Spurs’ path to shock the NBA world with a championship is painfully obvious

In just a few short days, the San Antonio Spurs will begin the final leg of the regular season. At 38-16 and with them on pace to win 55 games, they are looking very much like contenders.

Still, it's almost hard to believe they could win a championship this season, right? It's true that it's rare for a young team to win a championship, but this Spurs team could be different.

In this era of the NBA, parity is king, with there having been a different champion in each of the last seven seasons. Last season, the Oklahoma City Thunder made history by becoming the youngest team to ever win a championship. Why not the Spurs?

Spurs’ path to shock the world with a title is painfully obvious

San Antonio boasts a top-10 offense and a top-3 defense, both of which are excellent signs of things to come. Especially on defense. The Silver and Black also technically have an above-average offense but are too streaky.

They've scored more than 130 points in each of the last three games but went through a dry spell in January. They hit just 27.6% of their threes, which was dead last in the NBA during that month.

Sure, some of that can be attributed to the absence of Devin Vassell, who is the team's best all-around shooter. Harrison Barnes also struggled while Victor Wembanyama was on a minutes restriction for most of the month.

All of those things contributed to that ugly stretch, though they still rank 22nd in the NBA in 3-point percentage. The truth is that San Antonio may still struggle at times to put the ball in the basket from outside.

Fortunately, they have already proven that they can win rock fights. Relying on shots in the paint, mid-range jumpers, and free throws to score, plus playing hard-nosed defense, has been a recipe for success.

The Spurs are already ready to compete in the playoffs

Those skills are something that should carry over to the playoffs. They rank eighth in the NBA in free throw attempts, with Castle and Wembanyama combining to attempt a staggering 13.1 free throws per game.

Meanwhile, Vassell ranks in the top 10 in midrange shooting, and Castle is surprisingly good on middies. Wembanyama is excellent in the midrange as well. Point being, the Spurs can easily get those shots in the paint and have several players who can hurt teams from that range.

As for defense, this team is already stingy on that end and getting better all the time. Especially with Wembanyama healthy and not on a minutes restriction. The emergence of Carter Bryant could also factor in. He has shown rapid improvement on both ends and could give the Silver and Black another lockdown defender.

Those skills give the Spurs something to fall back on in case their threes aren't falling, allowing them to stay in games and even win them. Fortunately, this team has several strong shooters who can hopefully help put this team over the top come playoff time.