Meredith Garcia
Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich speaks to reporters at the team's media day event on Monday.
Even so, the Hall of Fame coach stopped short of calling the franchise a championship contender, even with the addition of No. 1 draft pick Victor Wembanyama.
"Development is great, and all these guys needed it," Popovich said of last year's season. "They've made some big jumps, and even though there wasn't a ton of wins, even in the losses, there were some great moments, some real competitiveness on the part of a lot of those guys."
Popovich continued: "Of course, we add a player with Victor's capabilities, and your prospects look a lot better. But this year, with development, I think one of the important factors to enhance that development is winning. So winning is as important this year as learning last year. So, they've got to continue to learn. But, adding more wins, I think, is appropriate, mandatory and helpful."
That's a more upbeat perspective than Popovich had going into the prior season, when he made headlines by saying no one should bet on the Spurs winning the title.
An expectation of winning will be music to the ears of San Antonio sports fans, who endured the third-worst season in franchise history last year — an abysmal 22-60 record.
Although Popovich stopped short of commenting on this season's championship prospects, he did say that he tells all his players the same thing: "You want to be the best team that can be by playoffs."
While it might be unrealistic to assume 19-year-old rookie Wembanyama can lead the Spurs to a championship or even a deep playoff run, forward Devin Vassell said the season looks promising.
"Vic has come in here, and he's basically fit perfectly," Vassell told reporters. "He comes in, he asks questions. As a rookie, he came in a little nervous, but I think he's starting to get more comfortable, and you can see it on both sides of the court."
Meanwhile, Wemby said he's focused on learning what it takes to be a winning NBA player.
"All my expectations are really to learn and how to win as quick as possible," Wembanyama said. "Everyone here, except rookies, are more experienced than me. So, I got a whole lot to learn."
The Spurs' season kicks-off against the Dallas Mavericks at 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 25 at Frost Bank Center. Tickets are on sale now, and the game will be nationally televised on ESPN.
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