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X way too early bold San Antonio predictions for the 2022-23 NBA season

The San Antonio Spurs were among the weakest teams in the NBA last season. Looking ahead, they could be preparing for a lot more defeats this year.

It is, after all, looking like a tanking campaign for them.

It wouldn’t be the first time, though. Recall that the Spurs selected Tim Duncan first overall in 1997. That was one season after the only time the Spurs finished with fewer than 30 wins. Experts feel the Spurs are going to do it again as they target Victor Wembanyama in 2023.

Of course, the Spurs are still coached by Gregg Popovich. As such, they are unlikely to purposefully lose games in order to have a 25% chance of gaining the first pick in next year’s draft. Popovich is one of the most decorated coaches in the NBA’s history, and tanking just isn’t his style.

But even if the Spurs don’t want to tank, they may still end up among the worst teams in the league for 2022-23. In a number of early preseason power rankings, the Spurs have routinely been placed dead last at No. 30 or very close to that spot. They just don’t have the depth to compete at a consistently high level, especially in the loaded Western Conference.

That’s not to say they have absolutely zero talent. Next season, the Spurs will have Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell leading the way. Johnson and Vassell are two promising players who have shown significant progress since being drafted. As good as they are, though, the team’s collective inexperience will be too big of a hurdle to overcome.

The Spurs’ place at or near the bottom of the power rankings will likely continue throughout the entire season. In addition, here are other predictions for Spurs fans to consider.

Spurs 2022-23 Predictions

3) Keldon Johnson will be a fantasy stud

Observers feel that Jeremy Sochan will be among the future cornerstones of the franchise, but nobody should look past Keldon Johnson as well. Johnson, after all, just signed a four-year, $80 million rookie scale contract extension with the team. That’s a strong vote of confidence in Johnson, despite how he’s routinely outsized in the paint against much bigger frontliners.

In the long run, he should slide into a small forward role. His skill-set actually makes him a potentially effective combo wing, and he should be productive when playing alongside two traditional bigs since they will provide stronger defensive rim protection and more rebounding on both ends.

As for this coming season, however, Pop will most certainly start Johnson as a 4. That is until the team is comfortable enough to have Sochan playing PF.

Last season, Johnson averaged 17.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. Those were all career-highs. His trajectory continues to trend upward, and there’s no reason that will get snapped this coming season. A projected increase in touches and workload means Johnson could put up borderline double-double numbers in 2022-23.

2) The Spurs will finish dead last

The reality is that the Spurs have not improved after the 2022 NBA Draft and throughout the 2022 offseason. That’s mainly because of trading away Dejounte Murray, but it’s also by design.

Again, the Spurs have had trouble finding the next franchise player ever since Kawhi Leonard was traded. Some felt Murray had the chance to be that guy, but it’s crystal clear that the team wanted to go in another direction. They have gone all-in on their youth movement and rebuilding process.

As such, their fans should anticipate a dead-last finish from their beloved Spurs this season. it is what it is. A play-in spot is highly unlikely, and a playoff berth is totally out of the question.

Finish last. Get the top overall pick in 2023. Draft Victor Wembanyama. That’s it. Those comprise the three-step set of objectives for this team moving forward.

1) Gregg Popovich will retire at the end of the season

The San Antonio Spurs hope to retain their talismanic head coach for one last season. Some felt he might retire after last year’s dismal finish, but he’s back for one more go-around.

After spending much of the previous 22 seasons with playoff teams, Popovich experienced just his third season without making it to the postseason. That’s certainly not the way he wants to go, but given the Spurs’ lack of depth and their future plans, Pop might have no choice anymore.

Popovich doesn’t really have anything left to prove anyway. He already surpassed Don Nelson for the highest number of regular season wins of any NBA coach (1,344 wins). In addition, he already has five NBA titles, three NBA COTY awards, and an Olympic gold medal with Team USA.

He should and will retire by the end of the 2022-23 season.

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