Optimism is strong for the San Antonio Spurs after they made the NBA Finals with an extremely young roster. Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper are all within their first three seasons in the NBA. Any team with a core that young contending for a title will have optimism on their side moving forward, but NBA personality Doc Rivers expressed a reason for concern.
The following quote from Rivers came from the Stephen A Smith Show, while expressing concern over the optimism:
“I always go back to when Miami beat Oklahoma City. I remember Mike Breen saying on the air, ‘Well, Oklahoma City will be here every year.’ It took them 20 years to get back. You just can’t take things for granted. With trades, free agency, injuries, and all that, you never know.
I always use the band theory. Why aren’t there great bands that last forever? Because somebody gets jealous. Somebody wants to be the man. Things change. You just never know. So, when you’ve got a chance, Stephen A., you better take advantage of it. There may be a bunch more opportunities. But this may be the only one.”
Rivers compared this Spurs roster to the 2012 Oklahoma City Thunder roster that made the NBA Finals and fell to the Miami Heat. Everyone assumed a core of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden would make the finals many more times. However, they never got back there until they had a new core led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 13 years later.
Why Doc Rivers Point Makes Sense
Many NBA teams with great young rosters are predicted to win the NBA Championship or at least contend consistently never won it all. Rivers experienced this with the Los Angeles Clippers led by Chris Paul and Blake Griffin.
Everyone expected the Clippers and Thunder to be the next dominant West teams after the 2000s to 2010s Spurs got older. LeBron James leaving the Miami Heat made the title feel wide open, but the Golden State Warriors made five consecutive finals to jump over all other West squads.
Joel Embiid’s Philadelphia 76ers and Kevin Durant’s Brooklyn Nets are two other franchises that never made the NBA Finals. Windows close fast in the NBA, and the Spurs must be proactive to avoid that path haunting them too.
Why Spurs Deserve More Respect From Doc
The biggest reason for the Spurs being different than any other team is the star power of Wembanyama. Most viewed him as the greatest NBA draft prospect since LeBron, and he has more than lived up to that.
Wemby is expected to get better with a strong core of Harper, Castle, De’Aaron Fox, and other talented players behind him. The West is stronger than ever, but the Spurs have someone with the potential to be the best of all time.
Most players of Wembanyama’s caliber win at least one NBA Championship. The Thunder team referenced by Rivers had three future MVPs, but none of them accomplished as much as Wemby at a younger age. San Antonio deserves the respect until proven otherwise.
Doc Rivers Reveals Why Spurs Should Be Worried About Future