The west is in more chaos! The new king of the Spurs leads the youth army to follow the rise of the Thunder: aiming for MVP + best defense

Fox and Sohan are both recovering from injuries. Kornet only played two games and was absent. However, the Spurs, led by Bunyama, had the best start in team history with 5 wins and 0 losses. Bunyama averaged 30.2 points, 14.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.4 steals and 4.8 blocks per game this season. He has become one of the league's top superstars and will compete for the MVP and Best Defensive Player awards. He is also a popular candidate for the season's rebounding and block titles.

Just like the Thunder relied on MVP Alexander to lead a group of young people to rise, the current Spurs are also a youth army. Second-year player Castle continues to improve, and rookie Harper has shown flashes. Vassell, Champany and Keldon Johnson all showed some ability.

"This is no accident. Our five wins did not come out of thin air. We worked hard for it. It is really gratifying to see such results." Wen Banyama said after the game.

The Spurs have accumulated potential new stars in the past few years, and finally have the ability to hit the playoffs this season. In the GDP era, the Spurs made the playoffs for 22 consecutive years. However, the Spurs missed the playoffs for many consecutive years, and they did not receive high-ranking rookies. There has been no emergence of super stars who can serve as the cornerstone of the team.

Until they got the No. 1 pick in the 2022-23 season and selected Wen Banyama, the Spurs ushered in a new cornerstone for team building. Their luck in the lottery and draft has also improved. In the summer of 2024, Castle was acquired with the fourth pick, who won the Rookie of the Year award last season.

Castle has performed stably this season. In the victory over the Heat, he scored 21 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, 4 steals and 1 block, showing an integrated offensive and defensive performance. This season he averaged 18.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.8 steals per game. "You can't ignore him at all. As long as you give him such a big space, he will take off directly and complete a dunk on your head." Wen Banyama praised Castle.

Dylan Harper, the second overall pick in 2025, served as a substitute in the new season, playing 25.8 minutes per game, averaging 14.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 0.8 steals per game. He shot 48.2% from the field, 35.7% from the three-point range, and 81.3% from the free throw line. His performance was remarkable.

Both Castle and Dylan Harper have a lot of room for growth and can become good helpers for Wenbanyama in the future. The Spurs once had a Big Three lineup of Duncan, Parker and Ginobili, who grew up together at the same age. Bunyama, Castle and Harper are also of similar age. Will they also grow into the Big Three of the championship dynasty?

Vassell averaged 16.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game this season. Keldon Johnson averaged 11.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. The Spurs youth army already has good combat effectiveness. Keldon Johnson directly stated his goal: "If you want to play basketball that can win, you must put aside personal and selfish interests and put aside personal gains and losses. All of us have the same goal, which is to win. We have a goal in our minds, and we definitely want to make the playoffs."

Neither Vassell nor Keldon Johnson has tasted the taste of entering the playoffs. Vassell said: "I'm tired of losing. I've been coming to the Spurs for a long time, and it's been a journey, I can say that, but I'm just tired of losing."

The best Spurs are yet to come. Once Fox, Sohan and Kornet are healthy, the Spurs' lineup will be more complete. Of course, the Spurs' five-game winning streak has something to do with the relatively easy start to the season. The opponents they defeated were the Mavericks, Pelicans, Nets, Raptors and Heat, and there has yet to be a super-powerful team at the championship level. Therefore, the Spurs youth team must remain calm. They still have some way to go before they can enter the championship ranks. They are currently the number one dark horse in the Western Conference, ranking second in the Western Conference with 5 wins and 0 losses. They are impacting the Western Conference pattern, making the situation in the Western Conference even more chaotic.