Youthful Spurs on verge of setting best start in franchise history

SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio Spurs can open the season 5-0 for the first time in franchise history.

That this storied franchise has never won its first five games is only slightly more surprising than the team that now has a chance to do so.

San Antonio hosts Miami on Thursday after winning its first four games by an average of 16.5 points.

In their 53-year history in San Antonio, the Spurs have won five NBA championships, matched a league record with 22 straight post-season appearances, and 21 winning streaks of 10-plus games.

Their best start to a season is 4-0, though, which happened four times.

“The Spurs never went 5-0? I’m surprised,” Spurs star Victor Wembanyama said. “I’m really surprised because the Spurs have the highest winning percentage in the last 30 years or whatever. Wow. Let’s beat that record.”

The Spurs, Heat and Sacramento Kings are the only NBA franchises without five straight wins to open a season.

Wembanyama is a huge reason for San Antonio’s undefeated start. The seven-foot-four star from France was the season’s inaugural Western Conference Player of the Week and became the first player in league history with at least 100 points and 15 blocked shots in a team’s first three games.

“He’s been amazing,” said Raptors forward Sandro Mamukelashvili, Wembanyama’s teammate in his first two seasons. “He’s using his size a lot more, driving harder, using his length, (and) that extra step. Wemby is Wemby. Fearless.”

At 21 years old, Wembanyama is the unquestioned leader of San Antonio’s youthful roster on the court and off it.

“My goal is to set standards,” Wembanyama said during training camp. “(Defence) is non-negotiable. It’s not something you can’t do. If you want to be a part of our team, and we’re going to hold each other accountable, we know the coach is going to hold us accountable, and it doesn’t matter your status — defence is non-negotiable.”

San Antonio has responded by allowing opponents 104.5 points per game, the fewest in the league and 3.3 fewer than NBA champion Oklahoma City at No. 2.

The Spurs roster averages 25.6 years old and it drops to 24 without 30-somethings Harrison Barnes, Kelly Olynyk and Bismack Biyombo.

Gone are veteran rosters featuring David Robinson, Avery Johnson and later Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker that won at least 50 games for 18 straight seasons from 2000 to 2017.

In its place is a current roster with 10 players 25 or younger who have never won more than 34 games in a season.

The Spurs lost at least five straight on 11 occasions over the past three seasons, including a franchise record 18 straight in Wembanyama’s rookie season in 2024 and 16 consecutive losses the previous season.

That futility allowed the Spurs to draft the past two Rookie of the Year winners in Wembanyama and Stephon Castle as well as the Nos. 2 and 14 picks this season in Dylan Harper and Carter Bryant.

Losing a combined 168 games over the past three seasons also extended a playoff drought to six straight seasons and has the Spurs yearning for success.

“We’re not hiding our expectations,” Spurs forward Keldon Johnson said. “Our expectations are to win. We’re not running away from that. We’re not avoiding it.”