25. San Antonio Spurs
I think it’s only fair that we begin to temper the expectations surrounding the San Antonio Spurs. Sure, they have Victor Wembanyama after selecting him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. However, if we know anything about the way head coach Gregg Popovich and the Spurs operate, we know they’re going to bring him along slowly. He’s going to start but who knows how many minutes he’s going to be playing off the bat.
By the end of the season, the hope is that Wemby begins to play as well as the hype surrounding him is. But that’s far from a guarantee. Despite the excitement surrounding Wemby and the Spurs heading into the season, I think there’s a far better chance that this team ends up picking in the top 5 again than they are a playoff team in the Western Conference.
And that’s not a knock on the Spurs. That’s just realizing that, even with Wemby, the Spurs are still a few years away from being a real player in the West. The good news is that it’s probably on a matter of time before they’re good again.