As the San Antonio Spurs are in the middle of another rebuilding campaign, it is definitely tough to muster for the Spurs fans who are not used to experiencing successive losing seasons. Losing DeMar DeRozan in the offseason and Derrick White in the trade deadline has opened up a ton of minutes to the young assets that the franchise is hoping to build another talented roster for the foreseeable future.

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Dejounte Murray has reached All-Star status this season as he received that incredible achievement for the first time in his career. It seems likely for San Antonio to build around Murray as the point guard of the future for the Gregg Popovich-led squad, but there are other young studs who need to develop tremendously as well, such as Jakob Poeltl, Keldon Johnson, Devin Vassell. Even with the current disappointments, the Spurs can still reach the play-in tournament as these are some bold predictions to wrap up the year.

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San Antonio Spurs: bold predictions for rest of 2021-22 NBA season

3. Devin Vassell develops and retains his starting spot next season

After sending White to the Boston Celtics for Josh Richardson, Romeo Langford, and draft capital, it seemed questionable for the Spurs to swing a deal for a two-way player in White. However, shooting may be a continuous issue with Murray and White as the starting backcourt of San Antonio. Thus, the front office decided to invest in other pieces and have Vassell grow and mature alongside Murray.

Consistency has still been an issue with Vassell as he has stretches right after the trade deadline wherein he is fantastic, but there are games wherein he is a no-show. That is part of the growing pains for the sophomore guard, but there is a better chance for Vassell to have a higher ceiling with Murray because of his upside and ability to space the floor when Murray orchestrates the offense for the Spurs.

2. Keldon Johnson raises his production; breakout in 2022-23

After being selected to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics lineup, Johnson's numbers were expected to increase immensely due to the rare experience of spending a ton of time with NBA superstars. Despite his early-season struggles, his maturity and brilliance have made Popovich reward him with over 30 minutes on every given night.

The three-point shooting was one major facet of his arsenal that has highly improved. From 33% last season, it is currently close to 42% from long distance as this uptick has opened up more driving lanes for his slashing abilities as well. For other aspects that he must focus on in the offseason, it must be on his defensive prowess and ability to create for his teammates off the dribble. Scoring is not an issue at all as he could easily score 20 points on any game, but he must focus on other vital factors in succeeding in the NBA.

1. Murray continues stellar play; falls short of 10th seed

Even with one of the easiest remaining schedules in the league, it seems unlikely for the Spurs to claim that final play-in spot in the challenging Western Conference. It seems only plausible for the Los Angeles Lakers or New Orleans Pelicans to relinquish any of the final play-in spots, but the probability for that to occur is very low. Both these squads are far more talented than the Spurs with a couple of stars on their lineup.

The addition of CJ McCollum has catapulted the Pelicans as a threat to reach the playoffs after starting 1-12, while the Lakers still have LeBron James and Russell Westbrook active and healthy on their roster. Despite having the second hardest schedule remaining, the star power and pride of the Lakers franchise will make them cling to that final play-in spot.

It would not be a catastrophic failure for San Antonio to fail and reach the playoffs for the third straight season. The objective is for them to constantly form a team formidable team through the draft and signing underrated individuals from the free-agent market. The Spurs are not that much of an attractive destination in free agency, but the reputation and track record of the organization could be a discussion point during these intimate meetings.

Spurs fans are not used to the losing at all, but a bit of patience is warranted for their fan base as successful winning seasons will arise again soon.