The Spurs' high point differential says they're ahead of schedule (again)

This is supposed to be the experimentation part of the season for the Spurs but they're 8-2 with a 10.3 point differential, which is the second-best in the NBA. San Antonio is starting a three-guard lineup that drew a lot of scrutiny from analysts and fans alike.

There seemed to be no reason to fix what wasn't broken after an NBA Finals run nobody predicted, but the unit is performing way better than expected.

As The Ringer's Michael Pina pointed out in a newly published article going in-depth on the group, the Silver and Black are +56 in the 90 minutes De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper have shared. Wembanyama is shooting a just few percentage points below 70% inside the perimeter when on the floor with them.

It's not supposed to be going this well this fast.

The Spurs are proving their talent, selflessness, and coaching are all elite

Despite all the winning, not everything has been perfect for the Spurs. Their bench play has been inconsistent, Stephon Castle hasn't had a strong offensive start, and Tobias Harris has yet to play a game. Regardless, they've been blowing teams out and that's what makes the streak impressive.

They've played Utah, Sacramento, and Dallas twice each. Not exactly world beaters. So, I've admitted that the Silver and Black have been feasting on weak opponents. The Portland game meant more, though. I looked at the Blazers sideways because they had to face the reigning Western Conference Champions without Ja Morant, but I still expected a competitive game.

It wasn't even close. San Antonio wiped the floor with their former first-round foes. The Spurs beat the Trail Blazers in five games back in April; one of their wins came without Victor Wembanyama in the lineup, and this meeting was somehow worse for them. Deni Avdija made excuses about it being on the second night of a back-to-back, but the same was true for Mitch Johnson's club.

The fact of the matter seems to be that no matter what the Spurs try, they're going to win while they're doing it. That's a testament to how much the players are buying into what the coach preaches. It's a demonstration of their high-end talent, and determination to see each other succeed. You don't luck your way into a top five rating on both ends of the floor, and players don't do it as individuals.

The scary part is knowing that we haven't played 15% of the season's games yet. There's more growth to be had and Tobias Harris will be integrated eventually. The league's best team is only getting better and the runway to do so is long. Buckle up, NBA.

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