Why the San Antonio Spurs Are a Deeper Team Than Most People Realize
The San Antonio Spurs have been stacking wins and widening the margin of victory, despite a few injuries and the absence of key players. This alone should make anyone focus on them. If you expected a promising young team still finding its footing, prepare for a reset: the Spurs are deeper than most fans assume, and their depth may be the real under-the-radar reason they could surprise fans and critics.
A Roster Built With Layers
Under the bright spotlight sits Victor Wembanyama at center, and for good reason: his mix of size, skill, and versatility remains rare. However, the story here is also about the others around him. ESPN’s depth chart for the 2025/2026 campaign highlights a full rotation: at guard alone, you’ve got De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper, and others ready to step in. On the front line, the team added big bodies like Luke Kornet and Kelly Olynyk as backup pivots. When a starting-five changes, many teams flinch, but the Spurs have two or three credible fives on deck.
Young Talent Is Showing Up Early
It’s one thing to talk about depth; it’s another to see it perform. Consider Castle and Harper. Harper, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 draft, jumped into the rotation and is logging real minutes and numbers. Castle is coming off a Rookie of the Year-level campaign and anchors the perimeter defense while offering playmaking. The combination means the Spurs don’t collapse when the starters hit the bench. Moreover, players like Devin Vassell are thriving in transition and off the bounce.
Strategy That Matches The Roster
Having a deep roster only matters if you use it, and the Spurs appear to. They’re operating in a deliberate way; they rank among the slower teams in rate of possessions, but they lead the league in fastbreak points. When key players are rested, the backups maintain pace and exploit mismatches.
On the defensive end, younger guys like Castle and Sochan (and promising wings behind them) carry the load when veterans sit. The coaching staff has emphasized that depth means being ready to rotate without a drop-off. That’s a different mindset than “making do” when someone is hurt.
Depth Is A Hedge Against Setbacks
Image via Wikimedia Commons/Keith Allison
When another starter gets hurt or hits the injury shelf, that tends to translate as “timeout” for many squads. For the Spurs team, however, the addition of veterans like Bismack Biyombo on a one-year deal bolsters the bottom of the roster with experience and grit. That’s a buffer. The resilience that comes with that gives this team beneath-the-radar potential.