Welcome to the Week in Review: a Monday feature that looks back at the week that was for the San Antonio Spurs, takes a look at the week ahead, and more. Enjoy!
Week 1: Despite being shorthanded, the Spurs
opened the season 3-0 for the first time since 2019, winning games on the back of their depth and the brilliance of Victor Wembanyama, who made his triumphant return from deep vein thrombosis by becoming the first player to ever record 100+ points and 15+ blocks in the first three games of the season.
Week 2: 2-1 (5-1 overall, 2nd in West)
121-103 win vs. Toronto Raptors
Recap: In a battle between two teams on a back-to-back, both groups looked a bit fatigued at times, but the Spurs were simply better and coasted to victory by getting up big early and hitting timely shots whenever the Raptors threated to make things interesting. We are starting to see teams take different approaches to combatting Wemby, and in this case it was to take him out of the game defensively by not even taking shots near him, but rather try to score on everyone else. (News flash: it didn’t work, plus he still got his requisite block to keep the streak alive.)
107-101 win vs. Miami Heat
Recap: In a streaky, heated game (no pun intended) that started with a little trash talk beforehand and turned into the Battle of the Big Men between Wemby and Bam Adebayo, the Spurs were able to match Miami’s new fast-paced offense and even got out to a 15-point lead heading into the 4th quarter, only to completely blow it in a matter of minutes. However, they showed a level of resiliency that was lacking in previous seasons by getting their act back together just in time to recover and secure the victory for their first 5-0 start in franchise history.
118-130 loss at Phoenix Suns
Recap: All good things must eventually come to an end, and it finally did against a Suns squad that was on fire from three all night (again, no pun intended) while also finding a way to stop Wemby. Similar to the Nets’ approach last week, they doubled him every time he touched the ball, rendering him mostly useless on offense. There difference was unlike vs. the Nets, his teammates failed to hit enough shots to make up for it. It was a reminder that despite the historic start, the short-handed Spurs need their injured players back, and that became even more apparent when Dylan Harper exited the game with a calf injury.
Power Rankings
John Schuhmann, NBA.com — 9 (last week: 8)
OffRtg: 117.0 (9) DefRtg: 108.2 (2) NetRtg: +8.8 (4) Pace: 98.8 (27)
The Spurs got off to the first 5-0 start in franchise history, but the party came to an end on Sunday, when they trailed by as many as 31 points in Phoenix.
Three takeaways
1. The Spurs continue to dominate inside and on the glass. They’re the only team that ranks in the top five in both offensive and defensive rebounding percentage, having ranked in the bottom 10 in both last season. Several Spurs have contributed on the offensive glass, but Victor Wembanyama has more than twice as many defensive boards as any of his teammates.
2. They’ve also outscored their opponents by more than 20 points in the restricted area in four of their six games. That includes their game in Phoenix on Sunday, when the score at the basket couldn’t make up for the difference on the perimeter. The Suns shot 19-for-33 (58%) from 3-point range, outscoring the Spurs by 27 points from beyond the arc.
3. De’Aaron Fox should be getting close to his season debut, but the Spurs lost Dylan Harper to a calf injury on Sunday. Fox’s eventual return should have the biggest effect on Stephon Castle, who ranks 12th in the league in time of possession at 6.3 minutes per game. The reigning Rookie of the Year has shot much better both inside the arc and from beyond, while also registering a free-throw rate of 62.2 attempts per 100 shots from the field, fifth highest among 137 players with at least 50 field goal attempts and up from 34.8 per 100 last season.
Coming up: After visiting the Lakers on Wednesday, the Spurs will play seven of their next eight games at home. They’ll open NBA Emirates Cup action with a huge matchup against the Rockets on Friday, having scored just 105.1 points per 100 possessions (their second-worst mark vs. any opponent) against Houston last season.
Law Murray, The Athletic — 6 (last week: 12)
In case you haven’t heard by now, the San Antonio Spurs had never started 5-0 before Wembanyama declared that this team should be the one to break that barrier. They did that, then promptly got destroyed in Phoenix, a costly loss that ended with lottery rookie Harper in a walking boot. De’Aaron Fox’s fit on this team is a top curiosity, as Harper’s injury puts the spotlight on a player who has yet to make his season debut because of a bad hamstring.
Brett Siegel, Clutch Points — 2 (last week: 3)
For the first time in franchise history, the San Antonio Spurs started a season with a perfect 5-0 record. Although the Spurs dropped their first game on Sunday night to the Phoenix Suns, this has been a remarkable start for Victor Wembanyama and his team, as they have emerged as true threats in the Western Conference.
Only three teams rank inside the top 10 in both offensive and defensive rating: the Spurs, Thunder, and Denver Nuggets. Mitch Johnson is clearly the early favorite for Coach of the Year, and his young team will only get better as the season progresses.
However, the Spurs lost more than their first game on Sunday, as rookie guard Dylan Harper left the arena in a walking boot with some sort of calf injury. Losing Harper would be a big hit to the Spurs’ second unit.
Coming up: Wed. 11/5 at Los Angeles Lakers (5-2); Fri. 11/7 vs. Houston Rockets* (3-2); Sat. 11/8 vs. New Orleans Pelicans (0-6)
* In-season Tournament game
Prediction: 2-1 — Losing a game pretty emphatically exposed weaknesses that were being masked before, and the urge to get injured players back is greater. Hopefully that comes soon, especially for De’Aaron Fox if Harper misses extended time. If he and/or any of Jeremy Sochan, Kelly Olynyk and Luke Kornet return this week (sorry, but Bismack Biyombo has been terrible at backup center), I feel optimistic about winning at least one of the two games against LA and Houston. The Pelicans should be a win, although the longer a team goes without a win, the closer they are to a breakthrough, so beware the trap game.
