San Antonio Spurs: How they got here and what’s next after a strong start

We explore the San Antonio Spurs’ early-season success and what lies ahead for the franchise after a strong first half of the season. 

It’s easy to take any success the San Antonio Spurs have for granted. Last season was the first time in 23 seasons that they failed to make the playoffs, and over that span, they won five NBA championships along the way.

Children were born, grew up, and graduated college without ever seeing the Spurs miss the playoffs. Along with death and taxes, the Spurs making the playoffs was always an absolute certainty.

So the fact that they are 18-14 and will come out of the All-Star break as the 7th seed in a loaded Western Conference doesn’t feel out of place, but to say they’ve overachieved is an understatement.

Most betting outlets had their preseason win total set at 29.5 wins and out of the playoff picture. And the smart money was probably on the under, given the fact that they were popular candidates to be sellers before the season started, especially approaching a 2021 NBA draft that projects to have a lot of talent at the top.

So what’s next for them? Where do they go from here now that they are in a position that even the team probably weren’t expecting to be in? To answer that, it’s important to look deeper into how they’ve done it, and that conversation has to start with the “old” guys.