The San Antonio Spurs selected Victor Wembanyama as the number one overall draft pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. His arrival to the league came with great fanfare. 

The seven-foot-four French prospect has been described as the best prospect of an entire generation. With a rare combination of size, shooting touch, ballhandling ability, and elite defensive skills, many observers have pegged Wemby as the best hoops prospect since LeBron James entered the league in 2003. Like James, Wembanyama was still a teenager when he was drafted.

Wemby did little to disappoint in his freshman campaign in the NBA. Through 71 games, Wembanyama posted a double-double average of 21.4 points per game and 10.6 rebounds per contest. He also led the league with 3.6 blocks per game, finished as an All-NBA First Team Defensive selection and was second in Defensive Player of the Year voting. Wemby did all this while playing under 30 minutes per night and was a unanimous choice for NBA Rookie of the Year.

For all of Wemby’s glowing accomplishments, there was one problem. His team stunk. The Spurs finished with a record of 22-60. Only the Portland Trailblazers (21-61) had a worse record in the Western Conference in 2023-’24. 

Wembanyama continued his ascent in ‘24-25 and was named to his first All-Star game. The Spurs showed significant improvement with a 34-win season. However, Wemby played in just 46 games this past year. He was shut down for the rest of the season when a deep vein thrombosis, a blood clot, was discovered in his shoulder this past February. The Spurs were 23-29 and in the hunt for a playoff spot when their young star was ruled out for the year.  

On July 14, Wemby announced he has been cleared by the Spurs’ medical staff to resume playing. French sports journalist Maxime Aubin released the news on his X page that afternoon. With their budding superstar back in the mix, what can we expect from the Spurs in 2025?

I feel like this is the year the training wheels must come off for the Spurs. Not only is Wembanyama back and healthy, but he will have a full offseason to get in sync with 27-year old veteran point guard De’Aaron Fox. The Spurs acquired Fox in the middle of the season last year through a trade with Sacramento. In 17 games with San Antonio, Fox posted averages of 19.7 points, 6.8 assists, and 1.5 steals per contest. Wemby and Fox have the potential to become one of the most prolific duos in pro basketball if they can learn each other’s tendencies and develop chemistry together.

The Spurs also benefited from the contributions of 2024 NBA Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle. The fourth overall draft pick from the University of Connecticut posted averages of 14.7 points, 4.1 assists, and 3.7 rebounds per game in 81 games as a rookie. Since point guard is his natural position, Castle will have to find a way to share the backcourt with Fox for a whole season and blend his talents into San Antonio’s game plan moving forward. 

The Spurs seem a bit top-heavy with young and talented point guards. Most recently, they selected Dylan Harper of Rutgers University with the second pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. The son of five-time NBA champion Ron Harper, Dylan Harper made a name for himself as a scorer and ball distributor in his lone collegiate season. Harper posted averages of 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game in 29 games and captured Big 10 All-Freshman honors this past season. 

With multiple options in the backcourt, second-year Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson will be tasked with the duties of finding a harmonious and cohesive mixture. Both Castle and Harper are six-foot-six, so they possess the necessary size to play off the ball at shooting guard, or in the frontcourt with Wemby at times. Returning veteran forwards Jeremy Sochan, Harrison Barnes, and Julian Champagnie, along with first-round draft pick Carter Bryant could add frontcourt depth for San Antonio throughout the course of an 82-game schedule.     

Future Hall of Famer and 40-year old veteran Chris Paul will also be in the mix this coming season. Paul had a solid season last year with averages of 8.8 points and 7.4 assists through 82 games, but I view him more as a mentor and locker room presence at this stage in his career. Wing players Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson, both of whom averaged double digit points per game for the Spurs a year ago, are back in the fold for this year’s club. 

The Western Conference is home of the defending NBA Champion Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Houston Rockets will be a serious title threat thanks to the addition of Kevin Durant. That said, I do feel there is room for San Antonio to clinch a playoff berth as one of the top eight teams in the West. On paper, this is easily the best supporting cast Wembanyama has played with to this point in his NBA career. At just 21 years of age, Wemby has already demonstrated the ability to consistently produce 20 points and 10 rebounds every night while also being among the league’s best defenders. 

San Antonio went 13-23 in games Wemby did not play last year. With him in the lineup, the Spurs were 21-25. Though far from a title contender yet, an improved lineup coupled with Wembanyama’s healthy return gives me reason to believe the playoffs are going to become a reality for the Spurs in 2025-’26.

Robert Brewer is a sports reporter for the Victoria Advocate. You can reach him at robert.brewer@vicad.com.