NBA Win Totals Released: Spurs Over/Under 30 Victories?
NBA win totals for the 2022-23 season were released Wednesday by Caesars Sportsbook and projected that the San Antonio Spurs could be further away from the playoffs than they've been in over two decades.
To little surprise given the team's clear rebuilding initiative following the Dejounte Murray trade in June, the Spurs are tied with the Houston Rockets and Indiana Pacers for the fewest projected wins in the NBA next season at 24.5.
"(The Spurs) have been good since I've been an adult. How bad are they going to be now in a total rebuild?" Caesars Sportsbook assistant director of trading Adam Pullen told ESPN. "And at the top, now with load management, (good) teams aren't putting much stock in wins in the regular season."
The San Antonio Spurs set a NBA record in 2017 by recording their 18th-straight 50-win season after finishing 61-21 in the standings.
The team came up just short in the two season after with win totals of 47 and 48 in 2018 and 2019, respectively. These finishes resulted in two more trips to the postseason as well.
But since then, it's been a steep decline of success. Including last season's 34-48 mark, the Spurs have failed to top even 40 wins in the three seasons after their last playoffs appearance.
The last time the Spurs finished below 30 wins was in the 1996-1997 season, which resulted in the No. 1 draft selection of someone named Tim Duncan. The Spurs could have enough luck with lottery balls to be in contention for another top selection, but hoping for such events could be a waste of time.
Still, the team would be foolish not to at least try and acquire French superstar Victor Wembanyama, who is seemingly the unanimous choice to go No. 1 overall despite the 2023 NBA Draft being a little over 10 months away.
In the meantime, the Spurs, still led by coach Gregg Popovich, are unlikely to intentionally tank games in order to be in the 25 percent range of landing the No. 1 pick in the draft lottery.
The Spurs are projected to be led by Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell next season, two talented players that have taken major strides since being drafted.
Overall, there isn't a lack of talent in San Antonio. But with so much youth and the absence of a true second or even third-rate star, the Spurs' home at the bottom of the standings could become a common residence this season.
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