Victor Wembanyama is set to the lead the Spurs into their next era in the West.

The selection of No. 1 overall pick and generational talent Victor Wembanyama leaves San Antonio Spurs fans dreaming again about championships. But patience and practicality rule this new day in San Antonio, as the club’s young roster features 14 players aged 25 or younger.

Year One with Wembanyama will be a feeling-out process for the Spurs brass, as the club evaluates how the young holdovers fit with their heralded pick, before deciding the direction to achieve sustained long term success.

What’s new?

• Wembanyama arrives in San Antonio as the league’s most anticipated prospect since LeBron James, and although the 19-year old yearns to claim a spot among the game’s greats, the Spurs plan to take a slow-and-steady approach in developing their prized rookie, and showed as much during the NBA 2K24 Summer League.
• Coach Gregg Popovich demonstrated a commitment to shepherding San Antonio through the start of the Wembanyama era by signing a five-year extension that will keep the NBA’s winningest and longest-tenured head coach with the organization at least through 2028.
• Forward Julian Champagnie became one of San Antonio’s most significant offseason signings, representing one of the club’s latest uncovered gems. He joined the Spurs halfway through last season on a two-way contract that he parlayed into a four-year deal after scoring 20-plus points in three of the team’s last five games last season.

How far can the Spurs go?

San Antonio’s roster last season probably featured enough talent for the Spurs to seriously compete for a spot in the AT&T Play-In Tournament. The organization obviously upgraded the talent when it drafted Wembanyama to play alongside young talents Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, and Jeremy Sochan, and the rookie’s addition alone could net the Spurs somewhere in the neighborhood of a 10-win increase from last season. San Antonio’s playoff drought likely extends into Year 5, but the young Spurs will certainly make a spirited run at a Play-In Tournament berth, especially if Wembanyama stays healthy all season.

1 player that must take a leap

Zach Collins. Expected to tip off the season as San Antonio’s starting center, Collins, 25, averaged a career-high 11.6 points per game in a resurgent 2022-23 campaign. This season, the team expects even more growth from the veteran. One of the Spurs’ most experienced players, Collins provides leadership and a frontcourt partner with an edge for Wembanyama (who is slated to start off his career as San Antonio’s starting power forward). Although Collins enters the final year of his contract, if he raises his game another level this season, team brass might view the center as a solid building block for the immediate future.

In-Season Tournament

The San Antonio Spurs are in West Group C. Here’s a refresher on how the In-Season Tournament works.

Upcoming free agents

The San Antonio Spurs have eight players that will be free agents in 2024:

• Khem Birch
• Doug McDermott
• Cedi Osman
• Sandro Mamukelashvili
• Sir’Jabari Rice (two-way player)
• Dominick Barlow (two-way player)
• Charles Bediako

The No. 10 overall pick in 2017, Collins has fought through numerous injuries throughout his career, and finally appears poised to live up to his promise in what will be a contract year. Devin Vassell, was nearly on this list until the Spurs inked him to a multi-year extension when training camp opened.

San Antonio’s full roster can be found here.

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Michael C. Wright is a senior writer for NBA.com. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.

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