What should be on the Spurs’ holiday wish list this Christmas?

With December being the holiday season and everyone having a wishlist, why not the San Antonio Spurs? The Silver and Black have mostly lived up to expectations, even as they have struggled with injuries and several growing pains that young teams face.

Some of those issues are fixable, but some may require a little Christmas magic and should be on the Spurs’ holiday wish list. Let's take a look and see if they are realistic or wishful thinking.

3) For the Spurs to have better health

For such a young team, the Spurs have faced plenty of injuries thus far. Devin Vassell has missed 15 games, Jeremy Sochan has missed 13 games, and Tre Jones has missed 18 games. Ironically, Chris Paul has yet to miss a game for the Spurs (no jinx).

However, Victor Wembanyama has already missed five after missing 10 during his rookie season. With so many early injuries, hopefully, it's smooth sailing from here on, and the Spurs can make up ground if they can string together a long stretch with a full roster.

2) For the Spurs to have better shooting

The Spurs' biggest issue thus far has been their shooting woes. The problem has been that they have several rotation players who are poor shooters. Also, most of their good shooters are already in the starting lineup.

Now that Devin Vassell and Jeremy Sochan are back in the starting unit, the bench should be a little bit more balanced, with Julian Champagnie's shooting being helpful there. Still, Jones, Stephon Castle, Keldon Johnson, and Charles Bassey do not provide much spacing.

The two most likely ways to fix it are to further tweak the starting lineup, possibly by moving Harrison Barnes to the bench and reinstalling Castle to the starting five. Or, to make a trade to bring in more shooting. Either way, something needs to be done.

1) For the Spurs' draft picks to be good

The Spurs can have up to four picks in the 2025 NBA Draft, but that depends on the Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls, and Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks' pick is unprotected, but they have been better than expected. If the season were to end today, the Spurs would have the 12th pick via the Hawks.

However, with the standings bunched together, that pick can improve significantly. Meanwhile, the Bulls are projected to have the 11th pick, which would convey to the Spurs. However, it will be close, with the Bulls likely to move on Nikola Vucevic and Zach LaVine. Not to mention that there is a chance that the pick could move up during the actual draft lottery.

Lastly, the Hornets have the fourth-worst record in the NBA, meaning they are unlikely to make the playoffs, and the Spurs are unlikely to get their first-round pick this season. Fortunately for the Spurs, that pick will convert into two likely high second-round picks, one in 2026 and the other in 2027.

With any luck, the Hawks pick improves, and the Bulls are good enough for a while longer before they struggle and drop in the standings, giving the Spurs a chance at three picks in the 2025 NBA Draft.

Ultimately, better health, better shooting, and the Hawks and Bulls playing worse to secure higher picks should be at the top of the Spurs' wishlist.