Victor Wembanyama sits near the top of The Ringer’s updated NBA Top 100, but the bigger story in San Antonio is everything stacked behind him.
The Spurs landed a league-high eight players on the list, one more than Western Conference rival Oklahoma City, which checked in with seven. That kind of depth is a loud sign of how much talent Brian Wright and the front office have assembled since he was hired in August 2019.
Wembanyama led the group at No. 2 overall after winning Defensive Player of the Year and steering the Spurs to their first NBA Finals appearance in 12 years. He trails only reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
San Antonio’s next wave showed up right behind him. Stephon Castle came in at No. 26 after establishing himself as one of the league’s best two-way guards.
Dylan Harper landed at No. 45 after what the source described as perhaps the greatest NBA Finals performance from a rookie since Magic Johnson in 1980. De’Aaron Fox followed at No. 46, giving the Spurs three players inside the top 50.
The rest of the list only reinforces how much the roster has been built through more than just premium lottery picks. Devin Vassell was ranked No. 65, Tobias Harris landed at No. 86, and Julian Champagnie and Keldon Johnson finished at Nos. 98 and 99.
That’s the part that stands out: outside of Wembanyama, Castle and Harper - all top-four selections - every other Spur on the list arrived via trade, free agency or a pick outside the top 10.
Johnson was taken 29th overall in 2019 as part of the Kawhi Leonard trade. Vassell, selected 11th in 2020, was the franchise’s highest draft pick since Tim Duncan.
Champagnie came in on a waiver claim after the Philadelphia 76ers cut him loose. Fox was brought in through a buy-low trade with the Sacramento Kings.
The Spurs’ presence on this list says plenty about where the franchise is now: not just built around a generational star, but stocked with real talent around him.
In Other News...
Spurs Face One Lineup Decision That Could Change Everything Around Wemby
The Spurs spent last season learning what their best version can look like around Victor Wembanyama, and the answer kept pointing back to a familiar starting group. De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell, Julian Champagnie and Wembanyama gave San Antonio a blend of pace, size and two-way balance that helped define the teams most effective stretches, giving the front office and coaching staff a real baseline as they sort through the next step.
Now the question is how much to disturb that formula with Dylan Harper and Tobias Harris in the mix. Harper brings the kind of talent that can reshape a rotation, but there is also a case for preserving the group that already fit so well and using him to change games off the bench, while Harris offers another veteran option without forcing the Spurs to sacrifice the continuity they built around Wembanyama. [Read more 🡒]
Sean Sweeney Just Reopened A Painful Spurs Finals Debate
Sean Sweeneys recent move to become head coach of the Orlando Magic has brought an old Spurs wound back into view, and it is one that still stings for anyone who lived through that Finals run. The former San Antonio assistant has been reflecting on the loss to the New York Knicks, a series the Spurs dropped in five games, and his comments have reopened a debate that never really went away in the first place.
Sweeney pointed to a mix of mistakes and youth as part of the explanation, while also pushing back on the idea that the Spurs suddenly became a different team overnight. For a franchise that has spent years trying to move past that disappointment, hearing one of its former voices revisit the series only adds another layer to a loss that already carried plenty of what-ifs. [Read more 🡒]
Chet Holmgren Just Took Another Swipe Spurs Fans Will Notice
Chet Holmgren is keeping the old rivalry simmering, and Spurs fans know exactly why his latest social media post landed the way it did. After Spains FIFA World Cup semifinal win over France, Holmgren sent out a congratulatory message that immediately drew attention because of who sits on the other side of this long-running NBA feud: Victor Wembanyama, the French star who has been linked with Holmgren since their battles dating back to the 2021 FIBA U19 World Cup.
Holmgren did not name Wembanyama, but the timing and the backdrop made the post feel like another shot in a competition that has followed both players into the league. Their matchup has only grown bigger since the Spurs and Thunder met in the 2026 Western Conference Finals, and every little social media jab now gets read through that lens. For San Antonio, it is just another reminder that this rivalry is not going anywhere anytime soon. [Read more 🡒]