The new season has been counted down 23 days. Looking back on last season, the Spurs have missed the playoffs for six consecutive years since 2019.

Leonard's G1 injury in the 2017 Western Conference Finals permanently changed the history of the Spurs. This superstar, who was regarded as the cornerstone leader in the "post-Duncan era", had conflicts with the Spurs management during his recovery period, and voluntarily applied to leave the team, and was finally traded to the Raptors in July 2018.

Popovich's original plan to build a team with Ade + Leonard's dual cores was declared bankrupt. It was temporarily modified to Ade + DeRozan as a transition in the 2018-19 season. The Spurs' first round of the playoffs lost to the Nuggets in the 2019 playoffs was also the last playoff journey in the Popovich era.

Popovich let Ade, DeRozan, Xiaobai, Murray and Pelter go one after another, and the 2022-23 season was completely started. Finding the cornerstone of reconstruction is undoubtedly the most urgent task for the Spurs before Popovich retires.

The Spurs had 22 wins and 60 losses in the 2022-23 season. Their record was better than the Pistons with 17 wins and 65 losses, but the Pistons only won the No. 5 position. The Spurs were lucky enough to get the No. 1 pick. The French genius Wenban Yama, who has been thinking about all year round, was directly designated as the cornerstone of the team building - from bad performance to determining the cornerstone of reconstruction, the Spurs only took one season!

Wenban Yama realized her talent and potential early, greatly accelerating the Spurs' reconstruction process.

Rookie season, Wenban Yama averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 3.6 blocks and 1.2 steals. He was elected Rookie of the Year, selected as the Best Defensive First Team, and ranked 2nd and blocking king in the DPOY selection. Last season, Wenban Yama continued to improve, and averaged 24.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.8 blocks and 1.1 steals. He won the blocking king for the first time in his career. He was selected as the All-Star for the first time in his career. If it weren’t for only 46 games due to injury, Wenban Yama would not meet the 65-game qualification threshold for participating in the awards. He is likely to get DPOY!

The Spurs' results have also improved due to the progress of Wenban Yama. They only had 22 wins in the whole year of the 2023-24 season. Before the trade was obtained by Fox last season, they had 21 wins and 25 losses, only 2 wins away from the 10th in the West!

It is no exaggeration that the Spurs had already achieved the strength to compete in the playoffs last season. Unfortunately, Wenban Yama (deep vein thrombosis in the right shoulder in February) and Fox (left little finger tendon repair surgery in March) were reimbursed for seasons due to injuries. What is certain is that the Spurs confirmed the internal and external dual-core team building framework of 21-year-old Wenban Yama + 27-year-old Fox last season, and it is only a matter of time before the rise!

The Spurs won the second draw with a 4.3% chance this year, with the No. 1 pick last year + No. 2 pick this year, taking off on the spot.

Last season, the Spurs ranked 13th in the Western Conference with 34 wins and 48 losses. The Jazz, Pelicans, Wizards, Hornets, 76ers, Nets, and Raptors all had worse records than the Spurs. The Spurs were surprised to get the second best pick, which means they can choose whatever they want outside of Flag.

With the Spurs already owned Fox and Castle in the backcourt, the management still selected Rutgers' freshman core defender Dylan Harper with the second pick.

Harper is 193 cm tall, weighs 82 kg and has an arm span of 209 cm. He averaged 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.4 steals per game in his freshman season. The draft template is Harden/Derlon Williams/Brunson. As the best guard in this year's draft, the Spurs, who hold the second pick, does not need to hesitate at all.

Harper's selling point is that it integrates physical conditions, confrontational ability, scoring explosion, defensive steals, and organizational series. The typical American double-energy style of playing will have the plasticity of becoming a ball-holding core in the future.

The Spurs also selected the first round of the first round Carter Bryant of the University of Arizona with the 14th pick. He is 201 cm tall, weighs 97.5 kg and has an arm span of 213 cm. His defensive talent is highly valued by the Spurs. He can switch to the No. 1-4 position and was rated by scouts as "there is potential to become the top forward defensive gate."

Carter Bryant averages 3-point shooting percentage in the NCAA, and his role is positioned as pure 3D. His current ball-holding offense is also an obvious weakness. The Spurs hired sharpshooter Rashad Lewis as his player development coach to polish his shooting skills, and have the hope of becoming a top 3D or even the next "Leonard produced by the Spurs" in the future.

The Spurs currently stockpile three main defenders in the backcourt, Fox, No. 4 pick Castle in 2024, and Harper, the second-place champion in 2025. The management's intention is also very obvious, growing together and blooming, and not rushing to determine the future lineup and hoarding potential. Especially the two young high-level defenders Carls and Harper can use their own products or trade in the future, and are currently in the scratch-off stage.

The Spurs continued to strengthen their lineup around Wenban Yama during the offseason, and they already had the strength to compete in the playoffs in the new season.

The Spurs basically determined the starting lineup of Wenbanyama + Barnes + Wassel + Paul + Fox after the Fox trade last season. Paul's position in the new season may allow Castle/Harper to train, and the focus of strengthening is undoubtedly the substitute inside.

The Spurs signed Luke Connet with 40.7 million in four years. The 218-centimeter big center served as a substitute for the Celtics last season, averaging 6.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.0 blocks per game, with a shooting percentage of 76.1% at the basket! He is a typical pick-and-roll stand-up squat pit-type inside line, with large model cover quality, good quality, diligent in playing basketball, perfectly in line with the Spurs' system culture, and serving as a substitute for Wenban Yama.

The Spurs also sent Brahnham + Black Wesley + the second round pick in 2026 to the Wizards, in exchange for Olynick (the expiration contract of 13.44 million in 2025-26). This old space-type insider who has been fighting for 12 years can make the Spurs' inside rotation choices more diverse.. In addition, Brahnham and Wesley were not among the main rotations of the Spurs last season. This zero-swap solidly strengthened the Spurs' rotation combat power, and Olynick's expiration contract is a high-quality trading chip before the trading deadline next year.

The Spurs signed veteran Biyongbo, who has been fighting for 14 years with a one-year unsecured contract. His veteran experience, sparring ability, and locker room role are valued by the management. Now, the Spurs' inside are Wenban Yama, Cornet, Olynick and Biyongbo, and the depth is completely guaranteed.

The Spurs' biggest offseason move is undoubtedly a four-year contract renewal of Fox for 229 million yuan, and officially finalized the dual core of Vampan Yama + Fox as the team building framework for the next four years. Now, the Spurs are strong. In addition to the four inside lines, there are also Barnes, Kelden, Wassell, Carter Bryant, Champany, and Fox, Castle, Harper, and McLaurin in the backcourt. The lineup depth is fully capable of hitting the playoffs.

This is, Barnes (19 million), Olynik (13.45 million), and Sohan (7.1 million) will all have expired contracts next season, which will release nearly 30 million salary space for the Spurs. The team will have 8 first rounds and 16 rounds in the next seven years, and can complete an extremely aggressive zero-change major deal at any time.

Wenban Yama + Fox + Harper + Wassel + Castle. Whether it is the existing young talent or the trading ability of Soha, it is enough to show that the rise of the Spurs will only be a matter of time!