At least somebody is honest enough to give a real assessment of what we’ve been watching since the start of the season. ESPN personnel released their power rankings this morning, and their method involved pooling the opinions of several NBA insiders to compile the list. They concluded that the San Antonio Spurs have played the second-best basketball so far this season, and they’re absolutely right.
Minus one hiccup in Phoenix, San Antonio has been handling business. Not only have they been beating teams, but they’ve dispatched most of them by double-digit margins. It’s the mark of a true threat to treat inferior teams like the nuisances they are, dealing with them with relative ease before casting them aside. The best part is they’re still getting better, and ESPN clearly understands that.
The Spurs are the most impressive team in the league so far
Chicago also has a claim here, but at least they have most of their key guys. Coby White and Zach Collins haven’t made their debut, but we’re talking about two players compared to the five that SA are missing. De’Aaron Fox, Jeremy Sochan, Luke Kornet, Kelly Olynyk, and Lindy Waters III have all missed significant time. Despite that, the Spurs have been on fire.
Teams with a top 10 offense and defense:
— Rockets
— Nuggets
— Thunder
— Spurs
All in the West. pic.twitter.com/n2nhfP8Qk0
— StatMuse (@statmuse) November 5, 2025
As you can see in the post above, there are only four teams in the league with a top 10 offense and a top 10 defense. The Silver and Black are one of them. Out of those Western Conference powerhouses, OKC is the only one with fewer losses than the Spurs. They’re going to be at the top of everyone’s power rankings for the entire year unless something catastrophic happens.
Let’s hope that’s not the case. When we dethrone the Thunder, we want to do it with honor, leaving no doubt about who the new king of the West is.
I understand if you want to wait before labeling the Spurs as a contender, but if the games don’t matter week to week, why are we playing them? It’s completely fair for one to predict that if Victor Wembanyama and the crew get to the playoffs, they’ll get knocked out in the first round. It’s even okay to claim that their early success won’t last.
But until those things happen, you can’t knock them. We have to live in the present, and currently, Mitch Johnson has these boys humming. Tonight’s game against Luka Doncic will happen in front of a nationwide audience, and it’ll be another opportunity to show that the Spurs are here to play ball, but they’re not here to play games.