San Antonio Spurs rise in Athletic weekly NBA power rankings despite losses

Generally speaking, it is pretty hard to go up in a popular weekly NBA power ranking when your team loses three games in a week.

Generally speaking, it is pretty hard to go up in a popular weekly NBA power ranking when your team loses three games in a week. But when you’re already near the bottom after having been eliminated from playoff contention, and you beat an ostensible contender without your best player for your team’s sole win that week, it can happen.

And it did, from Nos. 27 to 26 as the Spurs beat the Phoenix Suns sans Victor Wembanyama the same week they lost to the Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, and that same Suns squad (in a blowout, at that!). “The Spurs are a much different team when Wemby is on the floor,” writes the Athletic’s Zach Harper, and while very, very true, the core around Wembanyama has shown it can play some ball on occasion.

“Now that they’ve had their feel-out season with the young guys, we’ll see what their approach is this summer,” adds Harper.

“However, the Spurs have a very bright future despite being on pace for first sub-20 win season in franchise history.”

As much as that little factoid may sting — just think of San Antonio’s future with Wemby.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]