Heading into the 2025-26 NBA season, the San Antonio Spurs are expected to take one of the biggest leaps from the season prior.
Last year, Victor Wembanyama was shut down during the All-Star Break with blood clots, and trade deadline acquisition De’Aaron Fox soon followed with a finger injury. The pair played in only five games together.
With next season looming, the Spurs are fully healthy and are expecting Stephon Castle to take a leap on the offensive side of the ball. As long as Wembanyama stays on the court, the Spurs should be one of the better teams in the league, and they managed to bolster their depth behind him.
However, the Spurs are still a piece or two away from being championship favorites, and they have one glaring problem Wembanyama can’t solve.
GettySAN ANTONIO, TX – APRIL 04: Devin Vassell #24 of the San Antonio Spurs reacts after missing a shot against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second half at Frost Bank Center on April 04, 2025 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)
San Antonio Spurs Are Not a Shooting Team
Last season, the Spurs shot 35.7% from 3-point range, good for 20th in the league. The NBA averaged 36% from deep, and of the Spurs’ nine players who averaged over 20 minutes per game, only four players were above average, and Chris Paul has since signed with the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Spurs have plenty of young talent, although of the seven returning players under 25 years old, only Julian Champagnie and Devin Vassell were above-average shooters.
As a result, the Spurs have been linked to sharpshooting All-Stars like Lauri Markkanen, and they have the young players and draft capital to get a deal done.
“I think this is also a team that’s probably in need of a consolidation trade because they have so many pieces and so many guys need minutes,” expressed Mo Dakhil on a September 20th episode of the Kevin O’Connor Show. “They need to try to find opportunities for some of those guys.”
While the Spurs added Fox last season and Dylan Harper in the draft, neither guard is an above-average shooter from deep, limiting scoring chances for the Spurs.
“There’s a lot of iffy shooters on this team, including Fox himself, who’s always been up and down,” added O’Connor. “I just can’t help but think that at some point this season, the lack of shooting is going to be a problem for the Spurs, especially for a team that you want them to take a leap this season.”
Victor Wembanyama Won’t Help the Spurs’ Shooting
In his rookie season, Wembanyama shot 32.5% from deep. Last year, he ranked ninth in attempts per game and improved his efficiency to 35.2%, a massive leap.
However, he is still below-average and is expected to be used in pick-and-roll or pick-and-pop situations with Fox, his new running mate. He did shoot 37.7% from deep on catch-and-shoot 3s last season, which should give the Spurs reason to be optimistic that he can continue his growth, although the Spurs need more spot-up shooters, not dynamic scorers like Wembanyama.
Last season, as a team, less than a third of their attempts from behind the arc were of the catch-and-shoot variety, and they made them at only a league-averge 36.5% clip. Champagnie, Vassell, and Harrison Barnes are the only reliable spot-up shooters on the roster who can stand in the corner for an entire possession; Wembanyama won’t be limited to that role.
While there is reason to believe that Castle, Harper, and Carter Bryant can emerge as viable shooting threats in the coming seasons, the Spurs need their talent around Wembanyama to play a complementary role, and so far in his young career, his team has struggled with that.
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