San Antonio Spurs season preview: Opening schedule, win projection and everything to know for 2026-27

The 2026-27 NBA season is here! Check out our team previews, including power rankings, best- and worst-case scenarios, and fantasy advice.

East:Atlanta Hawks • Boston Celtics • Brooklyn Nets • Charlotte Hornets • Chicago Bulls • Cleveland Cavaliers • Detroit Pistons • Indiana Pacers • Miami Heat • Milwaukee Bucks • New York Knicks • Orlando Magic • Philadelphia 76ers • Toronto Raptors • Washington Wizards

West:Dallas Mavericks • Denver Nuggets • Golden State Warriors • Houston Rockets • LA Clippers • Los Angeles Lakers • Memphis Grizzlies • Minnesota Timberwolves • New Orleans Pelicans • Oklahoma City Thunder • Phoenix Suns • Portland Trail Blazers • Sacramento Kings • San Antonio Spurs • Utah Jazz

Record: 62-20 (2nd in the West, lost 4-1 in NBA Finals to Knicks)

Draft:Jayden Quaintance (No. 20), Tarris Reed (No. 26), Ja'Kobi Gillespie (No. 42), Maliq Brown (No. 44)

Signings:Julian Champagnie (re-signed for 3 years, $45 million), Harrison Barnes (re-signed for 1 year, $8 million), Tobias Harris (2 years, $31 million), Jordan McLaughlin (re-signed for 1 year, $3.3 million), Victor Wembanyama (5 years, $252 million max rookie-scale extension)

Current roster

What's exciting: Everything? I mean, the Spurs just reached the Finals with their best players all still in their infancy. Victor Wembanyama can get stronger. Dylan Harper will become even more dynamic in pick-and-rolls. Stephon Castle could become more consistent as a shooter. The Spurs were ahead of schedule even defeating Oklahoma City in May. It didn't end the way Spurs fans had hoped for, but even if one of their young guys takes a leap, it might result in a far different ending the second time around.

What's concerning: Spurs fans get annoyed with me for it, but I still wonder if there's enough shooting on the team. Castle, Harper, and De'Aaron Fox are not knockdown shooters. Harris isn't elite either. Will Carter Bryant become an elite standstill shooter? I'm doubtful. Even Wemby himself made only 34.2% of his 3s across the playoffs. But it shouldn't be on Wemby to space the floor for everyone else. The goal should be creating as many easy at-rim shots as possible for Wembanyama, whether he's catching it in the paint or dribbling from the perimeter. — Kevin O'Connor 

Preseason Power Rankings: How all 30 teams stack up ahead of 2026-27

Whether Dylan Harper starts or not, he's effectively a sixth starter. He started for De'Aaron Fox last Thursday and delivered 16/4/4. He's so good, so put it on wax — he's seeing 28-30 minutes, somehow, someway. His ADP is affordable, too. — Dan Titus

Opening week: 10/20 vs. Thunder, 10/23 vs. Rockets, 10/24 at Mavericks

Complete schedule

59.5 — win total

-1200 to win division

+260 to win NBA Finals

Best case: No. 1 seed

They were only two games behind the Thunder for the top seed last year (while handedly winning the regular-season matchups). Internal growth from their youngsters and reasonable health may be enough for the Spurs to not only snag the top seed, but to flirt with a 70-win season.

Worst case: No. 5 seed

Beyond the easy "what if everyone important gets hurt" button that is available for literally every team in the league, there's a world where opposing defenses become a little more switch-heavy, a little more willing to cross-match against the Spurs to muck things up for their half-court offense.

The Spurs aren't barren of shooters, but there are enough guys in the rotation (Fox, Castle, Harper, Johnson, Bryant*) that defenses may be comfortable saying "OK, I'm not terrified of the prospect of these guys firing away."

If the (half-court) offense underwhelms and the top of the conference is as strong as I think it is, it's not inconceivable that the Spurs start a first-round series on the road. — Nekias Duncan

Read the full Southwest Division preview