The San Antonio Spurs still have lessons to be learned.
Last season, the Spurs made it pretty far on talent. They would make silly mistakes after silly mistakes and still recover thanks to one of the most talented young rosters in the NBA. After a crushing NBA Finals loss, a lot of fans expected the team to grow up a bit. To learn the lessons that come with such a defeat. Six games into the 2026-27 NBA season, that doesn’t appear to be the case.
The Spurs looked almost identical to last year’s team
in a 121-111 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Halloween night. There were stretches of brilliance when the team guarded like their lives depended on it, moved the ball on a string, and got to the cup with ease. Then there were times when the offense went completely cold, reliant on isolation ball, and the defense allowed second-chance points and easy transition looks. But ultimately, the Spurs had enough talent to take down a Minnesota team that was missing two key players in Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert.
It took an MVP performance to get the win. Victor Wembanyama took over the game, crushing his fellow countryman, Joan Beringer, with 43 points and 6 blocks. When San Antonio was in a slog, Wembanyama would pull them out with a well-timed dunk or a block that led to a transition runout. Those are the types of games you’re looking for from the face of the franchise and potentially the best player in the league.
As they say, a win is a win. But likely, Mitch Johnson and the rest of the Spurs’ coaching staff will identify plenty of areas where the team can clean up their game, just as they could last season.
Takeaways:
- Was there some sort of Halloween slime, or perhaps LaMelo Ball’s spit, on the basketball on Saturday? Both teams combined for 29 turnovers, with the ball generally bouncing all over the place. Both teams were trying to play with such a chaotic pace in both transition and half-court offense that it led to a lot of mistakes, or the ball slipping off players’ hands and bodies.
- We at Pounding the Rock are formally accepting De’Aaron Fox apology slips. We will forward them to Mr. Fox at our earliest convenience. The veteran point guard has been nothing short of the Spurs’ second-best player to begin the season. He had 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists in the win, and was a team-high +23. Whatever he did in the offseason worked, because he looks completely rejuvenated. His jump shot is falling, particularly in the mid-range, which is opening up a lot of offense for the Spurs.
- San Antonio has figured out how to constantly get the ball to Wembanyama on lobs. Those short pick-and-rolls near the sideline make it hard for opposing bigs to drop back and protect the rim, as it gives the Spurs’ guards good angles at the rim. That forced Beringer to switch often on Saturday night, making it easy for Wembanyama to finish lobs over smaller defenders. It’s one of the best new wrinkles to San Antonio’s playbook, and they spammed it often against Minnesota.
- Luke Kornet has gotten a lot of grief for his play this season, and a lot of it has been deserved. He should get some praise when he has a solid game, too. Kornet grabbed 8 rebounds, 4 of them offensive, including a big put-back slam in the first half. His defensive positioning was largely good, and he didn’t kill San Antonio when he was in the game. That is about all you can ask from a backup center in this league.
- Julian Champagnie remains red hot from three-point range to start the season. He shot 3-of-7 from deep on his way to 12 points against the Wolves and is now shooting 47.6% from three to start the season. It’s about time that Champagnie gets the recognition for what he is: one of the best shooters in the NBA.
