Spurs’ worst-kept secret is now bolstering their championship case

With six straight wins for the first time in six years, the San Antonio Spurs are officially rolling right now. That has been due in large part to them finally being fully healthy and having their entire rotation active.

Now, we're getting a chance to see just how good this team is, and fans should be loving what they are seeing. They have proven to be more than effective on both sides of the ball.

So much so, they are dangerously close to being a top-5 team in terms of both offensive and defensive efficiency, with them ranking fifth and sixth in those categories, respectively.

That is a rare but important distinction considering that teams that accomplish that feat are often true title contenders and usually go deep in the playoffs.

The Spurs have been equally dominant on both ends

San Antonio was expected to be a top-10 defense if star Victor Wembanyama was healthy. He has already missed 12 of their 28 games, but the Spurs have been buoyed by Stephon Castle and Luke Kornet.

Offensively, the team's dominance on that end has been a pleasant surprise. San Antonio flirting with a top-5 offense has been unexpected but makes sense in context. Entering the season, the team's biggest offensive concern was 3-point shooting, but that has actually been a big strength.

Three things are causing that, one being coach Mitch Johnson opting against playing Jeremy Sochan in favor of more minutes for shooters Harrison Barnes and Julian Champagnie. The second is that Devin Vassell is having a career year shooting the ball, drilling 39.8% of his 7.0 3-point attempts per game.

Lastly, De'Aaron Fox is shooting a blistering 39.5% from deep on 6.2 3-point attempts per game. Other factors are Fox, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper getting to the rim at will, and Kornet being a surprisingly reliable offensive player.

The Spurs have positioned themselves for a deep playoff run

Wembanyama has also shown his usual brilliance on that end. That is not to mention the Spurs have been better on the offensive glass and have dramatically improved their average number of free throw attempts per game. All of that seems sustainable, something they can even improve upon.

The results have been impressive, to say the least, with the Silver and Black having the second-best record in the Western Conference. Having a top-4 seed would guarantee them home court in the first round, and ending up with the second- or third-best record would keep them away from the Oklahoma City Thunder until the Western Conference Finals.

They should definitely be aiming for that since it would give them a realistic shot at a deep playoff run. Achieving a top-5 offense and defense would make that type of run possible.