The San Antonio Spurs are walking into the 2026-27 NBA season with something most teams spend years trying to earn: the label of favorite. They’re also carrying the kind of expectations that can weigh on a team if it lets them. That doesn’t seem to be the case here.
After falling to the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals, the Spurs come back with their sights set on another trip to June - and this time, a title. Last season, San Antonio won 62 games and moved past the Oklahoma City Thunder as the top team in the West.
This summer only strengthened the case. The Knicks and OKC both lost important pieces, while the Spurs added Tobias Harris and kept every rotation player out of trades and free agency.
That leaves San Antonio in a strong position on paper. But nobody in that locker room is acting like anything has already been handed to them.
At media day, the message from the young Spurs was clear: the motivation is real, and so is the work still ahead. De’Aaron Fox is not the only one refusing to treat last year’s success like a guarantee. Devin Vassell put it plainly when talking about the group’s mindset.
"Everything's not guaranteed, and I think that everybody's hungry," he said. "Like we said, we're not guaranteed a number one seed.
We're not guaranteed to be in the playoffs. We're not guaranteed any of this stuff.
We all got to work for it. So I think them seeing it, seeing the work, going through a season like that, you're not satisfied with anything.
And we didn't win anything. So at the end of the day, nobody's satisfied.
We're just ready to get this thing back rolling."
That’s the challenge facing San Antonio now. A 62-win season is one thing.
Backing it up is another. A fast turnaround after a deep playoff run is no easy ask, and the league has made it clear how hard it is to return to the Finals year after year.
No team has done it since the Golden State Warriors in 2019.
Still, the Spurs have youth, talent and depth on their side. The veterans know better than to assume last year’s breakthrough will carry over by itself. If the younger players can keep that edge intact, San Antonio has a real chance to ride this momentum back to basketball’s biggest stage.
In Other News...
Spurs Point Guard Battle Comes Down To One Wemby Decision
The Spurs point guard debate is no longer just about talent or roles. It has become a fit question centered on Victor Wembanyama, with DeAaron Fox and Dylan Harper both giving the franchise reasons to believe they can work next to its cornerstone. San Antonio spent last season sorting through how each guard affected Wembanyamas game, and the early read was encouraging enough to keep the competition alive heading into training camp.
Fox and Harper each helped Wembanyama in different ways, which is why the Spurs are expected to keep watching closely once the season begins. Harpers numbers with the star big man popped in a smaller sample, while Foxs pairing had more time to develop, giving the staff a broader base to evaluate. For a team trying to build around Wembanyama, the answer at point guard may end up being less about who has the cleaner resume and more about which partnership keeps improving when the games count. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Just Gave Carter Bryant A Tougher Path To A Bigger Role
The Spurs spent the offseason making life a little more crowded on the wing, and that matters for a second-year forward like Carter Bryant. Adding Tobias Harris gave San Antonio another experienced option in a rotation that already includes Devin Vassell and Harrison Barnes, which means the path to consistent minutes is going to be more demanding than it might have looked a few months ago.
For Bryant, though, the shuffle comes with a built-in benefit. He has talked about how much he is picking up from the veterans around him, especially on both ends of the floor, and he seems to value the day-to-day teaching as much as the competition. Vassell has stood out as a particular source of that guidance, which gives Bryant a chance to keep growing even as he tries to carve out a larger role. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Fans Just Got A Telling Look At Austins New Brain Trust
The Austin Spurs have finished assembling their coaching staff for the 2026 season, a reset that gives San Antonio followers a fresh look at the organizations next layer of development. The group includes Carson Shanks as associate head coach, along with new additions Jackie Hua as head athletic trainer and Kevin Williamson as strength and conditioning coach, all part of the infrastructure that shapes how young players are prepared and polished.
Tristen Licon also earned a promotion to player development and performance coordinator, a move that underscores how much the Spurs value continuity in their development pipeline. With the season set to open Nov. 8 at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park, the staff is now in place, and the next question is how quickly this new-look bench can turn preparation into on-court progress. [Read more 🡒]