This start to 2025 has not been glorious for all the teams. While they remained on a positive month of December (7 victories for 5 defeats), the Spurs started this new year very badly, with 3 defeats in 4 matches. Including two which were decided in the money-time against the Nuggets (111-122 after overtime) and the Bulls (110-114), and one which was more severe against the Bucks (105-121). Game 5 against the Lakers did not take place due to the serious fires taking place in Los Angeles. The team of Victor Wembanyama (2.24 m, 21 years old) – who still has the ambition of returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2019 – misses opportunities to get ahead of his competitors in the jungle of the Western Conference. Their French star was quite frustrated with the collective performance during the defeat against the Bulls:
“We must not take things for granted, but rather respect the gods of basketball by playing fair and intelligently. Our mistakes must be compensated for by our intensity, and our attention to detail… It’s very frustrating. Of course today we should have more victories, but we do not deserve more victories. We are at our level. But we need these kinds of difficult defeats to grow…
Teams adapt during matches, and we don’t do enough. I have to work on it, on adapting the defenses to what I do. We don’t have to have just one plan. »
Are the playoffs achievable?
At issue in several defeats this season: the execution at the end of the match. In particular, we have seen too often Wembanyama find himself forced to take complicated 3-point shots in money time, due to the lack of ball movement. San Antonio is the 6th team that attempts the most 3-pointers (40 per game), but with the 23rd success percentage (34.2%).
They have a just positive record (53% wins) in matches decided by less than 5 points. Which remains much better than last season (32%), but insufficient for their ambitions. The mark of a team in reconstruction and not yet experienced in these money-time games. However, after the Christmas Game also narrowly lost against the Knicks (114-117), the veteran leader Chris Paul declared that it was necessary “throw all those youthful excuses out the window”emphasizing that his teammates were “professionals like all the others. »
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The Spurs face difficulty in the Western Conference. With a balance sheet just below balance (18-19), they are in 12th position. They have never managed to climb beyond 8th place this season, even after winning streaks. And this despite a future All-Star Victor Wembanyama dominating on both sides of the field. Even if not everything he does is perfect.
The latter has the 6th best PIE (advanced statistic which measures the impact of a player, can approach the European evaluation) in the NBA with 17.5, only ahead of MVP candidates. The second best PIE on this Spurs team? Chris Paul and his 39 years old, with 11.9. The other lieutenants, whether Devin Vassell or Jeremy Sochanare below expectations. To build a competitive team, management will have to make workforce changes in the future. Whether in view of the upcoming trade deadline, or in the coming summers.
