The San Antonio Spurs, who are off to their first 4-0 start since 2017-18, are set to host the Miami Heat on Thursday night.
In Spurs history, four players have won the NBA Rookie of the Year award: legends David Robinson and Tim Duncan as well as current stars Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle.
Wembanyama won the award in 2024, and Castle followed in 2025, making the Spurs just the sixth NBA franchise to earn that honor in consecutive years.
At 7-foot-3, Wembanyama is a versatile superstar who is off to a great start, averaging 31.0 points and 13.8 rebounds while leading the league in blocks (4.8). He is shooting 80.0% from the foul line, 60.3% from the field and 36.4% on 3-pointers.
“He has such a good feel,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said of Wembanyama. “It feels like he can block every shot.”
Castle is San Antonio’s second-leading scorer (18.3), and he leads the squad in assists (4.8). He averaged 14.7 points as a rookie.
San Antonio’s fast start is noteworthy given that point guard De’Aaron Fox has yet to play this season due to a hamstring injury. A key trade acquisition last season, Fox has elite speed and a career scoring average of 21.5 points.
Fox is listed as day-to-day, and the same goes for three Spurs frontcourt players who figure to be in the rotation once they return: Luke Kornet (ankle), Jeremy Sochan (wrist) and ex-Heat forward Kelly Olynyk (heel).
Johnson, a 38-year-old who succeeded Gregg Popovich as head coach, is hoping to end San Antonio’s six-year playoff drought, the longest in franchise history.
So far, Johnson has done a stellar job handling rookie guard Dylan Harper, the second pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Harper, the son of former NBA star Ron Harper, is averaging 14.8 points.
Meanwhile, the Heat are also playing well. After a season-opening loss at Orlando, they have won three straight games.
The Heat lead the league in scoring (131.5 points). Last season, Miami finished 24th in scoring.
In addition, the Heat are tied for third in 3-point percentage (40.8), tied for fourth in 3-pointers made (64) and rank fifth in overall field-goal percentage (50.8).
All-Star guard Tyler Herro, whose career-high 23.9 points per game led the team last season, has yet to play in this campaign following ankle surgery. He is expected to miss at least eight more weeks.
Norman Powell, acquired in an offseason trade, leads Miami in scoring (24.0). However, he missed Miami’s 144-117 win over Charlotte on Tuesday, and he’s day-to-day due to a groin injury.
In addition, rookie first-round pick Kasparas Jakucionis, 19, has yet to make his debut due to a groin injury. The 6-6 shooting guard was the 20th pick in the draft.
Similarly to the Spurs, Miami is thriving despite key injuries. Against Charlotte, reserve Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored a game-high 28 points, Bam Adebayo added 26 points and Andrew Wiggins had 21.
For the season, Jaquez — Miami’s first-round pick in 2023 — is averaging 18.8 points and shooting a team-best 68.9% from the floor.
Last season, Jaquez averaged 8.6 points on 46.1% shooting.
“I liked my ability to get downhill, attack, get in the paint and create,” Jaquez said after the Charlotte game. “Going 8-for-8 from the foul line was my biggest joy.”
–Field Level Media
