Where Does Spurs' 'Journey' Take Them This Season?

The San Antonio Spurs are on a journey towards getting back to the NBA mountaintop, but how far will they go in Victor Wembanyama's rookie year?

SAN ANTONIO - I'll never forget San Antonio Spurs general manager Brian Wright the night after this year's NBA draft discussing the "journey" to get the right to draft Victor Wembanyama. In Wright's estimation, the Spurs had spent at least two years jockeying their way into the number one overall pick in 2023.

Is it possible San Antonio also played possum last season? Can a team "try" to win and "try" to develop its players all the while racking up losses without stunting the growth of the franchise? In the Spurs case, the answer is maybe. 

Statistically, San Antonio had the worst defense the club has ever put on the floor. The Spurs outscored by 10.1 points per game, far and away the worst clip in the NBA. 

But nobody in South Texas thinks the Spurs were that awful on defense. Is it possible that the ultimate taskmaster Gregg Popovich simply elected not to play much defense? 

San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama plays in a Las Vegas Summer League game against the Charlotte Hornets / Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports

They have high hopes for second year player Malaki Branham. They have even higher expectations for young swingman Jeremy Sochan. That's not to mention Devin Vassell, whose knee injury wasn't as bad as many worried it was. 

San Antonio took a long time getting him back on the court. Was all of this part of the final phase of the "journey" that Wright mentioned? To the outsider, the Spurs did nothing to upgrade by way of veteran players this off season. To the outsider, they did nothing to improve their defense. Most don't think San Antonio will win many more games than it did last season. But what if this club does flirt with a play in game? 

The outsiders' point of view will likely be that Wemby simply had a massive impact and may very well do so but what if two or three other guys shock the league with breakout performances? San Antonio wouldn't be surprised at all. Perhaps they've been hiding good players in plain sight all this time. All part of that journey.