2018-19 Season Preview: San Antonio Spurs

For 20 years, the San Antonio Spurs were the most stable and drama-free
franchise in the NBA. That all changed last season, when the Spurs and their
best player -- Kawhi Leonard -- were not on the same page in regard to a leg
injury that kept Leonard out of all but nine games. That absence came with (or
produced) the first full (82-game) season in 21 years in which the Spurs didn't
register at least 50 wins. The team was unable to mend fences with
Leonard and traded him to Toronto, choosing to bring back an All-Star in his
prime (DeMar DeRozan) rather than a package built for 3-5 years down the
road.

> 30 Teams in 30 Days: Spurs ready to begin new chapter

> DA's Offseason Rankings: San Antonio at No. 10

ICYMI

Athletic guard Lonnie Walker IV was selected with the No. 18 pick in the
Draft … Rudy Gay was re-signed with a one-year contract, but the Spurs
chose not to match Memphis' offer sheet for restricted free agent Kyle
Anderson … The disgruntled Kawhi Leonard was traded, along with Danny
Green, to Toronto for DeMar DeRozan and Jakob Poeltl … The departures of
Tony Parker (to Charlotte in free agency) and Manu Ginobili (retirement)
marked the end of an era and left Patty Mills and Marco Belinelli (brought
back via free agency) as the only players left on the roster from the team that
won a championship just four seasons ago.

THREE POINTS

1. Does the defense finally fall out of the top five? The Spurs have ranked
in the top five defensively in each of the last six seasons and in 17 of the 21
(full) seasons that Gregg Popovich has been their coach. But the losses of
Green and Anderson on the wing provide another challenge for Popovich on
that end of the floor.

2. Can DeRozan and Aldridge play off each other? Offensively, the Spurs
took a big step backward last season. They now have two guys who scored at
least 23 points per game, but it remains to be seen if DeRozan and LaMarcus
Aldridge make each other better or will just be taking turns with the ball.
3. Is Murray a two-way player? Offensive development from Dejounte
Murray could go a long way. The Spurs allowed less than a point per
possession with the long-armed Murray on the floor last season, but he had a
brutal effective field goal percentage of just 34 percent on shots taken from
outside the paint (the league average was 49 percent).

MAN ON THE SPOT

Over his three seasons in San Antonio, the Spurs have catered more and
more to Aldridge. The "beautiful game" offense of the 2014 championship
season is long gone, and the Spurs have seen a drop in the percentage of
their buckets that are assisted in each of the last three seasons. Aldridge cut
down on his mid-range shots last season, but he still had the fourth-lowest
assist rate (recording assists on just nine percent of his possessions) among
the top 50 players in usage rate. If he can create more for others out of the
post, it could do a lot for a San Antonio offense that fell out of the top 10 last
season.

STARTING FIVE

Dejounte Murray | 8.1 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.9 apg

Grabbed 22 percent of available rebounds while he was on the floor, the
second highest mark among players 6-foot-5 and shorter.

DeMar DeRozan | 23.0 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 5.2 apg

Saw a big increase in assist rate last season, but also a big drop from the first
quarter (assists on 25 percent of his possessions) to the fourth (eight percent).

Rudy Gay | 11.5 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 0.8 spg

The 12-year vet has played just 87 games over the last two seasons, but is
now almost two years removed from a torn Achilles.

LaMarcus Aldridge | 23.1 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 2.0 apg

Had almost 200 more post-ups than any other player in the league last
season, with one of the league's lowest turnover rates out of the post.

Pau Gasol | 10.1 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 3.1 apg

Saw a huge drop in 3-point percentage (from 54 percent in '16-17 to 36
percent) last season. Still one of the league's best passing bigs.
KEY RESERVES

Marco Belinelli | 12.1 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 1.9 apg

His relentless movement off the ball should open things up for others.

Patty Mills | 10.0 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 2.8 apg

Shot 39 percent on pull-up 3-pointes over the last two seasons. Unique skill
on this roster.

Jakob Poeltl | 6.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.2 bpg

Foul-prone, but can catch and finish (72 percent in the restricted area last
season).

BOTTOM LINE

The Spurs are adding an All-Star to a team that won 47 games last season,
but lost some important pieces on defense and saw their front line get a little
bit older. You can't ever count this franchise out, but in a deeper Western
Conference, it might just take another step backward. A record in the range of
43-39 would be respectable, but might not be enough to keep the 21-year
playoff streak alive.