Attention vs. Production: Have Spurs Done Enough to Earn Christmas Day Matchup?

With the Victor Wembanyama effect in full swing entering the young star's second season, the question needs asked once again: Have the San Antonio Spurs done enough to earn a prime time matchup on Christmas Day?

Dec 14, 2024; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama (1) walks down the street in a Santa Claus costume as part of a community partnership with Elf Louise. / Reginald Thomas II/San Antonio Spurs

Since arriving in the United States, Victor Wembanyama has had cameras pointed at him.

When he got off his plane in San Antonio on a private tarmac, he had fans waiting there to give him breakfast tacos. When he threw out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium ahead of being drafted by the San Antonio Spurs, he was being cheered for by many who hadn't seen him play a minute of basketball.

Even when he made his debut at Frost Bank Center — a lightshow preceding the game's tipoff — there were cameras everywhere. In that building, there wasn't a single person who wanted to miss the first of what they felt could be many victorious games led by the French Phenom.

READ MORE: Spurs' Zach Collins Speaks on Playing With Victor Wembanyama

For a player as tall as Wembanyama, it made sense why the attention was focused on him. More than his height, however, the skill set he brought to the NBA was something unlike anything that'd been seen before.

Suddenly, the Spurs were a spectacle.

And it was noticeable.

"There (was) a lot more noise than we were used to," Spurs center Zach Collins explained of playing with such a highly touted rookie. "It feels like every game, every shootaround, every pre-game workout, there's a million cameras. "There's a million reporters, and they're all there for Victor."

October 20, 2023; San Francisco, California, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1, center) stands with his teammates during the national anthem before the game against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center. / Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

With such a player serving as the cornerstone of the young franchise, the Spurs became a team that the basketball world wanted to tune into. In just one season, San Antonio went from having just four nationally televised games to 19.

That's likely to increase even more this season as both Chris Paul, a seasoned veteran, and Stephon Castle, a rookie with plenty of intrigue, are set to join the fold alongside an improved Wembanyama coming off a strong Olympic showcase in Paris.

Still, there remains one major question about just how far that intrigue can get the Spurs. Last season, despite the massive uptick in attention, they still missed out on a Christmas Day matchup.

READ MORE: LeBron vs. Wembanyama? Spurs on Christmas Might Makes Sense

Instead, the honor went to the Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors, Denver Nuggets, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns.

MERRY CHRISTMAS! 🎄🎁

Our gift to you is a 5-game slate of all-day #NBAXmas action on ABC & ESPN beginning at 12pm/et! pic.twitter.com/thjBkEgU2h

— NBA (@NBA) December 25, 2023

The common thread?

There were a few. Of those teams, only the Mavericks missed the playoffs in the previous season. Granted, it was a strange turn of events, as it appeared that Mark Cuban's squad intentionally fell flat en route to what it hoped was a bid at Wembanyama that didn't end up working in their favor.

That tidbit matters because the Mavericks weren't a lowly team who happened to earn a spot on NBA Christmas with nine other playoff squads. They still had Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving — not to mention the fact that they made it to the NBA Finals the year following, though future-sight isn't much a factor here — so it made sense why they'd be an attractive team to put on TV against the Suns.

The other commonality was even larger. Of the last eight players to win the NBA's Most Valuable Player award, only two of them weren't featured last Christmas.

LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokić all earned a holiday matchup for their respective teams and the last four NBA champions — Lakers, Bucks, Warriors, Nuggets — were also featured.

READ MORE: Behind Wembanyama's American Adjustment & Return to France

Under that logic, the Celtics, Nuggets, Warriors and Bucks have already punched their tickets for next Christmas. The Suns, still with Durant, will join the mix along with the 76ers and Lakers, who boast Embiid and James, to make it a pool of seven with three open spots remaining.

That leaves the Heat, Knicks and Mavericks. All three made the playoffs last season as well, so they have a leg up on any potential teams looking to scrape the mix. As far as Western Conference vs. Eastern Conference goes, with the pool of seven "guaranteed" teams, there will be one spot available in the West and two in the East.

Who could be up for it?

In the East, the Knicks — coming off of a loss in the Eastern Conference Finals and with three consecutive appearances on Christmas — aren't likely to be dropped. That leaves the Heat to stave off teams like the Orlando Magic, Indiana Pacers and Cleveland Cavaliers, all of whom made the playoffs.

In the West, it's up to the Mavericks to maintain their spot, which they likely will given their recent appearance in the NBA Finals. They have the on-court resume to earn their spot, so even if for some reason they aren't deemed exciting enough, the Spurs would still have some competition.

Feb 23, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) against the against the Los Angeles Lakers during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Sure, Wembanyama brings tons of excitement to the floor. In marquee matchups, he dueled with Antetokounmpo, knocked off James and silenced the Suns' trio, but didn't scratch more than 22 wins.

For that reason, teams like the Minnesota Timberwolves — fresh off defeating the Nuggets in the second round — and the Oklahoma City Thunder are likely to get bids before San Antonio does.

That being said, the same argument presented when Wembanyama was up for Defensive Player of the Year is used here. The numbers, both analytically and historically, opposed the rookie's case for winning the prestigious award, but his "wow" factor brought him up.

READ MORE: Wembanyama's Curious Case For Defensive Player Of the Year

As far as Christmas goes, the Spurs haven't had enough postseason success as of late to lock them into a spot. They don't boast a recent MVP and they certainly weren't crowned NBA Champions in the last four seasons — that alone says their holiday bid is a no.

But with a player like Wembanyama? Nothing can truly be ruled out.

He's one of the main reasons for the Spurs getting the call to play two games in Paris next January — something Vice President of NBA Experiences Evan Bruno stressed heavily — and why the Spurs will be one of the more followed teams over the course of the next few seasons.

Dec 26, 2023; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) dunks in front of Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (23) in the second half at Frost Bank Center. / Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports

"We've never seen anything like him," Bruno said. "And his talents on the court, those are one thing, but his persona off the court and what we've heard about him (off of it) have been nothing short of amazing. He is in every sense of the word a superstar."

As for Wembanyama, he wasn't fixated on the attention then and he certainly won't be now. If the Spurs do get awarded a Christmas Day matchup, they'll take it with pride, but if not — the likely case — they know they'll get their chance. That their time will come.

Perhaps when their budding superstar is a league MVP and they're recent NBA champions.