San Antonio Spurs Working to 'Set New Standards'

After the arrival of Victor Wembanyama last season, the San Antonio Spurs were expected to improve from their 22-60 record from the 2022-23 NBA season. Instead, they finished with the exact same record and lost a franchise-record 18-game losing streak.

There were some growing pains, but it was clear that the current roster simply was not ready to play winning basketball. After using all of last season to develop their young players, the Spurs managed to finish the season strong. After adding Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes this summer, the Spurs are expected to take a massive leap.

Major sportsbooks have given the Spurs a projected win total of 36.5, well over a ten-game improvement from last season. A lot of the expectations have been placed on Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan, and of course, Wembanyama, but the young Spurs are trying to block out the noise.

"It doesn't really matter," said Wembanyama of outside conjecture that the Spurs will improve. "There's definitely more team expectations from the inside...these are the only expectations we pay attention to. We're trying to set new standards," he continued.

The young Spurs, wise beyond their years, understand that this season will come with its ups and downs. Vassell will miss the first part of the season, dealing a major blow to the starting lineup, but he's expressed that the team can make the postseason , anyway.

Related: Spurs' Victor Wembanyama Struggled With 'Easiest Shots'

The Spurs are far removed from their dynasty of Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili. As the Spurs look to return to NBA relevance, memories of losing games and missing the playoffs are fresh, but the franchise is trying to return to its glory days with a new set of characters leading the charge.