After back-to-back first-round playoff exits over the past two seasons, one could argue that the San Antonio Spurs are in a bit of a funk. The side has not been able to fully recover from the loss of superstar Kawhi Leonard, a few years back, and has since become somewhat of a forgotten side in the Western Conference.

One thing is for sure though — the Spurs are no longer the powerhouse side that once struck fear in the heart of their opponents. Then again, San Antonio has had a scorching hot start to the new campaign. Head coach Gregg Popovich and his squad have notched three consecutive victories already and remain as one of the few unbeaten teams in the entire league.

San Antonio might not be one of the favorites to go all the way this year, but judging by their strong start, it does appear that the Spurs are on the right track in terms of becoming a legitimate threat in the West again.

The Spurs have had the benefit of opening the new campaign with a rather less demanding schedule, kicking off the season against two Eastern Conference sides that are strong lottery contenders for the new season. The Spurs secured victories against the New York Knicks on opening night, 120-111, followed by the Washington Wizards, 124-122, on Saturday.

However, it was a different story on Monday, as San Antonio logged an important victory against fellow Western Conference challenger in the Portland Trail Blazers. With the Spurs emerging with a 113-110 win against Damian Lillard and company, they were able to prove that their first two wins were no fluke.

The duo of DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge have lived up to expectations thus far. DeRozan is currently averaging 22.0 points (on 48.0 percent shooting), 5.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.3 steals, while for his part Aldridge has been posting 21.3 points (on 49.0 percent shooting), 8.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.7 steals, and a whopping 2.7 blocks. Both stars are picking up right where they left off last season, and their consistent play will definitely be pivotal for how the Spurs fare this season.

The return of Dejounte Murray has served as a significant boost for the Spurs, with the 23-year-old point guard averaging 14.7 points (on 54.5 percent shooting), 8.3 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 2.0 steals, and 0.7 blocks in just 23.0 minutes of action. His emergence as San Antonio's new point guard of the future may be one year delayed, but Murray does appear to be eager to make up for lost time.

Finally, coach Pop also seems to be getting the most out of his role players with guys like Bryn Forbes and Derrick White putting up some very useful numbers for the squad. These two might just be San Antonio's two most important x-factors this season.

At the end of the day, Gregg Popovich still remains to be one of the top masterminds of the game today. So long as he's at the helm, the Spurs should be in good shape. It's still too early to tell, but it would not be surprising if the Spurs emerge as one of the dark horses in the West this year.