season and possibly the next three seasons with their core four players. That could give them four chances to compete for a championship.

Nevertheless, if the Spurs learned anything from the Grizzlies' downfall, it's that championship success isn't guaranteed. In fact, almost everything has to go right for that to happen.