What We Learned from the Spurs’ 2023-24 season

Photos by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images

Spurs finish with the same record but a different outlook

This time last year, we didn’t know what the future would hold. We had hopes. We had dreams. We had scenarios in which it might play out…but we didn’t know. The Spurs had tanked good and hard. Maybe not in so many words, but the result spoke for itself: a 22-60 record, tied for the second-worst in the league. They were heading into a draft lottery in possession of their best chance for a top draft pick since the ‘90s. We could maybe conceive of a world in which everything fell into place, even if we wouldn’t really let ourselves believe in it.

It’s weird to go back to that headspace. To peer through the fog and try to remember what it was like watching Brandon Miller YouTube highlights and saying things like, “you know, he could pair nicely with Devin Vassell.” Remember that? Remember earnestly listening to people on podcasts talk about how Scoot Henderson might actually be a better pro in the long run that the presumptive favorite to be picked first overall? Tell me, honestly, how much time did you spend trying to figure out which Thompson twin would slot into the roster better?

That was a year ago. A year. One. Doesn’t it feel like a lifetime? Doesn’t it feel like we’ve slipped into a different dimension altogether? I can taste colors now. I can reach out and touch the sky. I can hear the whispers of the wind telling secrets to the trees. We’ve moved beyond merely hoping for a return to the glories of the past to actively wondering if there might be a future out there that’s better.

That’s crazy. That’s insane. That’s inconceivable. The path this franchise has walked is littered with more good news than any one sports franchise could ever dare to wish for. We’ve watched generational talents and monumental stories unfold. We’ve cultivated and embraced a unique culture that has seamlessly integrated into our community and spread its influence far and wide. We’ve lived alongside a wonderful cast of characters that are happy and friendly, pleasant and funny, entertaining and only a little bit nutty. We have the best coach to ever do it. We’ve won five championships. Five! We are truly blessed beyond belief.

I think a lot of us sat there at the end of the season and didn’t really even consider a world where that ping-pong ball was going to fall our way. That’s not how the world usually works. We had our time in the sun and now it was someone else’s turn. We would make do with what we had and we would grind out our rebuild step by step, piece by piece. A nice little team that built on itself and worked its way back into the conversation. Maybe playoff appearances would start being a thing again soon. It would be a nice, simple life. One we could be proud of.

Yea, about that.

This season was hectic. It was like taking off noise-canceling headphones and realizing you’re in the middle of a bar fight. We had to adjust to being back in the spotlight again and we had to figure out how to calibrate our emotions around a team that was functionally operating at the same level it’s been at for a few years but with one important, 7-foot-3-tall variable.

It was weird! The Spurs lost a lot. In fact, they lost the same amount as they did a year ago. They went through growing pains and made a ton of mistakes, and at times, they looked miles off from where they needed to be. Victor Wembanyama’s unbelievable talent was juxtaposed nightly against a team that, for all intents and purposes, still had its training wheels on. We spent night after night watching a basketball phenom put up mind-bending stat lines only to have the team lose by a cool 10 points. It wasn’t the worst hang Spurs fans have had, but it wasn’t the easiest hang either.

There was improvement, though. The team got better. The guys got better at playing with Victor, and Victor got better at playing with the guys. Shoot, Victor simply got better. A lot better. He was arguably one of the best players in the league by the end of the season, and it still felt like he was only scratching the surface of what he’s going to be capable of. Nothing really feels like hyperbole when it comes to him. It’s all on the table.

The entire season seemed like a final breath before the plunge and, in hindsight, a fleeting moment of freedom. As the season draws to a close, the reality of oncoming expectations loom large on the horizon. Not only from the fans but also from the rest of the league, the media, and people around the world. For the first time in a long while, all eyes are going to be fixed on the Spurs. The question on everyone’s mind is how they will build around this player. Can they fulfill the immense promise seemingly within reach?

This time last year, we didn’t know what the future would hold. This year? Somehow, we know even less. There are too many variables, too many different ways it can all go. The stakes feel immense. Are we on the path to building out a dynasty around the NBA’s next superstar? Or are we about to watch another generational talent spend his first few years in the league realizing that his path to greatness lies elsewhere? Somewhere in between. It’s impossible to say. All I know is that last year, I couldn’t bring myself to dream big about the future.

I won’t be making that mistake again.

Takeaways

It’s easy to let every conversation about the Spurs digress into a larger discussion about the Wembanyama of it all. He tends to sort of block out the sun both literally and figuratively at times. However, the relative development of his teammates is just as important in the long run and shouldn’t be ignored. Especially as we head into an offseason where PATFO’s going to have to take some really hard looks at what the franchise has on its hands moving forward.
Devin Vassell came into his own at the end of the season. He seems like the consensus pick for “Most Likely to Stick Around Long Term,” and that’s exciting. He’s a dynamic scorer who developed some real chemistry with Victor that was super fun to watch down the stretch. He’s on a great contract for the team. He’s, by all accounts, a great presence in the locker room. Zach Lowe likes him. A+ season for Devin all around.
I will die on the hill that starting the season with Jeremy Sochan was, in fact, not dumb. It didn’t look good on the court, and the results from a win/loss perspective were obviously not what people wanted. I just think it’s silly to assume that your metrics for success were the same as those of the coaching staff and front office. It seems asinine to me that a bunch of real deal NBA coaches with tons of experience watched Jeremy for a year and a half and said, “folks, we’ve got a true point guard on our hands here. Watch out!” They wanted him to get reps with the ball in his hands. They wanted him to take his unique skill set out there and learn how to see the floor from a different perspective. They wanted him to get better. Did he develop into the Point Guard of the future? No. Did he become a better overall player? I think he did! He started making better decisions and he looked more comfortable later in the year when put in situations on the fast break where he had to, you know, act like a point guard. As mentioned above, this was the last time the Spurs really had a free hit to do experiments like this. I’m glad they took advantage.
I don’t know if Keldon Johnson is going to be around forever, but I thought he put in a great shift as a Spur this year. He took his “demotion” to the bench like a champ and just kept plugging along. High energy. Tons of fun. Great glue guy. I like having him around.
If you haven’t figured out what rituals you will be doing in order to ensure that Victor doesn’t get catastrophically injured during the Olympics this summer, then this is your reminder to get on it. Find your rosary beads. Lock down your prayer candles. Bury some feathers in your backyard. Do whatever you need to do. I’m unbelievably nervous about this.
I’m glad Popovich is coming back. Controversial, I know, but I like having the greatest coach of all time help mentor our new franchise centerpiece. I’m putting that in the win column.
Remember when Popovich told us not to boo? That was dumb. Hated every second of that. I’m putting that in the loss column.
Spurs Sports & Entertainment has officially confirmed that it is looking into an “economic development project” at the Institute of Texan Cultures site at Hemisfair Park. So like…we’re getting a stadium downtown and I think that’s awesome. I miss being downtown at the center of the city and I think it’s going to be so cool for the next chapter of the Spurs’ story to be written there.
Speaking of Hemisfair, I though the Hemisfair jerseys were the best Alt Jerseys we’ve had during the Alt Jersey era. Better than both Fiesta options. Better than the throwbacks. Even better than the all of the universally beloved camo jerseys. It felt like like it wasn’t just mining Fiesta Color nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake and actually cultivated a real identity that was lived in even though it kind of came out of nowhere. The colors were cool and I thought they stood out among of sea of, frankly, pretty boring offerings around the league. The font was cool. The Tower of America’s logo was rad. The court looked great. I loved it all the way around.
Remember the In-Season tournament? Ha. That was a thing that happened! The Lakers raised a banner!
It was fun to see the fan base invigorated. Watching the team take on the Nuggets in the second-to-last game of the season as Victor led a ragtag group of dudes back from 23 points down to pull out a win was some of the most fun I’ve had in years. The crowd was practically feral. People were cheering for a basement dweller with no skin in the game like it was Game 7 of a playoff series. What a scene. The league isn’t ready for us to be back in the mix.

WWL Post Game Press Conference

– Another one in the books, how are we feeling?

– I think we left it all out on the field. As much as I’d like to sit here and tell you that I’m ready to go another couple of rounds, I think I emptied the tank here from a take perspective. Victor is good. Spurs are on the upswing. Booing Kawhi is good. We’ve established our position and, you know, I think we need time to let everything marinate and settle so we can come back stronger.

– Interesting. Are you worried at all about being in playoff shape when time comes?

– Never. Playoff basketball is in our blood, you know? That’s instinctual. That’s animal. That’s just lying dormant, waiting to come back out into the open and unleash on people.

– Do you think that’ll be next year? Are you ready to stick your neck out like that?

– First of all, how dare you? I’m always ready to stick my neck out. Second of all, yea of course the Spurs are making the playoffs next year. Barring a natural disasters or a league wide ban on French Players, the Spurs are going to be right there causing trouble for everything and every one next year.

– Let’s go!

– Let’s freakin’ gooooooooooo!