The San Antonio Spurs have climbed to the top of the NBA landscape, at least in the eyes of John Schuhmann.
The longtime featured writer for NBA.com placed San Antonio at No. 1 in his latest Power Rankings, a nod to the Spurs’ overall body of work despite their current spot in the Western Conference standings.
San Antonio enters the week in second place in the West, trailing only the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder. The ranking comes at an interesting moment for the Spurs, who have dealt with some recent turbulence.
Wemby avoided a serious injury
Victor Wembanyama avoided serious damage to his knee after an awkward fall late in Wednesday’s 134-132 win over the New York Knicks, but he has missed the last two games. During that stretch, San Antonio has dropped three of its last five contests, marking its roughest offensive run of the season.
Even so, the Spurs’ “down” stretch has been relatively modest by league standards. Over the past five games, they have scored 113.5 points per 100 possessions, their lowest mark this season. Their loss to Cleveland earlier in the week, when they made only seven three-pointers as a team, was the only time they have failed to reach a point per possession.
A loss to Portland was just the third instance all year in which San Antonio shot under 50 percent in the paint. Context matters, and Schuhmann’s ranking reflects that. The Spurs have still produced the fourth-largest improvement in offensive efficiency in the league compared to last season.
A high-scoring team
They have also continued to score at a high rate when key players are available, posting 119.1 points per 100 possessions in De’Aaron Fox‘s 602 minutes on the floor without Wembanyama. Devin Vassell’s absence over the last three games has also played a role, as the Spurs‘ offense has been at its best with him on the court.
Perhaps most telling is how San Antonio has performed against elite competition. With their win over the Knicks, the Spurs are now 7-1 against the other six teams that have won at least 65 percent of their games this season, excluding the Emirates NBA Cup final.
The road ahead will test whether San Antonio can continue to justify its No. 1 ranking. The Spurs will see the Los Angeles Lakers again on Wednesday, with both teams playing the second night of back-to-backs, before embarking on a demanding three-game trip through Boston, Minnesota and Oklahoma City.
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