The San Antonio Spurs have made in the playoffs for 21 straight seasons. But a forecast by ESPN says that this year will be a playoff-less Spurs.

Kevin Pelton of ESPN, in his yearly standing projection, expects the Spurs to place 10th place in the Western Conference with 38.5 wins.

He explained why he came to that conclusion, citing the loss of Danny Green and Kyle Anderson. He singled out Anderson's impact, who is the second-best player in the team if ranked by RPM:

Article Continues Below
More San Antonio Spurs News
San Antonio Spurs guard De'Aaron Fox (4) dribbles against Dallas Mavericks forward Caleb Martin (16) in the first half at Frost Bank Center.
Spurs’ De’Aaron Fox reacts to potential major NCAA basketball changeMiguel La Torre ·
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) dunks over Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) during the second half at Frost Bank Center.
Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama casually video bombs Harrison Barnes with foul line dunkGuillermo Guajardo ·
In middle is Kevin Durant in Suns jersey. On one side of him is Durant photoshopped in Spurs jersey (number 35), on other side he is photoshopped in Timberwolves jersey (number 35).
Ranking Kevin Durant trade destinations among 5 ‘most interested’ teamsBailey Bassett ·
Spurs get first pick at 2023 NBA Draft lottery and take Victor Wembanyama
Ranking the Spurs’ 10 best lottery picks in historySpencer See ·
Victor Wembanyama, Paul Pierce
Paul Pierce shares hilarious take on Victor Wembanyama’s baldnessBurtland Dixon ·
Kon Knueppel talks to the media during the 2025 NBA Draft Combine at Marriott Marquis Chicago.
Spurs rumors: ESPN makes eye-opening suggestion for No. 2 pick in mock draftZachary Howell ·

The narrative about the Spurs since the Leonard trade has been that they’re adding DeRozan to a team that won 47 games last season with virtually no contribution from Kawhi. (I even mentioned something similar in my trade grades.) The problem with that analysis is San Antonio lost two other starters in Danny Green and Kyle Anderson, who filled Leonard’s spot in the lineup. Anderson rated as the Spurs’ second-best player by RPM last season and Green (minus-0.2) projects better than DeRozan (minus-0.4) by RPM. Add in aging from San Antonio’s veteran core, and it’s certainly possible the Spurs won’t be as good as they were last season, though I wouldn’t necessarily bet against them making the playoffs.

Though Pelton himself pointed out the weakness of his analytical model, he might have a thing going in here. Apart from an aging roster, their head coach Gregg Popovich, too, is not getting any younger each day. Though he hasn't shown signs of fatigue in any way (he's even coaching Team USA), one cannot discount the wear and tear he's been through over the years.