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!
Usually we start with a reminder of how last week went, but we didn’t have a Week 0 post. Long story short, they went 5-0 in the preseason, which while it shouldn’t be taken too seriously, ended up being precursor to opening week, where the Spurs continued their unbeaten streak by starting 3-0 for the first time since 2019 — the last time they made
the NBA Playoffs. They won in all manners — good, bad and ugly — but the fact that they found a way no matter the circumstances is what matters.
Before we get into that, a big shout out to Victor Wembanyama, who looked like the happiest basketball player alive after his return from deep vein thrombosis. Not only does he look transformed into the top 5 NBA player some expected him to already be, but he has already made even more NBA history by becoming the first player to record 100+ points and 15+ blocks in the first three games of the season, with exactly 100 points, 40 rebounds, and 18 blocked shots.
Week 1: 3-0 (3-0, 1st in West)
125-92 win at Dallas Mavericks
Recap: With the season opener in Dallas expected to be all about the no. 1 overall pick going up against the no. 2 overall pick, it instead turned into The Return of Victor Wembanyama Show, and he ended up giving Cooper Flagg quite the “welcome to the NBA” with a dominant 40-point, 15-rebound dunkathon that quickly turned into a second-half blowout while reminding Mavs fans (as if they needed it) that they miss Luka Doncic.
120-116 OT win at New Orleans Pelicans
Recap: Facing a Pelicans squad that was shorthanded but featured a healthy, in-shape version of Zion Williamson, the Spurs came back down to earth a bit. It was an ugly, chippy game in which neither team could pull away, but the Spurs pulled out the win in OT thanks to some clutch-time heroics from the role players after Wemby (and much earlier, Keldon Johnson) had fouled out.
118-107 win vs. Brooklyn Nets
Recap: The Spurs had won a good game and an ugly game so far, now it was time to show they could win a bad one. After getting out to a 26-point lead early in the third quarter, the Spurs proceeded to completely blow it as the Nets started double-teaming Wemby while Cam Thomas went off for 40 points. Fortunately, they finally found an answer to the Wemby doubles, with rookie Dylan Harper stepping in for 20 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds, playing a pivotal role in getting his back in a game after falling behind for the second game in a row.
Power Rankings
John Schuhmann, NBA.com — 8 (last week: 15)
OffRtg: 120.2 (4) DefRtg: 104.7 (2) NetRtg: +15.5 (1) Pace: 97.1 (28)
The Spurs were one of just two 3-0 teams in Week 1, thrashing the Mavs before holding on for clutch wins against New Orleans and Brooklyn. Victor Wembanyama is a new man, and he averaged 33.3 points, 13.3 rebounds and six blocks over the three wins.
Three takeaways
- Wembanyama’s offensive aggression has carried over from the preseason, with 40 (62%) of his 65 shots having come in the paint, up from a rate of just 37% last season. Through his first two seasons, Wembanyama had one game with at least seven dunks. He had seven in both of the Spurs’ first two games this year, adding three more on Sunday.
- Dylan Harper scored at least 13 points off the bench in all three games and came up huge in the win over the Nets on Sunday afternoon, registering 20 points, six rebounds, eight assists (with zero turnovers) and two steals. All eight of his buckets came in the paint, with three big drives down the stretch after the Spurs blew a 26-point, third-quarter lead. They closed with Harper and Keldon Johnson on the floor instead of starters Julian Champagnie and Harrison Barnes.
- Over the three games, the score in the restricted area was Spurs 154, opponents 72. Those opponents shot 12-for-26 (46%) at the rim when Wembanyama was there to protect it.
Coming up: Amazingly, the Spurs have never started a season with five straight wins. They’re 60% of the way there as their win over Brooklyn on Sunday afternoon began a stretch where they’re playing 10 of 13 games at home. Wembanyama’s recognition of double-teams could be critical against the Raptors’ aggressive defense on Monday night.
Law Murray, The Athletic — 12 (last week: 17)
The Big Question: Have the Spurs figured out how to play when Victor Wembanyama is off the floor?
When Wembanyama was a rookie two years ago, the Spurs were outscored with and without him on the floor; they were a 60-loss team. Last season, the Spurs outscored opponents by 102 points with Wembanyama on the floor but were outscored by 328 points when Wembanyama was off the floor or inactive. In three games to begin this season, the Spurs are outscoring opponents by 32 points with Wembanyama on the floor and 16 points with Wembanyama off the floor. Two big reasons are the presence of backup center Luke Kornet and backup point guard Dylan Harper, the second pick in the draft. San Antonio is also holding up defensively while scoring even better offensively with Wembanyama on the bench. Individually, Wembanyama looks terrifying. The competition hasn’t been the best, but the Spurs weren’t good last year either, so looking good with and without Wembanyama is an encouraging early sign for a Spurs team that is still waiting for the season debut of De’Aaron Fox.
Coming up: Mon. 10/27 vs. Toronto Raptors (1-2); Thurs. 10/30 vs. Miami Heat (2-1); Sun. 11/2 at Phoenix Suns (1-2)
Prediction: I said before the season this Spurs could conceivably start 6-0 based on this schedule, and I’m sticking to that prediction based on what they’ve shown us so far. At Miami could be tough, but the Spurs could have Fox back by then, and Kelly Olynyk and Jeremy Sochan are basically day-to-day. The Spurs’ depth has shined so far, and there’s no reason to think it won’t continue to.
