Observations from the Spurs' first 10 games of the 2024-25 season
11/11/2024 12:00 PM
Wemby's shooting, Chris Paul's impact, and injuries have defined the first 10 games of the season.
We are ten games into the 2024-25 season with the Spurs sitting at 4-6. Before the season started, fans probably would have seen that record as acceptable when looking at the schedule, but most are likely disappointed after actually watching those 10 games, which included both blowing a 26-point lead and losing to the worst team in the league in the last week alone. Instead of sitting on an optimistic 6-4 record, we're grumbling about an outcome that was far from outside the realm of possibility.
That alone is a sign that they've shown us enough that we expect more, which is a good thing. The sample size is now big enough to go over some observations from the first 10 games, both good and bad, so let's dive right in.
Victor Wembanyama wants to be a shooter
We'll get the elephant in the room out of the way first: Victor Wembanyama's three-point shooting. His willingness to take ill-advised threes, often early in the shot clock (and with the coaching staff's encouragement, no less) has been maddening at times. So far, he is taking over 7 threes per game while hitting them at just a 28-percent rate. At this rate, he is headed for about 575 attempts for the season. For reference, the franchise record for most three-point attempts in a single season is owned by Chuck Pearson, who took 463 in the 1994-95 season, per Stat Muse. However, Pearson made 172 of them (or 38.7%), Wemby is on pace to make just 160.
Wemby has said he will keep shooting threes because that's how he will improve, plus Gregg Popovich has said he wants him to face the basket and shoot more (understandable considering how much he gets stripped with his back to the basket). Wemby will eventually (hopefully?) reign back some of the three-point shooting as he works to establish himself down low more, but for now, it's probably the most notable stat of the first 10 games and one to keep watching.
Aggressive CP3 unlocks the offense
The Spurs somewhat surprisingly signed longtime rival Chris Paul in the offseason, and it was considered a positive move as he would bring much-needed veteran leadership and show his teammates how to find Wemby on offense (not to mention shore up the Spurs' non-existent point guard depth from last season). So far, he has delivered on the passing front, averaging 8.1 assists while making passes the offense just didn't see last season.
However, when he's only looking to pass, the offense remains bogged down — similar to how they looked last season when Tre Jones wasn't looking to shoot. But when Paul does decide to shoot, everything opens up. He is a master in the midrange, and although he hasn't been great shooting the three this season, defenders still have to respect his shot, which in turn opens up the floor for everyone else. Paul may be on the tail end of his career, but the more willing he is to shoot, the better off the Spurs are.
Stephon Castle looks like the real deal
Before his 24-point breakout against the Jazz on Saturday, the Spurs' rookie hadn't exactly been lighting up the scoreboard, but it doesn't take too much watching to see he could be something special on both ends of the court. Sometimes even a novice could point out rookies based on their size, rawness, or just looking out of place, but not Castle. He already has the size and build of an NBA veteran, not to mention the discipline, especially on defense.
Even if his scoring numbers are ugly after ten games (37.3% from the field, 19.4% from three), he stuffs the stat sheet every night, averaging 2.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and a steal per game. He also hasn't looked out of place in three games as a starter. Whether or not he remains with the first unit even once Devin Vassell returns to the starting unit remains to be seen, but the fact that Castle has looked so solid and not out of place is a very good sign going forward.
We likely won't see the complete Spurs until January
The biggest cloud hanging over the Spurs head right now is injuries. They already knew they'd be missing Vassell for the first couple of weeks, and while returned for game 10, they also lost Tre Jones (ankle), Jeremy Sochan (thumb) and Malaki Branham (ankle). Jones and Branham, who are both important cogs to the Spurs' bench unit, don't figure to be out much longer, but Sochan is a big loss. Not only was he in the midst of a breakout season on offense, but he was also one of the top perimeter defenders in the league. He was missed the instant he left last week's game against the Clippers, and he will likely be out for the rest of the calendar year after undergoing surgery on his thumb.
Then there's the sudden absence of Pop, who suffered an undisclosed medical issue before their home game against Minnesota nine days ago and is out indefinitely to recuperate. This has thrown assistant coach Mitch Johnson (who was a finalist for the Washington Wizards coaching job) into the fire during a time when he's having to find new lineups due to all the injuries. (And for anyone who is wondering, according to Marc Stein, Brett Brown was never considered for interim head coach since he is happy in his current role of focusing on player development — and now, mentoring Johnson.)
It's unfortunate that we likely won't see a complete Spurs roster and desired rotations until 2025, but the Spurs should have the depth to get by without waiving the white flag going into tank mode. If nothing else, it appears they will avoid the massive, early double-digit losing streaks that came to define the last two seasons, and that is already a step in the right direction.
