Inside The Spurs

Dissecting the Spurs’ Individual Plus-Minus Totals Through 16 Games

The San Antonio Spurs notched their eighth win of the season Friday evening, which begs the question: How have they fared with some stars out, and who leads the plus-minus race?

Matt Guzman

Nov 19, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan (10) and center Victor Wembanyama (1) on the bench during the first half against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Frost Bank Center.
Nov 19, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan (10) and center Victor Wembanyama (1) on the bench during the first half against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Frost Bank Center. / Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images
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Through 16 games, the San Antonio Spurs’ up-and-down play has, quite literally, evened out as they currently sit at 8-8. 

A bottom-10 scoring offense has been uplifted by a top-10 scoring defense, but San Antonio was able to get back to .500 with the help of its offense in a 126-118 victory over the Utah Jazz Friday evening.

Overall, the Spurs’ individual plus-minus numbers have matched the team’s topsy-turvy play so far. 

League-wide, there’s already been separation between the top and bottom in individual plus-minus despite the season being less than one-quarter complete. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the best player on a 12-4 Oklahoma City Thunder squad, has the best plus-minus in the league at +170.

READ MORE: 2nd-Half Comeback Gives Spurs 2nd Victory in a Row

Meanwhile, Bub Carrington, who’s averaged just over 30 minutes per game for the 2-11 Washington Wizards, has the league’s worst plus-minus at -184; the difference between him and the player with the next-worst mark, Utah’s Keyonte George, is a staggering 31. 

No one on the Spurs that’s seen substantial action is particularly close to any of those numbers, but there’s a large gap between the top and the bottom. Here are the plus-minuses from each player on the team who’s registered at least 85 total minutes so far this season.  

  • Chris Paul: +60
  • Harrison Barnes: +50
  • Julian Champagnie: +36
  • Charles Bassey: +28
  • Stephon Castle: +27
  • Victor Wembanyama: +19
  • Sandro Mamukelashvili: +1
  • Jeremy Sochan: -9
  • Blake Wesley: -30
  • Malaki Branham: -44
  • Devin Vassell: -47
  • Keldon Johnson: -64

It’s no surprise that Paul leads the way, as his table-setting and efficient 3-point shooting have helped the Spurs immensely. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Keldon Johnson’s early-season struggles in a new secondary role off the bench are well-represented here. 

The Spurs just hope those positive performances will continue.

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Matt Guzman
MATT GUZMAN

Matt Guzman is a sports journalist and storyteller from Austin, Texas. He serves as a credentialed reporter and site manager for San Antonio Spurs On SI and a staff writer for multiple collegiate sites in the same network. In the world of professional sports, he is a firm believer that athletes are people, too, and intends to tell stories of players and teams’ true, behind-the-scenes character that otherwise would not be seen through strong narrative writing, hooking ledes and passionate words.

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