It's been a rough few years for the San Antonio Spurs. After missing the playoffs just once in 30 years, they've failed to make it to the postseason since 2019 and last season bottomed out at a paltry 22 games, the second lowest number in the league and the lowest in the Western Conference.

But a new dawn appears to be rising. When they won the much-coveted Wembanyama Sweepstakes, they gained a generational talent who they hope will lead them to the Promised Land. Obviously there's still plenty to unfold in Wembanyama's career – like, his entire career – but at this point it's safe to say expectations are pretty high.

And he's not all. The Spurs have a few other nice pieces, led by the quirky and very talented Jeremy Sochan, along with Devin Vassell, Malaki Branham and Keldon Johnson. It's not a core that is going to immediately challenge, but it's certainly one that has a whole lot of scope for growth.

But both for next year and moving forward, there is one area in which the Spurs are clearly lacking. This is the Spurs' biggest roster concern deep into 2023 NBA Free Agency.

The Spurs' biggest roster need is a point guard

All of the aforementioned names bring different things to the table, but one thing which none of them are is a natural point guard. Sochan is an able passer for a big, but overall there isn't a whole lot of natural facilitatory skills among that group.

At this point in time, the Spurs list of potential point guards reads Tre Jones, Cameron Payne, and Devonte Graham. Clearly Jones stands out among those as the player with the most potential to develop into a bonafide, NBA starting point guard. He's played just two proper seasons in the league and took some big strides forward in his second, jumping from 6.0 points and 3.4 assists to 12.9 points and 6.6 assists per game. What's more, like his brother Tyus he has demonstrated a penchant for taking care of the basketball, with an assist:turnover ratio which belies his inexperience.

But while that development was promising, the fact remains that he is a 6'1″ point guard who can't really shoot and is more likely to max out as a capable back-up point guard who gets targeted on defense. That's not exactly what Gregg Popovich and his Spurs need, and there is clearly room for them to get a whole lot better in this pivotal position.

Jones will likely be given the reins to an extent in season 2023-24, but he'll be playing a back seat point guard role, one where he's expected to do the basics to best capitalize on the far more notable talents with which he'll be surrounded.

Cameron Payne will be a worthy back-up, having provided a spark at times for the Phoenix Suns over the past couple of seasons, but again he's not exactly a quality NBA starting point guard.

The same can be said for Devonte Graham. He'll have games where he shoots the lights out and will make decent plays from time to time, but at 28 years of age we already know the kind of player he's capable of being in the NBA, and it's probably the kind that comes off the bench.

This is a team that has talent to burn, particularly now that Victor Wembanyama has joined the fray. What's more, a lot of that talent is complementary; Wembanyama is, obviously, quite big and can do lots of stuff, Sochan has a unique skill set as a big, Vassell can seriously score, Johnson is a bull, and you get the picture.

But the clear gap is at arguably the most important position on the floor. While Tre Jones and his back-ups will do a serviceable job for the Spurs next year, none of them are high-level talents and won't be moving the needle for this team too much. Hopefully, the Spurs will be in a lot more games deep in the final quarter in the upcoming NBA season than the last, but expect some teething issues surrounding who takes control in those situations given their lack of a decent point guard.