Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images Did the Spurs get better or stay the same? What should we anticipate? The tip-off to the 2024-25 regular season is just three days away, and that means many outlets are releasing the season previews of every team, often in the form of Week 0 (or Week 1, in some cases) Power Rankings. While that is usually handled in Spurs Week in Review (which will be back next week when there’s some actual games to evaluate), it’s still good to get an early look at what members of the media think of the Spurs heading into the new season. John Schuhmann, NBA.com — 23 (end of last season: 23) It’s Year 2 for Victor Wembanyama and Year 20 for Chris Paul, who almost always makes teams better when he first puts on their uniform. But it could be a tough climb for the Spurs in a deep Western Conference. Preseason takeaways 1. Devin Vassell (right foot surgery) has been out and will miss the start of the regular season, with Julian Champagnie appearing to be his replacement in the starting lineup. He can’t replicate Vassell’s skills off the dribble (he made seven pull-up jumpers all of last season), but Champagnie shot 16-for-38 (42%) from beyond the arc in the preseason. 2. The Spurs (who ranked 13th in total zone possessions last season) played the second most zone in the preseason, according to Synergy tracking. Zone, of course, is a way to keep Wembanyama near the basket … on defense, at least. Something to watch in Week 1: Wembanyama’s shots. In the preseason, the 7-foot-3 guy took only nine (43%) of his 21 shots in the paint, at least in part because he settled for jumpers instead of attacking the basket. Last season, that rate was 51%, which is still too low. He’s 7-foot-3! Get him the ball near the hoop. The Spurs were 1-7 in games played between the three Texas teams last season, and they’ll begin this one with three games against the Mavs and Rockets (x 2), with a rest advantage against Houston on Saturday. Week 1: @ DAL, vs. HOU ESPN Staff — 21 (pre-draft ranking: 23) BPI’s overall ranking: 28 Chances to make playoffs: 1.0% Projected wins: 31.0 When we last saw them: No. 1 overall pick and unanimous 2023-24 Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama provided one of the few bright spots for a team that won three of its first five games before enduring the longest losing streak (18 games) in franchise history from Nov. 5 to Dec. 13. This summer, San Antonio added leadership, and the legitimate starter-level point guard that Wembanyama needed by signing future Hall of Famer Chris Paul, in addition to bringing in veteran and former champion Harrison Barnes. The Spurs drafted Paul’s eventual successor, Stephon Castle, with the No. 4 pick in June’s draft. Biggest strength and weakness: Wembanyama provides elite rim protection, finishing with 254 blocks, which ranked as the most in a season since 2015-16 (Hassan Whiteside). Wembanyama erases mistakes and allows San Antonio’s perimeter defenders to take chances. Still, collective improvement on defense has been a point of emphasis for the Spurs throughout training camp and the preseason. The team also needs to find more consistent outside shooting. San Antonio set a franchise record last season for 3-pointers made (1,036), but that ranked just 16th in the NBA. — Michael Wright Spurs in NBA Rank: Victor Wembanyama (11) Chris Paul (99) Number to watch: Wembanyama’s rim protection Wembayama led the league last season with 3.6 blocks per game, over a block more than any other player. He also recorded a 10-block triple-double and finished in total with 254 blocks, becoming the 6th rookie to reach 250-plus blocks since the stat became official in 1973-74 Best bet: Wembanyama to record 1+ blocks in every regular season game; minimum 40 games played (+2000) This year, we project Wemby to lead the league with 4.3 BPG in 33.4 MPG. With those numbers in mind, this bet is worth putting a few units on. — Eric Moody Potential fantasy bust: Keldon Johnson Not that he’s some exciting pick, but with Johnson going just past 100 overall in average draft position, he’s going to be relied on in fantasy frontcourts to really contribute. The holdup in trusting Johnson is that, in a rare case, he saw fewer minutes, touches and shots last season after a breakout 2022-23 effort. It’s looking more like his scoring spike in his fourth season was part of pacing a lottery-bound team in offensive opportunities. The Spurs’ rotation is now much, much different, with gifted young players mixing with proven late-career vets in a new-look Popovich concoction centered around Victor Wembanyama. Johnson is unlikely to start or find a truly specialized role for San Antonio, instead shifting to a complementary role that extinguishes any momentum left from his days as a bankable scoring source. Without very loud defensive rates and subpar rebounding percentages for a forward, I’d rather let a competitor take Johnson’s low-ceiling profile. — Jim McCormick Andy Bailey, Bleacher Report — 20 (last ranking: N/A) I’ve spent much of this summer pounding this number into your heads. But since I may not have many more chances to do it, here it is one more time. In 2023-24, when rookie Victor Wembanyama was on the floor with Tre Jones (an actual point guard) and Devin Vassell (a competent three-and-D wing), the San Antonio Spurs were a whopping plus-10.2 points per 100 possessions. Wemby is already an All-Star-level talent. And when he’s part of logical lineups (as opposed to experiments intent on turning Jeremy Sochan into a point guard), the Spurs can compete with just about anyone. Now that Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes are around, those logical lineups should be more common. And San Antonio might even be in the mix for a top-10 finish in the West.