The Spurs have been one of the most successful NBA franchises of the past three decades, so it may shock some fans to know that they haven’t been to the playoffs since 2019. That postseason drought is officially over now though after they clinched a playoff berth by beating the Suns 101-100 last night. But Victor Wembanyama isn’t satisfied just yet.
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The Spurs have beaten the defending champion Thunder three times and are well clear of everyone else for second place in the West, so it’s not like they needed to pop any champagne last night to celebrate the end of their unusually long fallow period.
Wembanyama has been ably aided by last year’s Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle and the rest of the roster, including De’Aaron Fox, Devin Vassell, Luke Kornet and others, have all played like a cohesive unit.
There are just 12 games left in the Spurs’ regular season. They’re three games behind the Thunder but seven games ahead of the third-place Lakers, making them just about a lock to finish in second in the West. That could be dangerous for a young team that hasn’t been here before, but Wemby is determined not to let himself or his guys get too comfortable.
“Of course the first instinct is to be proud of it, and to love it because you’re part of it,” he said last night of making the playoffs for the first time in his career.
“But the key for me is to try to not care, because we want to attack 82 games, and I’m not gonna lie, I’m scared to become complacent. So I’ll be on the other end of the spectrum and try to not care,” the lanky Frenchman asserted.
Wemby’s try-hard attitude has been exactly what the NBA needed. He showed it when he almost led France to an upset of the favored U.S. team in the Olympics, and he showed it when he almost single-handedly brought the All-Star Game back from the dead through sheer effort alone.
Teams follow the example set by their leader, and that’s definitely been true of the Spurs. There’s not a team in the league that plays harder on a nightly basis, and that’s not always the case for a roster so young. Wemby is the ultimate combination of inordinate physical gifts and a burning desire to be great, and he’s led by example all year.
Before this season started, it felt like a Thunder repeat was unavoidable as long as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander stayed healthy, but the Spurs have proven that OKC isn’t invincible. Getting to the Western Conference Finals will be a gauntlet unto itself, but if the Spurs do make it there and meet the Thunder, it could be a series for the ages, and a sign of things to come in the years ahead.
