With elite rookies like Victor Wenbanyama, Dearon Fox, Stefon Castle and Dylan Harper being town elite rookies, the San Antonio Spurs can finally put together their pieces and start playing winning basketball.
For the third year in a row, the San Antonio Spurs had one of the best drafts in the NBA. On the second and 14th picks, the Spurs drafted Dylan Harper and Carter Bryant.
Harper was the second best player in the draft after the Cooper Flag, and the Spurs were willing to trade up as needed to draft Bryant.
In 2024, the Spurs landed Rookie of the Year Steffon Castle, and the year before that year they chose one of their best prospects ever, Victor Wenbagnama.
Plus, the Spurs traded for Daron Fox midway through last season and had a solid young player to round out the roster. With the town’s cores placed and two top 20 players, the Spurs should be ready to win.
When Wenbanyama was drafted, he was expected to take the league by storm as one of the best defenders in the game. Not only did he become the first rookie to make an all-defensive first team, but he also came in second in the Player of the Year vote.
In his second season, he again led the league in the block, but a thrombotic diagnosis ended his season during the All-Star break. The Spurs traded for Fox, and the pair could only play five games together.
Among high-level role players such as Fox, Wenbagnama, Rookie of the Year at Castle, Harrison Burns, Julian Champanee, Jeremy Sochang and Devin Vassel, health appears to be the only one to prevent snapping playoff droughts.
On top of that, the Spurs add Dylan Harper this year, and he is expected to round out his already elite young core. The Thunder, Rocket, Nuggets, Timberwolves and Lakers are expected to be better than the Spurs, but San Antonio has the talent to mix with the second tier of the Western Conference Team, along with the Warriors, Clippers, Mavericks and Grizzly.
Since joining the NBA, the only meaningful basketball Wenbagnama led the French national team to silver medals at the 2024 Parisiolmímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímímím
The Spurs are 40-77 low alongside Wenbanyama, who have been in the lineup for the past two seasons, and are not nearing the playoffs.
Their superstars are not unhappy with all accounts, and Fox and Kevin Durant listed San Antonio as their preferred landing spot. The Spurs are clearly on the rise, but at certain points, “development” is no longer a priority.
It is clear that a healthy Wenby is the top 10 player in the league, and that teams with players in that caliber cannot miss the playoffs. It’s an organizational failure. That goes without saying that Fox, one of the league’s best point guards.
At some point, the Spurs have to commit to the winning roster, and now is the best time for them to do it. They seem to have all the pieces.