Statistical evidence that the Spurs should be fantastic

It doesn’t take a particularly astute basketball fan to assume that the Spurs, having added free agents LaMarcus Aldridge and David West with minimal damage to their core, should be really, really good this season. Indeed, various online sports books have already pegged the Spurs as prime championship candidates, right behind Cleveland and just ahead of Golden State and Oklahoma City. (The Spurs would probably be slight favorites if not for the Cavaliers’ easier road through the Eastern Conference.)

Five Thirty Eight’s Neil Payne was even more precise, using a preseason projection system to estimate exactly how well the Spurs will fare. It’s not exact, of course — Payne had to guess at the…