One word often used to talk about the San Antonio Spurs is consistency. And rightfully so. After all, San Antonio has been one of the top teams in the NBA during the past 15 or 20 years. They are always among the contenders in the Western Conference, and the 2017-18 season shouldn’t be any different.
Led by Gregg Popovich on the sidelines and Kawhi Leonard on the court, the Spurs are a virtual lock to make the playoffs even though the season is more than one month away from starting. But what are realistic expectations for San Antonio this term? There is a difference between being a playoff contender and a title candidate. And that’s what we will analyze here.
As stated above, the Spurs shouldn’t have problems to reach the postseason. They are one of the best units in the West, and also have the gift of continuity. Unlike teams that made a splash in free agency or that made important trades, the Spurs’ roster shouldn’t change much from last season’s one. In fact, the starting five could be the same one that finished the season since Tony Parker has not recovered from his injury yet.
The French will return around December, and either Patty Mills or Dejounte Murray will start instead. The rest? Danny Green, Leonard, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Pau Gasol. Aldridge was a regular name in trade rumors during the summer, but all signs indicate he will remain with San Antonio until the end of his contract.
Taking a look at their roster and their bench, the Spurs have a lot of depth. Their second unit might very well be Mills/Murray, Ginobili, Rudy Gay, Davis Bertans, Kyle Anderson, and Joffrey Lauvergne. The sole idea of having Gay and Manu off the bench speaks volumes on how deep San Antonio is at the moment. But is that enough to make them a viable threat in the title race?
Sadly, no. The Spurs should battle for home-court advantage this season, but that’s probably their ceiling. They are not better than the Golden State Warriors and based on recent movements, the Houston Rockets, and the Oklahoma City Thunder might be over them as well. So seeing the Spurs finishing fourth looks like a realistic outcome.
Think about it. Golden State has its Big Four of Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson. The Rockets have James Harden and Chris Paul. And the Thunder added Paul George to a team that features Russell Westbrook. San Antonio has the depth, but they do not look any better than any of those three teams.
Of course, Popovich teams tend to play above their expectations at times. There’s a chance they once again finish second or third in the West. But come playoff time, reaching the Conference Finals would already be a success. Given how tough the West will be this season, the fans need to temper their expectations.
But after all, it’s the Spurs we are talking about. The team has shown us time and time again they can’t be taken for granted. So whatever the case ends up being, they will certainly be a team to watch as soon as the season begins.