The San Antonio Spurs had all the momentum leading into the 2024-25 NBA season with a new budding superstar in Victor Wembanyama. Along with brand new team personnel, the Spurs were looking like a competitive team for the first time in several seasons.
However, sad news came before the season could even get started. Long-time Head Coach Gregg Popovich had a stroke in November. He would be out for the rest of the season and Mitch Johnson would take over as the interim head coach.
Johnson was well on his way with his young team, led by Wembanyama as well as newly acquired veteran Chris Paul, who would add a good presence in the young locker room. They also made multiple moves around the trade deadline, like acquiring De’Aaron Fox and adding a legitimate young point guard around Wembanyama.
Sadly, any momentum the Spurs had coming out of the All-Star break was halted after more sad news hit the team. On Feb. 20, the Spurs announced Wembanyama would have to miss the rest of the season with blood clots in his shoulder.
Wembanyama was on a run this season as the favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year, averaging 24.7 points, 11 rebounds and 3.7 assists. He was the clear leader of the Spurs and with him missing, there was going to be a significant hole for them to fill.
On the first day with Wembanyama out, the Spurs came together and beat the Phoenix Suns on the day of his diagnosis. But after the win, the Spurs would go just 1-4 in their last five games.
Without the presence of the massive 7-foot-3-inch Wembanyama, the Spurs are in need of size in the middle. The next biggest guy in the Spurs roster is Charles Bassey, who is 6 feet, 10 inches tall, but has been out with a knee injury.
The smaller lineups that they have been putting on the court just aren’t able to cut it against the taller, more physical opponents. Without Bassey, the Spurs have no one over 6-foot-9-inch in their rotation; this has been a challenge. In their last four losses, they have been out-rebounded by an average of 15 rebounds per game.
Without those much needed boards, the Spurs are without the important second-chance points that they need and the momentum in critical moments that a key rebound can offer.
Coach Johnson, after the loss to the Houston Rockets, said, “It’s going to be a team effort.” Then Johnson added, “Bismack Biyombo is not going to come in and solve the problems, or playing Sandro next to Bismack or whatever it may be. It’s going to have to be a gang rebound, all five players on the court participating just by virtue of how we’re built right now.” His squad heard this and seemingly took it to heart in their next game against the Memphis Grizzlies. They evened out the rebound battle, grabbing 42 boards to the Grizzlies’ 41, and poured it on scoring-wise, going up 77-58 in the first half.
The Spurs would waver at the end of that game and it would come down to a game-winner by Fox. But there are a few positive takeaways for the Spurs to build on, including their reserves outscoring the Grizzlies bench 77-41.
This game was a full-team effort for the Spurs and is the kind of basketball they are going to have to play with Wembanyama out. Players spread the scoring out: Jeremy Sochan had 18 points and 11 rebounds, and on top of the game-winner, Fox finished with 20 points.
The Spurs’ season is not going to get any easier as they fight for the last play-in spot in the Western Conference. They are currently just three games back from the Phoenix Suns, but their remaining schedule has very tough opponents. According to Tankathon, they have the eighth hardest schedule left in the NBA.
But there is a light at the end of this tunnel for the Spurs because the teams above them in the standings — the Portland Trail Blazers and the Suns — have the first and third hardest schedules, respectively.
With Wembanyama on the mend, the Spurs are going to have an uphill battle to finish the rest of the season, but they have their new roster addition in Fox now leading the squad and a strong bench unit.
The season might not have gone the way many fans would’ve wanted, but the Spurs are still looking to make some noise before the NBA season wraps up.
