By the Numbers: A 62-Win Season Meets an 0-3 Preseason

By the Spurs Nightly Desk · Wednesday, October 14

Last season's record and ratings say San Antonio built a top-five team on both ends. This preseason's three losses and a tight cap sheet say the real test starts October 20.

Spurs Nightly artwork — Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

How good was this team last season, in hard numbers?

San Antonio went 62-20 last season, its best record in a decade, with a net rating of plus-8.4. The offense ranked third in the league at 118.7, the defense third at 110.4, numbers that explain how a team built on both ends reached the Finals. None of it carried a trophy; the Spurs lost to the Knicks in five games.

What does Wembanyama's season tell us about the ceiling here?

Victor Wembanyama averaged 25.0 points, 11.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists last season, shooting 34.9 percent from three, numbers that put him among the league's elite two-way bigs. He did it in 64 of 82 games. The talent is not in question; the games missed are the number that matters more going forward, since a 25-and-11 season only means something if it is a full one.

How tight is the payroll heading into the season?

San Antonio sits at $198.3 million, over the salary cap but $2.1 million under the $200.4 million tax line. De'Aaron Fox's $49.8 million anchors that number, with Vassell, Keldon Johnson and Wembanyama behind him. That gap is room, not spending power; it keeps the roster flexible for now and says nothing about what happens once Wembanyama's and Castle's next contracts arrive.

What does the Sacramento pick swap mean for the future?

The 2027 first-round pick goes to Sacramento outright, with swap rights attached to the 2027 second, the 2028 first and the 2030 first. San Antonio still owns its 2028 second, both 2029 picks and the 2030 second clean. The swaps are a hedge, not a giveaway: they only cost the Spurs a pick if Sacramento's is better, a bet the front office is taking on its own roster.

Does an 0-3 preseason mean anything for October 20?

The Spurs lost three preseason games by a combined 21 points: seven to the Hawks, four to the Suns, ten at the Jazz. That is a modest average margin for a team still working out its rotation, not a sign of where this roster lands once the games count. Preseason records have no history of predicting regular-season ones, and this one ends before the opener against the Thunder.

The verdictThe numbers from last season point to a top-five team on both ends; the numbers from this preseason point to nothing yet. The real read starts when the Thunder visit on October 20.

What was the Spurs' record last season?

San Antonio went 62-20 in 2025-26, its best season in a decade, before losing the NBA Finals to the Knicks in five games.

Are the Spurs over the luxury tax this season?

No. Payroll sits at $198.3 million, over the salary cap but $2.1 million under the $200.4 million tax line.