The San Antonio Spurs have become a serious problem this season, and it’s fun to watch. After a disappointing run in recent years, they’ve flipped the script in 2025-26. Spurs are 42-16 and are No. 2 in the Western Conference. They’re rocking a 10-game win streak (their first of the 2020s decade), and are only two games back from the first-place OKC Thunder.
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What’s even crazier is how balanced and resilient this group has looked. Victor Wembanyama is obviously leading the charge, but young guys like Castle, Fox, and Champagnie are stepping up while a veteran like Harrison Barnes provides big-game experience. They are a perfect storm of trouble. But are they a true title contender or just riding a hot streak?
A few NBA legends chose the former. Steve Nash spoke about San Antonio’s emergence as a top threat during today’s pre-game coverage on Prime. The Hall of Famer claimed that the best franchises earned some playoff scars before winning it all, but he thinks the Spurs might be the exception to the rule.
“I believe in common experiences and playoff scars, but if there’s ever been a team to challenge that, it’s the San Antonio Spurs. They are like something we’ve never seen because of one guy, Victor Wembanyama. So you can’t really compare them to any teams that came before us,” said the retired Canadian baller.
And he’s right. This squad is young and they don’t have a ton of experience in the grueling elimination series when the game is at its most important. Barnes alone holds the majority of the squad’s playoff experience. Despite that, this Spurs team, led by Wemby, is breaking all the traditional rules. They look ready now.
“Maybe they are a team that can challenge before their time,” added Nash. “You look at their guard play, terrific young players along with Fox. But Wemby’s differential at both ends of the floor. He’s such a difference-maker. It really puts them in a position where they could be a contender this early.”
Wemby’s dominance on the court truly throws a wrench into teams gameplans. He’s such a threat on both ends that it’s making scorers think twice before driving the lane and defenders overthink when they see him at the perimeter or setting up in the post. The only thing that matches his talent is his desire to win. That’s a lethal combination.
At some point, you stop asking if it’s too soon and start asking who’s actually equipped to stop them. The West is loaded, sure, but San Antonio doesn’t feel fluky, they feel inevitable. Wemby bends the geometry of the floor in a way we honestly haven’t seen before, and the confidence of this group is growing by the week.
If this is ahead of schedule, that should terrify the rest of the league, because the Spurs don’t just look like a good story. They look like the next problem. And when you have guys like Nash endorsing them, the West, including the defending champion Thunder, better prepare to acknowledge their new Tribal Chief.
