One of the best storylines in the NBA this season has to be the San Antonio Spurs’ return to dominance. Following a few seasons of rebuilding, the Spurs, led by Victor Wembanyama, have ascended as a championship contender. To the untrained eye, they play a brand of basketball which is reflective of a veteran unit. But skill can’t replace the value experience has, especially in a postseason setting, something Stephen A. Smith believes will come to haunt them.
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A franchise doesn’t simply win 50 games by accident. The Spurs are dominating teams, and the numbers prove it. Since the beginning of February, San Antonio has stepped into another gear. They have the best record in the league at 18-2, along with the best offensive rating, net rating and effective field goal percentage.
Their lanky French star Victor Wembanyama has clearly been the star of their success story. However, ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith argues that he offers little much in the of post-season experience, which the team sorely lacks.
“What it comes down to as the game slows, come postseason time and gets more physical, and some of those calls don’t go your way, how are you going to react at that particular moment in time? That’s how I think we have to look at the San Antonio Spurs as we speak at this particular juncture. So, there’s still a question mark about them, but it’s pretty much because we haven’t seen them do it,” Smith said.
Experience used to be an important metric for playoff success, which it still can be, but but the Oklahoma City Thunder have proven that a team doesn’t have to go through five years of playoff failure before it can hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy. The Spurs have the talent to potentially emulate that level of success once April comes around.
Meanwhile, despite his apprehensions, Smith does seem to have an excellent opinion of their coach Mitch Johnson, who he believes has been incredible in leading the team, despite his lack of experience.
“This isn’t Gregg Popovich on the sideline. This is the young cat, Mitch Johnson,” Smith said on ESPN’s First Take. “He’s doing a hell of a job. I never hear anybody mention his name. We’re gonna put an end to that right now because this kid has proven he knows what the hell he’s doing as the coach of the San Antonio Spurs.”
Johnson has been truly excellent in his first full season with the team. His presence has sparked a new era in Spurs basketball, which has been incredibly entertaining to watch. The next question of course is, how will this regular-season success translate to the postseason? It’s a bit disrespectful to completely look over this team due to their experience, but it’s certainly something to keep in mind.
