The San Antonio Spurs’ future looks a little brighter after winning the 2023-24 NBA draft lottery and making the obvious choice by selecting potential franchise-changer Victor Wembanyama with the No. 1 overall pick. But the Spurs, who finished with the second-worst record in the NBA last season, are expected to take the cautious approach with their 7-foot-4 teenage prodigy. Also, most of the other moves the Spurs made appeared to be designed for the future. Therefore, I don’t see the Spurs making a giant leap forward this year, which is why they are No. 28 in my 2023-24 NBA Power Rankings.
2023-24 NBA Power Rankings Offseason Edition: No. 28 San Antonio Spurs
San Antonio won just 22 games in 2022-23, tying the Houston Rockets for the worst record in the Western Conference and marking the Spurs’ second-fewest wins in their franchise history. The Spurs won just 21 contests during the 1988-89 campaign, the season before they selected David Robinson with the No. 1 overall pick. They have missed the playoffs in each of the last four years.
Despite ranking first in pace, San Antonio was one of the worst shooting teams in the NBA, which didn’t help their league-worst defense. The Spurs ranked in the bottom of sixth in field goal percentage, 3-point percentage, and free-throw percentage. They were fifth in assists but 26th in turnovers.
Defensively, the Spurs didn’t do much right besides not fouling too much. They finished last in defensive efficiency, scoring defense, defensive field goal percentage, and defensive 3-point percentage.
Spurs Offseason Moves
The Spurs made many moves this offseason, starting with drafting Wembanyama, Leonard Miller, and Sidy Cissoko. Miller has been dealt to Minnesota, while Cissoko remains unsigned and is a draft-and-stash candidate. The Spurs also re-signed Sandro Mamukelashvilli, Julian Champagnie, and Tre Jones. They also extended Gregg Popovich‘s five-year contract and brought in Cameron Payne, Reggie Bullock, and Cedi Osman through trades. While those three are nice veterans who could help in the back end of the rotation — besides Payne, who could be a significant contributor behind Jones — the Spurs didn’t do much this offseason.
I do like Jones getting the chance to run the team full-time. Keldon Johnson is outstanding offensively but a mess on the other end. Devin Vassell stepped up his offensive game before going down with an injury. Zach Collins is coming off an excellent season, and Devonte’ Graham played well after coming over from New Orleans, but can they be counted on? There are also questions if Jeremy Sochan and Malaki Branham can develop into starting players.
San Antonio Spurs Summer League
San Antonio had a very productive and successful Summer League. The Spurs went 5-2, including 3-2 in Vegas. Branham played very well in four appearances in Las Vegas and Sacramento. The 20-year-old wing put up 21 points a contest on 19 shots, though he did make 3.25 treys a game at a 48.1% clip.
Dominick Barlow had an impressive summer league campaign. Barlow, a restricted free agent, was on a two-way contract with the Spurs last season.
Champagnie was fantastic in the California Classic, though he struggled a bit in Vegas. Meanwhile, Blake Wesley had his ups and downs in six games. Undrafted rookie Sir’Jabari Rice, who is on a two-way contract with the Spurs, shot the ball well and impressed defensively.
Best Offseason Move: Drafting Victor Wembanyama
Wembanyama is a great talent and deserved to be taken with the No. 1 overall pick. He will definitely be a force defensively and on the glass. There are some questions surrounding his shooting, though his usage likely will be sky-high when he plays. Turnovers could also be problematic.
Wembanyama averaged 18 points, 10 rebounds, and four blocks in two Vegas contests. The 19-year-old shot 40.7% from the field, 30% from the 3-point line, and 68.8% from the charity stripe.
Worst Offseason Decision: Trading Leonard Miller
I wasn’t that high on Miller as others were, as he was thought to be a first-round pick. However, the Spurs only got a pair of 2028 second-rounders from Minnesota, and Miller’s upside is a lot higher than Champagnie’s and made sense with the Spurs’ timeline. Plus, San Antonio wouldn’t have had to involve themselves in deals for Bullock or Osman.
The athletic 19-year-old showed off two-way potential during Summer League. He also demonstrated the capability to be a three-level scorer and was excellent on the backboards.
Miller produced two double-doubles, averaging 15.4 points and 8.0 rebounds (3.2 offensive). He also had 1.4 steals and nearly one block, though ball handling is a concern. The G-League Ignite product compiled a shooting slash line of .446/.368/.857.
I would have gone with the Spurs not improving their shooting, but the additions of Bullock, Osman, and Payne should help in that area (at least from three-point range). The additions of Bullock and Osman were also in consideration for the worst offseason decision. However, the Spurs got more than they gave up, which wasn’t much, and there is a chance that they will flip those two for assets.
Things To Do: Getting Down to 15 players
San Antonio has 17 players with fully guaranteed contracts, so they need to drop two players before opening night. The leading candidates to be waived are anyone’s guess. The easiest thing for San Antonio to do is trade Payne, Bullock, or Osman, but that would mean they would have found suitors for them. All three players are in the final season of their deals, and each player has a valuable trait.
Besides those three players, Mamukelsashvilli, Charles Bassey, and Wesley are probably the most likely to be cut. But stay tuned.
