The narrative that the Spurs can “only beat the Thunder” doesn’t survive even a small glance at the Western Conference standings. Despite losses in three of their last five games, San Antonio is 25-10 as the calendar turns to 2026, and that record includes beating NBA’s best team by record for most of the season. That run came largely without Victor Wembanyama, with De’Aaron Fox and others also missing time along the way.
The Spurs didn’t just feast on Oklahoma City, either. They rallied from 17 points
down to defeat the Nuggets in Denver, beat the Lakers in Los Angeles to reach the In-Season Tournament, and stacked up wins against a variety of solid opponents. The bigger picture remains clear: this is a very good basketball team.
Still, the recent losses — particularly the one against Cleveland — exposed something important. Not a fatal flaw, but the next problem San Antonio must solve if it wants to take that next step.
Cleveland showed team’s the next move
After the Spurs lost to the Phoenix Suns in early November, it was the first time a team had thrown tough defense at Victor Wembanyama, and give the Suns credit: it got inside his head. Now to this recent loss against Cleveland, and again, give credit where it’s due: the Cavaliers played an excellent defensive game. Their activity, deflections and rotations stood out, continuing a recent rise in intensity that looks much closer to last season’s Cleveland team that was atop the Eastern Conference.
Against the Spurs, Cleveland also unveiled a defensive approach that’s likely to show up again — and often. Instead of putting their guards on the Spurs’ guards, they put foward Dean Wade on Stephon Castle and De’Andre Hunter on Dylan Harper. This caused issues for the Spurs, who could not counter the Cavs’ size. It forced Castle and Harper to take outside jumpers instead of driving into the paint, which is their bread and butter.
The result of Cleveland’s defense was a stalled Spurs offense. San Antonio generated just 19 spot-up opportunities against Cleveland, its lowest total since opening night and well below its season average of 30 per game. Because those bigger defenders could contain the ball on their own, Cleveland didn’t need to overhelp, taking away kickouts and clean looks.
A challenge for a young, rising team
This is a familiar step in the rise of a young contender. First comes the breakout, when speed and talent overwhelm opponents. Then comes the adjustment, as teams identify weaknesses and forces a response. For the Spurs, that weakness is clear: opponents are betting the Spurs’ young guards won’t consistently beat size with jump shooting.
In the long term, the answer is straightforward. Castle and Harper must continue developing their pull-up games. Elite guards around the league — think of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jaylen Brown, Donovan Mitchell — punish defenses that play so far off. In the short term, the Spurs will need creativity.
How the Spurs can counter — right now
This is where having De’Aaron Fox becomes a luxury. Fox missed the game against Utah with an adductor injury and struggled against Cleveland, but his presence alone changes the entire offensive flow for the Spurs. Fox is a guard with lighting quick speed and if defenders are giving Harper and Castle fits, he can drive to the rim or pull up for a shot from three-point range.
Another idea is to put Put Castle or Harper in actions with Fox and force those bigger defenders to switch or help. This will help Harper or Castle get a smaller defender on them or even give Fox a free path to the rim. Suddenly, the advantage swings back to San Antonio. So far this season, San Antonio has been able to rely on relatively simple offense — early isolations, quick-hitting actions and straight-line drives — because of how effective its guards have been. As teams figure this out, that won’t always be enough.
The good news? There’s time. From now until mid-April, the Spurs can experiment, adjust and grow. The even better news is that this problem exists because San Antonio is good — good enough that opponents are already tailoring defensive schemes to slow it down.
Teams don’t scheme this way for rebuilding clubs. They do it for contenders.
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