The current San Antonio Spurs squad is filled with youngsters (including Victor Wembanyama) who are still either finding their footing in the NBA or are figuring out how to build winning habits. As of late, it seems as though they have gotten better in that regard, as they have put up respectable fights against good opponents, including in their 108-98 loss to the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night that was much closer than the score line would indicate.

In fact, the Spurs led the Magic by as many as 11 points in the first quarter, a testament to the team's burgeoning level of play. Alas, they were unable to sustain this level of play, and when the Magic ratcheted up the defensive intensity in the third quarter, they were unable to keep up.

Now, as a result of this latest defeat, the Spurs are threatening to reach unprecedented levels of choking. According to Andrew Lopez of ESPN, they have now lost 13 of 19 games in which they have taken a lead of 10 points or more. That amounts to a win percentage of .316, which is “on pace to be the lowest by any team when leading by 10+ points in a season since 1997-98.”

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Just to hammer home how ignominious this could be for the Spurs, the team that holds the record for the worst winning percentage in a single season in games they've led by 10 points or more is the 2011-12 iteration of the Charlotte Bobcats (they went 5-9 in such games for a .357 win percentage). That Bobcats team, as one would recall, is also the holder of the worst winning percentage in a single season in NBA history.

The Spurs are a young team, so at the very least, one could understand why they aren't as adept in taking care of leads as fans would hope. But the fact that they have taken a 10-point lead in 19 out of their 48 games this season is a promising sign, and avoiding choke jobs should come as they mature.

Moreover, the 2023-24 Spurs have something the 2011-12 Bobcats didn't — a franchise cornerstone who looks like he's going to tear up the competition for years to come (Victor Wembanyama). That should give them solace moving forward.