The adage “you’re only as strong as your weakest link” is a cliche for a reason. It’s their teammates that have been the problem. The departures of the guys mentioned above add pressure to Murray and Poeltl to anchor the defense. There’s also Pau Gasol, who was a forceful presence in limited minutes. The collective loss of those three has been brutal. Anderson signed with the Grizzlies during the summer of 2018. The only notable addition is Jakob Poeltl, who came over with DeMar DeRozan in the Kawhi Leonard deal.
In recent seasons, having guys Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green, and Kyle Anderson made the Spurs a nightmarish matchup for other teams. This team just does not resemble previous Spurs squads. At the time of this writing, they rank 25th in defensive rating and 26th in points allowed. (Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports)Įverything that went wrong for the Spurs last season has multiplied this time around. That, of course, was limited by the team’s sluggish playstyle - fewer possessions means fewer points. By that measure, they were a below-average defense for the first time since Popovich’s first year. Last season, however, they began to slip, relinquishing 111.2 points per 100 possessions. They finished top-three in defensive rating every season from 2012-13 to 2017-18 cumulatively, from 1996-97 through the 2018 season, the Spurs recorded a defensive rating of 101.4, the lowest over that time. The system is spectacular, and the group always has a couple of guys who are elite individually as well as in a team setting. The San Antonio Spurs have been an elite defensive team for the last 20 years or so. With that, though, they still won most of their games on the defensive end. The team, however, had the league’s seventh-best offensive rating, per Basketball Reference. They were average in assists and didn’t get to the line, which was the result of their anemic attack on the basket (23.5 shots per game inside of five-feet). Admittedly, there wasn’t anything special about their attack. In total, the Spurs ranked 18th in scoring volume with 111.7 points a night. A past-his-prime Rudy Gay was the third-leading scorer at 13.7, followed by Bryn Forbes (11.8) and Marco Bellinelli (10.5). Even so, the team lacked a third star to push them over the hump. Popovich’s gameplan had DeRozan and Aldridge creating a considerable amount of points, whether it was them scoring or creating for others. DeRozan also morphed into a terrific playmaker, finishing with 6.2 assists per game, a new career-high. They also shot very well from the floor, with Aldridge at 51.9 percent and DeRozan at 48.1. Between them, they posted 42.5 points a night. The DeRozan-Aldridge duo was mostly responsible for the Spurs’ success last season. He’s healthy and returning to a team led by DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge. Additionally, one of the “new players” is Dejounte Murray, who’s only considered that because he missed all of last season with an injury. According to Basketball Reference, the Spurs returned 83 percent of their minutes, which ranks third behind Denver and Toronto. Another reason is that their roster is virtually identical compared to last season. San Antonio’s struggles are odd for a few reasons. Such futility would also constitute missing the playoffs, an outcome that’s alien to those who support the team. Should they maintain this pace, they’ll finish with roughly 30 wins. They’re 12th in the West, sandwiched between the Sacramento Kings and Memphis Grizzlies. This year, however, is different.įollowing their bizarre double-overtime victory over the Houston Rockets on Tuesday, San Antonio boasts an 8-14 record. And yet Popovich still managed to coach the team to 47- and 48-win seasons. For the last two campaigns, the San Antonio Spurs haven’t had a superstar to lean on. He’s dominated for the last two decades, enlisting the help of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and Kawhi Leonard. Year after year, Gregg Popovich reaffirms himself as arguably the NBA’s best head coach.
The San Antonio Spurs are on pace to finish with their fewest wins in two decades, a fall from grace that’s come swiftly and without warning.