It’s still November, and the NBA title race is nowhere near settled. But Charles Barkley isn’t waiting around for more evidence.
After the San Antonio Spurs improved to 10-2 with a 124-119 win over the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday, Barkley said he sees them as the team to beat, especially with the Oklahoma City Thunder dealing with a wave of injuries.
“With the injuries in OKC, the Spurs are the team to beat in the NBA. Unless OKC makes a trade, I don't see any team that's in their league right now, East or West.
They are the best team. I thought it was OKC.
Now, with the injuries, it is the Spurs' thing to win now,” Barkley said on Wednesday's Inside the NBA on ESPN.
Victor Wembanyama kept making the case in the win over Chicago. He finished with 32 points, nine rebounds, and five blocks, and he’s now averaging 30.3 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 4.4 blocks through 12 games this season.
The Spurs have the kind of profile that gets people talking this early: a massive defensive ceiling, real offensive punch, and a player who looks like the best in the league right now. If they stay healthy, they should be a problem for anyone in the playoffs.
That’s not just about this season’s start, either. The source of the optimism is a team that already came painfully close before. In the 2026 NBA Finals, the Spurs held double-digit leads in all five games and still lost the title to the New York Knicks after blowing four of them.
So the formula is simple enough: keep building on what they’ve done so far, avoid the mistakes that cost them last season, and the path to the top opens up fast for this Spurs team.
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Spurs Face A Wembanyama Problem Ahead Of Warriors Showdown
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Warriors Suddenly Face A New Problem Before Spurs Matchup
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Gary Payton II is expected back in the lineup after missing two games with left knee inflammation, giving the Warriors a needed defensive presence as they try to steady themselves without Curry. Payton recently re-signed on a one-year deal, and his return should help on the perimeter, but the bigger question is how Golden State fills the void left by its star while the schedule keeps moving. [Read more 🡒]