Spurs Nation is excited for this season and for good reason. The Spurs are expected to be significantly better this year and contend for a playoff position. Victor Wembanyama made major strides in the second half of last season and most expect that upward trajectory to continue in his sophomore campaign.

They added veterans with playoff experience to teach the young nucleus the right way to win, and how to perform in the playoffs when the game becomes tighter. The Spurs are building and still have a ton of draft capital over the next few seasons to improve even more.

Continuity—defined as the unbroken, consistent existence of something over a period of time—cannot be statistically quantified like numbers can, but it’s equally, if not more, important.

A team with chemistry and continuity, that plays for each other and grows with each other through hard times is a team that has a fabric that can’t be unwoven.  These teams don’t necessarily have the overall talent that it would normally take to be on top but have the ability and the selflessness to get there—think the 2004 Detroit Pistons. They undoubtedly had excellent players, but they also had great continuity.

The Spurs have that familiarity now. The core group of players—Johnson, Vassell, Sochan, Collins, Tre Jones—have been together and grown through struggles over the rebuild. This year they begin to turn the corner. The addition of veterans to teach them the intangibles they need to get from the basement to start the ascension to the top will only help, but the continuity of this core group will lead them to greater heights.

Their relationships will allow them to grit out extra wins when games get tight—enough to make the playoffs this season.