Spurs Title Hopes Ride On One Huge Victor Wembanyama Unknown

As the San Antonio Spurs gear up for a new season, all eyes are on Victor Wembanyama to see if he can lead them back to the NBA Finals, but the true test of his impact remains months away.

San Antonio has one giant Victor Wembanyama question hanging over the franchise, and it won’t get answered anytime soon.

Training camp is set to open later this month, but the real measuring stick for Wembanyama and the Spurs stretches all the way to June 2027. That’s when the only question that really matters can be settled: can Wembanyama carry San Antonio back to the NBA Finals and win next season?

He gave the Spurs plenty to build on during their playoff run. Wembanyama appeared in 22 of their 23 postseason games and logged big minutes, a strong sign after the concern that could have come with that workload. Including the playoffs, he played 86 games last season, and if San Antonio is going to make another Finals push, he’ll probably need to be on the floor something close to that again.

The problem is everything between now and then. Wembanyama had a shortened offseason after that long playoff run, and he’s spending this summer with the French National Team. That could help keep him sharp heading into the 2026-27 season, but it also raises the risk of wearing him down before the real grind begins.

For the Spurs, keeping him healthy over the next seven months has to be the top priority. Even if they manage that, there are no guarantees. San Antonio is the defending West champion and looks like the best team in the conference on paper, but the Oklahoma City Thunder and the revamped Minnesota Timberwolves are both lurking as real threats.

Back-to-back NBA Finals appearances are difficult enough on their own, and even more so after a loss the year before. A lot can go wrong over the course of a season, and the Spurs are hardly immune to that.

The answer for San Antonio is straightforward: Wembanyama has to stay healthy, and the young group around him has to keep improving. The Spurs had the New York Knicks on the ropes in the NBA Finals by leading by at least 10 points in each of their four losses, which only adds to the feeling that this team was close.

A more seasoned Wembanyama and a more seasoned Spurs roster could be the difference next season. If that happens, San Antonio could get back to the NBA Finals and make up for that embarrassing loss. If not, what looks like a dynasty in the making could get knocked off course.

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