The 2024–25 NBA regular season is officially underway. The Boston Celtics received their championship rings; Kenny Smith, Ernie Johnson, Shaq, and Charles Barkley rotated back and forth between criticizing players and criticizing each other, and the opening night double-header featured the Los Angeles Lakers for what feels like the 100th time in a row.
But none of those things have anything to do with San Antonio quite yet. The Spurs have high ambitions this year, and they begin their season on Thursday, October 24, against their inner-state rivals, the Dallas Mavericks. If they pull off the win, one of the guys may find themselves in a post-game interview with TNT’s esteemed crew, but right now, Spurs fans have more pressing concerns.
Considering the team’s 22-60 record last season, the Spurs have high expectations. A lot of things need to go right for fans to come away feeling like the Silver and Black had a successful season, and there are a few questions that are likely on the minds of a large portion of the fan base.
5. Can Castle run the show?
This question lands at the bottom of the list because Stephon Castle has time to grow into what fans hope his long-term role for this team will be. Chris Paul is there to help guide him, but that’s where some of the concern comes from. Paul is 39 years old and is bound to miss games due to rest and possible injuries, which are more likely as you age.
The Spurs have Tre Jones to step up if Paul is sidelined, but that would still leave the bench unit without a playmaking point guard unless Castle were ready for the role.
Based on what he’s shown in the preseason, he’ll be prepared for anything. However, exhibition games can be completely different from the real thing. Until we see Castle orchestrate the offense in a regular season game against other established players, the questions will remain.
4. Can Keldon Johnson thrive as a sixth man?
Keldon Johnson’s name was involved in an absurd number of trade rumors this summer. Just about every idea that was presented involved KJ as the asset the Spurs should move. But it wasn’t just the media who were responsible for generating these ideas. Alamo City fans were throwing out trade proposals left and right with Johnson’s name involved.
It’s hard to imagine he didn’t see some of that, and it didn’t motivate him. He came into training camp in the best shape he’s been in since he entered the league and has spoken about his elevated focus in several interviews.
He came off the bench for most of last season, and that will likely be the case again. He looked more explosive and decisive on offense and more disciplined on defense during preseason action. If he can keep that up, he’ll prove his doubters wrong and potentially turn his long-term tenure into a career-long relationship.
3. Will Zach Collins step up and earn his contract?
The only other player on the roster whose ears burned in the offseason more than Keldon Johnson was Zach Collins. But the discourse surrounding Collins is different because of what the expectations were when he signed his extension versus what the production was, and what happened based on the disappointing start to last season.
The Spurs planned to implement a new age ‘Twin Towers’ era, with Victor Wembanyama and Collins starting next to each other. But that went horribly for several reasons, and the former Gonzaga standout was sent to the bench. He makes a little too much money for the role of backup center… ordinarily.
Due to the sensitive way the organization is treating Wemby, as they care for his unique body type, a backup center on the Spurs is more valuable than a backup center on the Denver Nuggets. However, Collins needs to play up to expectations to ensure he staves off the vitriol from Spurs fans.
2. Has Jeremy Sochan improved his shooting enough?
Spacing, spacing, spacing. This current generation of NBA basketball is about finding space to operate on offense and taking away space on defense. Jeremy Sochan is an expert on the latter practice, but the former is a longstanding concern for Spurs Nation.
Last season, the Polish Prince came out of the gate shooting the ball very well. It was so good, everyone thought he turned a corner in a historic fashion.
Instead, he regressed so harshly by the end of the season that you almost watched through squinted eyes when he pulled up for a three. That can’t continue to be the case if this team is going to reach the heights everyone hopes they’ll achieve.
Like Stephon Castle and Keldon Johnson, he’s looked great in the preseason, but judgments will be reserved until he gets into regular season action. If there’s one thing you can guarantee about Sochan, it’s that he’s going to play hard from start to finish.
That intangible is necessary, but he’ll also need to make defenses respect him from the perimeter. Otherwise, offensive issues will arise consistently when facing the best defensive teams.
1. Will Wemby’s minutes be limited?
Spurs Victor Wembanyama tells reporters if he will be on a minutes restriction this upcoming season:
Full clip ⬇️
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— Carolina Teague (@CTtheMicSlayer) October 21, 2024
This was one of the most frustrating things to deal with as a Spurs fan last season. You couldn’t help but wonder if the Spurs could win more games if their best player wasn’t limited to less than 30 minutes a night. The mandate causes additional issues because it messes with the rotation since guys are rotating faster than they normally would.
Spurs fans are some of the smartest fans in the NBA. They understand the reasons for the caution, but that doesn’t make it any less frustrating to watch play out when you just want your team to win games. Again, that’s hard to do when the franchise is on the sidelines, especially when you’re already coming from the bottom of the league standings.
Whether you call it a “minute restriction” or a “minute limit,” the feeling the practice induces is the same: dissatisfaction. Of course, it will all be forgiven if Wembanyama lives up to the hype throughout his career and brings San Antonio more championships. But we’ll have to get there before fans look at potentially winnable games being lost fondly.
