Spurs news: San Antonio has an MVP candidate, Sochan injury update & more

The San Antonio Spurs are off to a great start this season. They have a 10-9 record almost 19 games into the NBA calendar, and that's ahead of where most would have expected, considering the absence of two of their best players and Coach Pop. But Mitch Johnson has stepped in and done a stellar job of leading this young team to a respectable record in a vicious Western Conference.

The offseason acquisitions have been home runs for GM Brian Wright and the front office, so credit where it's due. Stephon Castle was the fourth overall pick, and he's second on the NBA's rookie ladder. Harrison Barnes just won Player of the Week for the first time in his 13-year career, and Chris Paul is two assists shy of averaging a double-double.

There are plenty of positives going on in Spurs-land, but there's also a potential negative, and we're going to discuss those things now.

Victor Wembanyama has appeared on NBA.com MVP Ladder

People seem to believe Victor Wembanyama's offense woke up on November 9 after an anonymous scout accused the reigning Rookie of the Year of adding "zero value" to the offense, but that's not true. That's just when his 3-point shot started to drop. The Alien has been showing off his special abilities since October, and the NBA has finally noticed, placing him seventh on the MVP Ladder.

How quickly we forget that on Halloween Victor had a 5x5 game that included 25 points and seven assists on top of his nine rebounds, five steals, and five blocks. He was a +43 that night—that is still his highest plus/minus number of the year, including his 50-point performance.

Since October 31, Wemby is averaging 25.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.8 steals, and 3.8 blocks per game. There is no other player in the league who impacts as many categories on the stat sheet as he does. The Spurs are ahead of schedule and only look to improve as Devin Vassell gets reacclimated, and they'll turn up another level when Sochan returns, which could be any day now.

The Spurs are currently 10th in the West, ahead of teams like the Sacramento Kings and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Wemby is leading the charge and getting the recognition he deserves.

Sochan could return during upcoming road trip

The Spurs have been without the Polish Prince since he injured his thumb against the LA Clippers on November 4. They were up by 22 points that night but surrendered the lead, leading to an ugly loss. Sochan didn't play the second half, and the defensive hole he left was glaring.

SA's defense saw quite the regression for a while after that, as they began allowing teams to score over 110 with relative ease. The Silver and Black have somewhat recovered at this point, but they still haven't been the same defensive force they were with Sochan on the floor, and at practice today, Tre Jones revealed that #10 may be on his way very soon.

It will be nice to get Sochan back in the fold. You can't help but think he could have had an impact on guarding guys like LeBron James and Luka Doncic. He brings energy, rebounding, and defense, and he competes on every possession. You can't replace that. There are only benefits to his return, and it can't come soon enough.

The Bulls reportedly having fire sale

This isn't the news that Spurs fans want to hear but need to be aware of. The Chicago Bulls are reportedly open to trading Lonzo Ball, Zach LaVine, and Nikola Vucevic. It was initially reported that Chi-Town's front office wanted their core to stick together and win as many games as possible. They were averse to the idea of tanking, at least, that's what they wanted us to think.

This new report tells a different tale, and the fact that they're sitting at 8-12 in a weak Eastern Conference may be what's changed their mind. Unfortunately for San Antonio, if they're successful in bottoming out, the chances of securing their first-round pick become significantly compromised.

SA has four potential first-round picks in the 2025 draft, and one of those selections comes from Chicago, but it's top-10 protected. If the pick doesn't convey this year, it just gets kicked to the Spurs next year with the same stipulations, but this is a deeply talented pool of prospects, giving this year's pick higher value.