By The Numbers: Reading Last Season Into This Year's Spurs

By the Spurs Nightly Desk · Monday, September 21

The Spurs are still at 0-0, so every number here comes from last season's 62-20 run to the Finals. Together they show a top-three team by the ratings, two veterans whose shooting cooled together late, and a payroll still under the tax line.

Spurs Nightly artwork — Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

How real was Wembanyama's bench-scoring binge?

Last season, Victor Wembanyama hit 20-plus points in four of his last five games off the bench, above his season scoring pace. That surge is tied to extra minutes in those specific outings, not a change in role. It describes a five-game stretch, not a full season, and says nothing about how he is used once games begin in 2026-27.

Did Fox's shooting really fall off late last season?

Yes — over his final 10 games last season, De'Aaron Fox's true shooting fell to 42.7 percent, a 13.3-point drop from his season mark. That is a real late-season efficiency dip, not proof of decline: it covers ten games out of 72 played, and shooting variance over any ten-game stretch can swing hard in either direction.

Was Johnson's slump as steep as Fox's?

Close. Keldon Johnson's true shooting sank to 45.8 percent over his last 10 games last season, 13.4 points below his season average — almost identical in size to Fox's drop. Two regulars fading together over the same stretch says more about that stretch of the schedule than it does about either player's shot.

Where does the payroll stand right now?

San Antonio carried a $198.3 million payroll last season, over the salary cap but under the $200.4 million luxury tax line. Fox ($49.8M), Devin Vassell ($27.0M), Keldon Johnson ($17.5M), Wembanyama ($16.9M) and Tobias Harris ($15.0M) make up the top five deals. Staying under the tax line only measures this season's numbers; it says nothing about future years or extensions still to be negotiated.

How good was last season's team, by the raw numbers?

Last season's Spurs finished 62-20 with a 118.7 offensive rating, a 110.4 defensive rating and an 8.4 net rating at a 100.7 pace, ranking in the league's top three on both ends. Those numbers describe results already banked from a season that reached the Finals; none of it carries over to a 0-0 record with no games played yet in 2026-27.

The verdictThe clearest picture of this team still comes from last season: a top-three offense and defense that produced a 62-20 record and a Finals run, alongside two veterans whose shooting cooled together in the same late stretch. None of it is a preview of 2026-27 — it's a record of what already happened, waiting on games to update it.

Is Victor Wembanyama moving to the bench this season?

No such move has been reported. Last season's bench-scoring surge covered four of five games in a short stretch, not a change in role.

Are the Spurs over the NBA's luxury tax?

No. Last season's $198.3 million payroll was over the salary cap but under the $200.4 million tax line.