The Spurs threat just showed an unexpected twist teams will struggle with

In San Antonio's last three wins, they've had a different scoring leader. First, Devin Vassell set the Nuggets ablaze on a cold November night with 35 points on crazy efficiency. Harrison Barnes went ballistic for 31 in the Spurs' second win over Memphis this season. De'Aaron Fox followed that up with 31 points of his own in Orlando the very next night.

The trend of eruptive nights coming from various players makes them a headache to game plan for. The Silver and Black are playing with trust, relying on whoever has the hot hand, and it's been working for them. Over the last nine Victor Wembanyama-less games, they've had the seventh-highest offensive rating in the NBA.

The Spurs offense has changed more than ever

When Wemby was in the lineup, the Spurs had a top-10 offense; maintaining that level of production without a top-five player is astounding. What's even more fascinating is how they're doing it.

Spurs have been a high-assisting team for as long as I can remember. You can usually find them rummaging around the top five or ten in that respective stat pretty consistently, but that hasn't been the case this season with or without Victor. When the Alien was in the lineup, they were 18th in assists; they've been 19th in the nine games they've played without him.

There has been a ton of ISO ball being played with immense success, but unless we're talking about Fox, specifically, they haven't been your run-of-the-mill clear-outs. There is plenty of screening and movement on and off the ball to free guys up and put them in positions to attack rotating defenses.

Also, the league seems to be cleaning up some of their stat-keeping practices. They've been known to be extremely lenient with what qualifies as an assist, but if a guy gets a pass, takes three dribbles, and pump fakes a couple of times before scoring, that shouldn't count as an assisted bucket. That's fair, and it's partially why those numbers are down. That felt like it was worth mentioning.

All in all, guys are just stepping up and making shots. Devin Vassell has been masterful, working around screens to get to his spot for that sweet mid-range jumper. Harrison Barnes has shown off an assortment of moves in one-on-one situations to get points on the board. Keldon Johnson has been a monster on his drives to the paint to finish among the trees. You know what Swipa can do.

Having this many players who can go get a bucket when the team needs it has had immense value for this team's playstyle. It isn't the Spurs of old, where the ball is barely touching one's hands before they're kicking it to the next guy. There are elements of that, but this roster is full of guys who can put the ball in the hoop. It's been a pain for teams to defend, but it's been fun as hell to watch.