The Spurs didn’t get an easy runway to start the season, and that may be exactly the point.
San Antonio’s opening stretch is packed with pressure right away, with only 13 total back-to-backs on the schedule - tied for the fewest in the NBA - but two of them arrive before Oct. 30. That means the Spurs are staring at a demanding run almost immediately, including four games in six nights and a first-month slate that leaves little room to breathe.
Here’s the shape of it:
Oct. 20 Oklahoma City Thunder
Oct. 23 Houston Rockets
Oct. 24 Dallas Mavericks
Oct. 27 Sacramento Kings
Oct. 28 Utah Jazz
Oct. 31 Minnesota Timberwolves
The Kings may not be projected as a strong team, but that doesn’t make them harmless. If San Antonio lets them get rolling, they can absolutely become a problem.
And the rest of the group? That’s a gauntlet of rivals, playoff teams, and rising threats.
Nothing about it looks friendly.
That’s why this start can work as a measuring stick for the Spurs. It’s not just about surviving the opening weeks.
It’s about setting a tone in the Western Conference early, especially with only three matchups against OKC all season. Those head-to-head games matter.
If the race for the top seed gets tight, and there’s every reason to think it could, the Spurs won’t have much margin for error. Winning the games that matter most - against elite opponents, against direct competition, and against the teams they’re supposed to handle - will shape the standings as much as anything else.
It also matters for Victor Wembanyama, who has another chance to make his case from the jump. After Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won his second Most Valuable Player award, this time by a landslide, the message from voters was loud and clear: offense carries the day.
Defense can be admired. It can be praised.
But when it comes time to hand out the trophy, it doesn’t always move the needle.
Wembanyama already learned that lesson last season. He played at an MVP level, but he tried to do it his way, leaning on his defense.
Once he realized that wouldn’t be enough, he raised his scoring and made a real push. By then, though, the gap was too big to close in the eyes of voters.
This time, the timing has to be different. He needs to come out hot and keep that pressure on all year.
Oct. 20 gives him that chance, and the schedule after it doesn’t offer much mercy. No soft landing, no easing in - just a tough first month and a chance to prove the Spurs are more than a one-year story.
If San Antonio wants to show last season was the beginning of something bigger, this is the kind of opening stretch that can say it for them.
In Other News...
Spurs Backcourt Battle Could Shape Wembanyamas Next Step
The Spurs backcourt picture is starting to come into focus as the team heads toward next season, and the decision at point guard could say plenty about how San Antonio wants to accelerate Victor Wembanyamas growth. DeAaron Fox is still positioned as the starter, giving the Spurs a proven lead guard with a major role on the books, while Dylan Harper arrives as the kind of young talent that naturally tempts fans to imagine a faster handoff.
Fox also spent the summer building chemistry with Wembanyama, a development that matters for a team trying to make the game easier for its franchise centerpiece. Harper remains an intriguing part of the long-term plan, but the expectation is that he will begin his Spurs run in a reserve role for at least another season, leaving the staff to balance present-day stability with the appeal of another high-upside creator waiting in the wings. [Read more 🡒]
Stephon Castle Faces The Spurs Challenge Russell Westbrook Never Solved
Russell Westbrooks retirement closes the book on one of the most explosive careers the league has ever seen, and it also offers a useful measuring stick for the Spurs own young guard room. Stephon Castle is being mentioned in the same breath for good reason: the forceful, downhill style, the willingness to attack the rim, and the kind of all-around pressure that can bend a defense without waiting for a clean look from deep.
Where Castle can separate himself is in the part of the game Westbrook never fully conquered, especially in the postseason. His early shooting gains have been encouraging, and if that progress continues, the Spurs could end up with a player who brings Westbrook-like juice while adding the one layer that made those great runs so hard to sustain. [Read more 🡒]