Jerome Miron-Imagn Images What We Learned from the Spurs loss to the Mavericks Spurs open the season looking like we probably thought that they should look. Before the game, I was talking to a friend, and he asked me how I thought the Spurs would do this year. I played it cool. “They’ll probably scuffle out of the gates and take some time to find their footing before really coming on strong in the second half. It’s going to look a lot like last year.” I put on the air of the seasoned basketball watcher I like to pretend to be: rational, smart, and just a touch of cynicism to keep it spicy. The kind of person whose opinion you would respect. However, in my heart of hearts, I knew this take was a lie. I didn’t believe it at all. I had this sneaking suspicion that they were going to come out of the gate on fire, blow away the Mavericks, and put to bed any notion that this season would be anything but an unqualified return to the upper echelons of the Western Conference playoff hierarchy. Based on no evidence whatsoever, I was prepared for the Spurs to be a fully armed and operational battle station. Right. So. Now that I’ve had a few hours to reflect after the cold wake-up call we experienced Thursday night, I guess it’s probably time to adjust expectations to align more closely with the facts. This team is still pretty young, they’re still getting to know each other, and the rest of the NBA is still very good. That’s a pretty potent recipe for looking like an unfinished product on opening night, and boy, did the Spurs sure look the part in that respect. They were decisively put in their place by a very good Mavericks team, and Luka Dončić showed Victor Wembanyama that, despite all the hype around his rapid ascent into the NBA stratosphere, he still has some work to do. I don’t know what’s wrong with me, honestly. I know better than to get my hopes up like this, and still, I spent all summer devouring every piece of content I could about the Spurs and getting revved up into a frenzy. Stephon Castle was going to light the league on fire. Devin Vassell was going to take a leap. Jeremy Sochan was going to stop being a point guard. Chris Paul was going to be 28 years old again. In the absence of actual basketball being played, I spun up all kinds of fantastical notions about what we were about to experience in the upcoming season, and for some reason, I just gave in and believed it. I say “for some reason,” but the reason is actually very obvious and very tall: Victor Wembanyama is a miracle. It’s a miracle that he exists, that he can do the things he does on a basketball court, and, most importantly, that he is even a member of the San Antonio Spurs in the first place. Never forget that. We are living in a timeline blessed by a cadre of basketball gods who have smiled upon us for some reason beyond our comprehension. This fantastical existence is weird, though. It makes you think anything might be possible. I didn’t see any evidence of it over the summer, but why couldn’t Victor skip a few developmental steps and just become the best player in the league in year two? Nothing has stopped him before. Maybe he’ll shoot threes like Steph and throw down dunks like Ant. Maybe he’ll pour in buckets like Luka and throw passes like Jokic. Shoot, maybe he’ll take over point guard duties from Chris Paul by Christmas. Maybe Pop will retire, and Vic will slot in as player-coach! Once you’re living in dreamland, there’s no limit to what you (think you) can achieve. But yeah, back to the real world. We’re playing real games now with real consequences. Our giant unicorn boy is shooting 1-8 from three and getting stripped left and right by an infuriating number of Mavericks. Our Chris Paul acquisition is fun but also 39 years old. Jeremy Sochan didn’t turn into Draymond Green overnight. Devin Vassell is still hurt. These are the facts, and they are indisputable. There is work to be done. Victor Wembanyama’s very existence might be a miracle, but there’s no magic wand we get to wave to turn this pumpkin into a carriage. They have to get in the lab and keep working. They have to shake off the rust. They have to develop. These first couple of games, weeks, and maybe even months are going to feel like pulling teeth for those of us who maybe, accidentally and adorably, set our expectations a smidge too high. But that’s okay. The guys in that locker room know who they are and understand the work that needs to be done. They are, after all, the ones who are doing it. We just get to sit back and watch the miracles roll in at their own pace. My original prediction was probably the correct one: they’ll likely scuffle out of the gates and take some time to find their footing before really coming on strong in the second half. It’s going to look a lot like last year… but better. Takeaways In spite of the result, it was fun to get back in the ring and watch actual NBA basketball again. This has felt like one of the longest offseasons I can remember. I think I probably looked up the opening night date once a week over the summer, and every time, it seemed to get even further away. I know we saw it in the preseason and whatever, but holy hell, was it weird to see Chris Paul in a Spurs jersey during a real, live NBA game. Within the first minute, he got the ball and charged directly into the chest of a defender, flying to the ground and drawing a foul. I instinctively leapt off my couch to complain before remembering that he’s using this kind of evil for good now. That’s really going to take some adjustment. Go, Chris! That guy manhandled you! Way to, uh, absorb the contact! Stephon Castle is obviously not a finished project and probably won’t walk in and be a massive difference-maker from day one. But! I really enjoyed watching him out there. He didn’t look scared to be in the mix, and he didn’t look out of place on an NBA court. He’s tough and physical, and he’s still doing all the fun little jumps and weaves into the lane that he showcased at UConn last year. At one point, he executed a fun, athletic floater, and I was like, “Oh! I recognize that from YouTube compilations I watched!” As you can imagine, I was very dedicated to “grinding tape” this summer in the lead-up to the draft. Anyway, Stephon Castle—fun pick! Excited about it! I’m hoping it was mostly rust, but I swear if we have to watch another season of this team turning the ball over 20 times a game, I’m going to walk into the ocean and stare pensively out at the horizon for an indeterminate amount of time. Don’t test me, Spurs! I’m about to be so pensive, and you’re not going to like it. WWL Post Game Press Conference How was the summer? Well, um, I dunno. I don’t think I’ve processed it yet. You haven’t processed it yet? Yeah, I mean, it just happened! How am I supposed to know how it was? I haven’t gone in and studied the ins and outs of my various comings and goings. I haven’t painted my emotions from that trip I took in August yet. I haven’t journaled about that sandwich I ate in July. I haven’t even come close to putting my feelings about the weather in June to song. So, yeah. I mean, how was my summer? I couldn’t even begin to tell you. Some people would just say “good.” Some people have the emotional bandwidth of a snail.