2024-2025 Spurs defensive preview

Last week, Pounding the Rock looked at what the 2024-2025 San Antonio Spurs ' strengths and weaknesses would be on the offensive end of the ball. As any hoops fan knows, there are two sides of the ball. It's like they say: defense wins championships.

The Spurs made improvements on the defensive end last year. In the 2022-23 season, San Antonio had its worst defensive rating in franchise history at 120.0, in 2023-24, that number fell to 116.4. That slight improvement can be chalked up to adding the Defensive Player of the Year runner-up, Victor Wembanyama. Wemby had the highest individual defensive rating on the team at 106 and posted 3.6 blocks and 1.2 steals per game. His impact won't just show up in the numbers, as his presence alone deterred players from entering the paint against San Antonio.

The Spurs come into the 24-25 season with more defensive talent than they've had in past seasons. Wembanyama highlights the group, plus the additions of the older but still respectable Chris Paul and rookie Stephon Castle will compliment the Spurs' supporting cast of defenders in Jeremy Sochan, Julian Champagnie and Tre Jones. With more talent on the roster, it's worth asking what the strengths and weaknesses of this unit will be.

Strength: rim protection and paint defense Mark this one down under "duh." The Spurs have one of, if not the best, rim protectors in the NBA. Wembanyama changes the way teams attack San Antonio. Players actively avoid drives and alter shots in the paint simply due to Wembanyama's length and instincts. Interestingly enough, San Antonio's backup center, Zach Collins, also ranks near the top of the NBA in rim deterrence.

Wembanyama is joined by some big wings that should help with the team's paint defense. Jeremy Sochan has proven to be a physical defender on the ball who can guard big wings in the post. Julian Champagnie has shown promise as a help side defender. Harrison Barnes is a big-bodied veteran addition. The rookie, Stephon Castle can guard inside and out. This improved unit should make it tough on teams to get consistent, good looks in the painted area.

Weakness: three-point defense The Spurs struggled to defend the three-point line last season. Opponents made 12.7 threes per game against the Silver and Black last season (13th in the NBA). Teams got up a lot of threes against the Spurs, which led to some barrages from deep that would bury them. Most of those threes came off miscommunications or poor screen navigation – two issues often associated with young teams.

Yes, the Spurs added veteran talent that should help them with with the mental aspect of the game, but this is still a team defined by its youth. San Antonio will likely go through frustrating defensive stretches as young players figure out the NBA. Even strong collegiate defenders like Castle will struggle to mentally adapt to the professional game. The Spurs one of their best defenders, Sochan, still struggle to defend through screens and complex NBA offenses.

There should be an improvement guarding the three-point line – in fact, it will likely be an emphasis. Yet, out of all the issues this team will hve on the defensive end, this one seems most likely to rear its head.

Strength: point of attack defense San Antonio has the weapons to give teams fits on the perimeter. Paul, while older is still a savvy defender with some of the quickest hands in the history of the league. Jones is a pesty on-ball defender who has a high motor. Castle is a versatile defender, but most importantly is a disruptive, strong and athletic on the ball. Those three defenders alone should give Spurs fans a reason to be excited about the teams point of attack defense.

Throw in some good defensive wings like Sochan and Champagnie, and San Antonio should have the personnel to make life difficult for opposing ball-handlers. When you pair that with Wembanyama patrolling the paint, the Silver and Black should be set up to be a much better defensive team this season.

Weakness: physicality A major storyline to watch this season is how Wembanyama progresses in his sophomore year. For the most part, he dominated his rookie season defensively. There were games when he took his lumps against bigger, stronger centers. Overall, teams were able to play physical ball against the younger Spurs. If you're looking for areas of improvement for these Spurs, being a more physically imposing defensive team is one of them.