How did the San Antonio Spurs get so good, so soon?

Change does not happen overnight. Success is not linear. Setbacks are needed for progress. Patience is the key to success. All of those sound good, yet all of those feel like sentences this year’s version of the San Antonio Spurs have thrown over the top rope. Imagine going back to the offseason and telling someone the Spurs would be 2.5 games behind the Thunder with three games left in the season. You’d see a furrowed brow — a raised one even — and a likely question about what happened to OKC.

Well, the Spurs happened.

It’s the Spurs who have won 60 games this season, becoming the fourth team in NBA history to win 60 the season after winning less than 35 (2007-08 Celtics, 2004-05 Suns, 1979-80 Celtics). It’s the Spurs who swept 10 of their 15 back-to-backs this season. Since February, the Spurs have gone 28-3 (yes, you are allowed to read that again). That was the first time in franchise history San Antonio had a stretch of 26 wins in 28 games. The Spurs also became the first team in NBA history to win 26 out of 28 while average 120-plus points and 30-plus assists. No matter how this ends, just know this is not your run-of-the-mill turnaround. It’s a special season.

It’s been evident the Spurs’ consistency has been tied to their identity. What we on the outside may see as a surprise runs counter to what the Spurs have believed. This has the feel of a team moving closer to it’s internal expectations. The realization of the preparation, effort and hard work to set a standard they knew they could achieve. So the question becomes: How did the San Antonio Spurs become contenders this quickly?

It’s not a stretch to say Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs could win it all.

(Ronald Cortes via Getty Images)The Victor Wembanyama Impact

The very obvious, very tall answer is, of course, Victor Wembanyama. He’s led the team on both ends of the floor, banging the drum for the team he wants the Spurs to become. He plays with joy, enthusiasm and a desire to be great. There’s a certain level of moxie on display, a confidence and belief that jumps off the page. A je ne sais quoi, if you will. The Spurs continue to move him around the board offensively. He can initiate, can work in pick and roll, will receive flare screens or pindowns. We’ve seen him grab a rebound in transition, throw ahead to a wing and then cut to the rim. There is always the looming threat of Wemby lurking or cutting in the paint off penetration. The desire to be great and his aggression has really translated on the offensive end of late, a sense that there is more intention behind what he wants to do offensively. Raise your hand if you’ve seen a defender give Wemby space only for him to make the shot and smirk getting back on defense.

Early in the season we saw more physicality from Wemby when it came to getting post position or working to get catches at the elbow. That has translated to his drives where he’s looking to hit first when he has the opportunity. You really start to feel that in his face-up game. There is a rhythm and patience on display. Ball fakes or jabs to get the defense off-balance. When the ball is put on the ground, Wemby is working to absorb the contact and finish through or over it.

Physicality from the defense is not going away. The shot selection can still be unbalanced, but there are more moments where it feels like Wemby is working to get to his spot, get to the shots he likes. On the nights those shots are going down, defenses have to spend a little extra time at the dinner table to chew that steak.

It’s been interesting to watch how defenses work to take things away. How much help are they showing on a Wemby drive or post-up? Is that help early or on the move? Are teams wanting to switch, are teams wanting to double down on that by putting a wing on him? Aaron Gordon delivered a reminder of what physicality can do in a 1v1 situation, however, one thing Wemby has taken off the board is switching small guards on him. Defenses just cannot get away with it anymore.

The Spurs opened the win over the Warriors on April 1 by running a dribble handoff with Wembanyama and Devin Vassell. The left side of the floor was empty, Draymond Green was in a drop. Wemby popped, so the idea was go with a peel or late switch and recover. The issue is Vassell got the ball right to Wemby, who knew he was driving as the ball was in the air.

The Spurs mixing in five-out in transition is a sneaky way to find an opening for Wembanyama. In Monday’s win over Philadelphia, he starts in the corner, and it’s a simple exchange with him and Julian Champagnie. Joel Embiid wants to stay low and on the block so he calls for a switch. That puts Tyrse Maxey on Wemby, who once again looks to attack as soon as that ball is swung, hits first and finishes before the defense can load up help.

Stephon Castle’s development

One of the more underrated parts of this Spurs season has been the consistent growth from Stephon Castle. Over the course of this season he’s taking his playmaking to another level. The journey for young guards is often reading defense, passing after making that right read and making the defense pay. Castle has shown an understanding on how to engage a defense, understand his job and make the right play. The chemistry with Wemby stands out as often times you see Castle attack space, engage the big to force him to make a decision and immediately tap the “Wemby-is-up-there-somewhere” button. You can see that becomes even tougher when the Spurs are able to empty a corner, take away any late help and force a defense’s hand.

Castle being able to read the defense to open up lobs for Wembanyama is one thing. Seeing that defenses want to help and making those passes is another. Against Miami on March 23, Wemby slips a screen. The lane is open for Castle to turn the corner and drive, but he sees Davion Mitchell coming to the paint to help and gets it right to Vassell in the corner for 3. Against Memphis on March 25, he gets the handoff from Wemby, sees Vassell’s man go to tag and gets it right to Vassell for 3. A young guard who can diagnose a defense quickly is always headed in the right direction.

Spurs’ movement matters

As a team, the Spurs are at there best when they are sudden. The ball moves from side to side. Actions are random. A swing could lead to a drive. Or a screen. To the Spurs credit they work well together and try to create advantages. If you stop them, they try to create more advantages. All of a sudden you’re defending an inverted P&R with De’Aaron Fox and Wemby, and you recover from that only for Wemby to face-cut to the rim. The more you can force a defense to sustain, the better off you are as an offense. It may not be a direct replica of the “beautiful game” Spurs, but there is a flow that stands out.

The overall offensive attack has stood out all year. They have 48 minutes of consistent guard play, and Fox deserves a tip of the cap as well. His ability to fit in with the Spurs has made a difference. We have seen what Fox has done in the past, but that should not discount what he has done for this team. Yes, the 1v1 scoring is stil there and the bucket-getting is still there, but it’s worked to fit within the Spurs’ context. He can play on ball and off ball and make quick decisions, and his paint touches are important.

Spurs’ culture

This all ties into the secret sauce of the Spurs, which is the consistency of their roster. You can count on the guards to open up drive-and-kicks to get paint touches without needing a screen. It’s a team committed to forcing help in order to get a shot or keep a defense in rotation. There’s been limited hesitation from Vassell all year long. Were you aware that Champagnie is the Spurs’ franchise leader in 3-pointers for a season? Do you get how the buy-in from Harrison Barnes and Keldon Johnson has helped lift this team? Carter Bryant just comes in and does his job every single time his name is called. It’s a team effort, and it’s a team that holds itself accountable. It’s a culture.

The real answer to the Spurs ascension likely lies within what they do on the defensive end. I’ve already written about the Wemby Effect, and that continues to hold strong. Teams having to work to decide where to space him, when to attack him and what to do when he is in action will always stand out. He also delivers the reverse card of having a command and control to communicate rotations and not cooperate with teams’ attempts to take him out of a play. The work and commitment from everyone else accentuates what Wemby brings. I chose this imperfect play vs. Golden State because of how the Spurs can recover. It’s full-court pressure from Stephon Castle. What looks like an advantage becomes a 1v1 against Wemby. An opening on the roll is being closed by Wemby rotating, which opens up an extra pass, which gets a close out by — you guessed it — Wemby.

Here against the Sixers, you can see the decisions the Spurs force offenses to make. Embiid with a dribble handoff to Maxey, only Wemby is in a drop with Dylan Harper showing help. It’s an easy decision to advance it to Quentin Grimes, who looks to drive the closeout, only Wemby is once again there. The ball flows to Embiid, who gets it to Maxey, and Fox fights over without Wemby having to commit. Now you’re in a low-clock situation going 1v1 against Wemby because everyone has done their jobs.

Postseason questions

So what does all of this mean come playoff time? The Spurs are likely to have people smashing the playoff experience button. On one hand, everyone starts out inexperienced at something. On the other hand, the playoffs are a different animal. The moxie and confidence has been there all year long, but can the Spurs attack the maze we know as the postseason?

The playoffs are different, with teams working to take things away in back and forth basketball. Will the defense have the same impact? Great players can make great plays that can mute the overall impact we have seen from the Spurs defensively. If Nikola Jokić, Anthony Edwards or Kevin Durant get going, does that take away from the impact? Is the Spurs’ defense their best clutch offense? Offensively, will they end up playing slower? Do they have an automatic pressure point? Do they know where they want to go, depending on who has it going?

Against the loss to Denver last Saturday, Wemby poked at the small lineup and poked at Jamal Murray switching until he — checks notes — stopped switching. If opponents’ flow gets slower and defenses are able to toggle their coverage, will the Spurs get the same looks? The Nuggets were able to not just have Gordon defend Wemby 1v1, but they could mix in random doubles without the Spurs knowing they could profit off it. That’s part of the learning process to win in this league, but can the Spurs get their GPA up in time?

No matter how it ends, this has been a special season from the Spurs. They have been willing to go at every team, including OKC, in a competitive manner. They have defended their tails off, worked to push off stops and worked to keep pressure on teams. They put themselves in a position that no one thought they would be in. For some that’s a weakness. It could very well be their hidden strength because they do not know any better. Either way, there’s zero doubt the Spurs have earned their stripes, earned respect and will continue to pound the rock (and the drum) until someone takes them out.

How did the San Antonio Spurs get so good, so soon?

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