Photos by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images A few categories may have the same leader for years to come, but some others may be taken over by new faces. Spurs training camp is just around the corner, which means if you aren’t already, you can officially start calling the 2024-25 NBA season “this season”, while 2023-24 is the last. There is plenty to be excited about looking forward, ranging from how Victor Wembanyama will manage to wow us even more in year 2 to what new additions Chris Paul, Harrison Barnes and Stephon Castle will bring to the table as the Spurs look to start moving up the standings once again. As a result, I thought it would be fun to take a guess at which players will lead the Spurs in major statistical categories next season. A few may be obvious and will likely never change as long as Wemby is around, but there is room for new leaders in other categories, so let’s take a look. Points: Victor Wembanyama 2023-24 leader: Victor Wembanyama (21.4) This one is one of those stats that you probably chalk Wemby up as Spurs’ leader for the next 15 years. He pretty comfortably exceeded the 20 ppg threshold in his rookie season despite the Spurs’ well-documented inability to get him the ball at times, starting the season away from the basket, playing without a point guard, and being an inconsistent-yet-possibly-too-willing outside shooter. Not to mention, he averaged 23.5 points after the All-Star game as the Spurs improved and started playing in a more established system. Now that he has gotten through the rookie growing pains, moved to center and has more help around him, expect his second season to be even better. With Paul leading the show, he will receive more of those lobs that the Spurs’ passers sometimes infamously missed last season, and that alone should be good for at least two more points per game, if not more. Add to the fact that he showed signs as an improved outside shooter late last season and in the Olympics, and there’s zero reason to believe the Spurs’ leading scorer won’t just keep getting better. Rebounds: Victor Wembanyama 2023-24 leader: Victor Wembanyama (10.6) Again, who else? Not only does Wemby already have the advantage of being 7’4” (or whatever he is by now) with an 8-foot wingspan, but he will now almost always be close to the basket as a center instead of power forward, so many misses by the opponent (and several on the Spurs’ end) will be his for the taking. It’s actually kind of surprising that he didn’t grab more rebounds last season, but that can mostly be chalked up to starting the season at power forward and those cursed minutes restrictions. Post-All Star break, he averaged 12 rebounds per game, so expect this season’s numbers to be closer to that, if not greater. Assists: Chris Paul 2023-24 leader: Tre Jones (6.2) Now we get to a potential new leader. It’s pretty rare that anyone other than the starting point guard leads a team in assists per game, and the Spurs just added one of the best pure passers of all time in Paul. If for no other reason than he is expected to start and will probably have his easiest target of all time in Wemby to aim for, expect Paul to take the reins in this category, even if it’s just for one season. The only way I can see that not happening is if Paul plays significantly fewer minutes than Jones or eventually cedes the stating spot to him, and both seem unlikely unless Paul is traded. Also, for reference, last season was the first time he played less than 30 mpg in his entire career, and that was while mostly coming off the bench for the Warriors. While there will be a bit of a balancing act for Gregg Popovich when it comes to giving Paul his minutes while allowing for internal growth for younger players, assists is still his category to lose. Blocks: Victor Wembanyama 2023-24 leader: Victor Wembanyama (3.6) And we’re back to yet another category Wemby will likely never lose as long as he’s on a basketball court: blocks. Again, as impressive as that number was last season, it was even better after the All-Star break at a whopping 4.5 blocks per game. It may or may not be a stretch to expect that number rise even more — we might see more plays like this where players don’t even try to challenge him or give him the satisfaction — but regardless, not only will he be the Spurs leader in blocks for years to come, but likely even the league’s. Steals: Tre Jones 2023-24 leader: Victor Wembanyama (1.2) This may be a little controversial because again, Wemby’s numbers jumped to 1.5 steals after the All-Star break and he very well may lead in that category again, but I’m going to go out on a limb and give someone else a chance. Devin Vassell and Jones were right behind him last season with 1.1 and 1 steal per game, respectively, and Paul averaged 1.2 steals last season — which was a career low for him. All three of those guys have a chance get to their hands on the ball before it gets down low to Wemby, but in this case I’ve decided to give the benefit to Jones, who should still get plenty of minutes behind the older Paul (who may also have some rest games) and will have the added advantage of going against more backup point guards who may not be as secure with the ball compared to starters. If I had to place money on this stat, I’d probably still give it to Wemby, and maybe I just wanted to give Jones some credit with this pick, but I also believe in his pesky, head-of-the-snake defense and endless effort. Three-point shooting: Harrison Barnes 2023-24 leader: Doug McDermott (43.9%) The Spurs’ two leading shooters from outside the arc — McDermott and Cedi Osman (38.9%) — are both no longer with the team, so that means the Spurs will have to rely on internal growth and/or their newest additions to boost their three-point shooting numbers. Devin Vassell (37.2%) and Julian Champagnie (36.5%) are the only returning Spurs who shot more than 35% from three last season, and both could easily see their numbers rise with better spacing and ball distribution this season. There are other candidates for improvement, such as Wembanyama, Jeremy Sochan, Jones and Keldon Johnson, but ultimately I believe the Spurs’ leading three-point shooter will be someone who has already proven himself from that part of the court across a long career: Harrison Barnes. A career 38% shooter from the arc, Barnes hasn’t shot below that mark since the 2017-18 season, and there’s little reason to believe that will change now. Assuming he starts, he will be sharing the floor a lot with least Paul, Vassell and Wemby, who will all draw more defensive attention and give him his open opportunities, making him an easy decision to lead this category. What do you think, Pounders? Who will be the Spurs statistical leaders this season and why? Feel free to discuss in the comments below!