San Antonio Spurs
The 2020-21 San Antonio Spurs season can be defined by the end of the LeMarcus Aldridge era, ushering in a full-fledged youth-infused movement to the future.
What did we learn?
Winter never came again for the previous White Walkers of the NBA.
The Spurs missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season, the first time that’s happened… in franchise history. (They did make the play-in, though!)
It was actually when San Antonio was still very much in the West playoff picture when the news broke in March that Aldridge’s days wearing a Spurs uniform were over, shut down until a trade or his eventual buyout. Over the first two months of the season, Aldridge looked like he was getting slower and older. Pop wanted the Spurs to play faster and younger.
It started in the bubble (which Aldridge missed after shoulder surgery) and Pop carried it over into this season: DeRozan at the 4 and as the main facilitator on offense. DeMar DeRozan is still a mid-range God, but he added even more playmaking to his bag, averaging the most assists per game of his career at a nice 6.9 dimes per game. Per Stat Muse, in his first 11 seasons, DeRozan had 13 games with 10 or more assists, and this season alone he finished with 14 such games. Even better, he did so while also being the Spurs go-to crunch-time scorer. The only players in the NBA with more clutch points scored than DeRozan was Dame and Beal.
The Spurs most used 5-man lineup this season featured DeRozan along with Dejounte Murray, Derrick White, Keldon Johnson and Jakob Poeltl. This 5-man lineup was precisely the type of lineup we have been clamoring for Pop to roll with. In 333 minutes, this group posted an offensive rating of 117.9. For context, the Brooklyn Nets #1 offense this season finished at 117.3, and the Spurs offense as a whole managed 110.5, just 19th in the league — the Spurs lowest-rated offensive finish since the 1996-97 season when David Robinson got hurt and they tanked for Timmy.
While that lineup was a boon offensively, there was a second five-man unit of Murray and Poeltl alongside bench guy veterans Rudy Gay and Patty Mills and rookie Devin Vassell that asphyxiated opponents defensively with an other worldly defensive rating of 85.2 and Net Rating of +26.4 in 123 minutes. It makes sense given the fact that both Murray and Vassell have 6-foot-10 wingspans, stifling not only on the perimeter but everywhere. If you manage to get past them, then you have to face Poeltl at the hoop, a lithe yet flummoxing rim protector, 6th in the NBA in blocks per game. (Poeltl’s free throw percentage, however, was a horrid 51 percent, and at one time stood at a frightening 32 percent.)
Rudy Gay would take over the DeRozan role for this unit as the playmaking 4, but he could actually space the floor better than DeRozan, shooting 38% from 3 on 4.4 attempts per game. And 12-year vet Spurs mainstay Patty Mills was right behind Gay, making 37.5% of his 3s on 6.3 attempts per game. There was that game in Staples Center in early January where Mills drilled eight 3s against the Clippers.
It’s certainly no secret that we stan players who play with intensity and fire, and Keldon Johnson without a doubt checks those boxes. Down by almost 20 points early in a game to the Lakers, Keldon Johnson flies in after rebounds, out-hustling everyone, yelling with a passion to completely change the momentum of the game. Those are exactly the types of players that we want. We might or might not also have a grand affinity for power dunks of which Keldon Johnson is no stranger. Not to mention the look of a player that is smooth and elegant.
Thanks to Covid, the Spurs had to play 40 games after the All-Star Break, and their record of 15-25 was still good enough to hold onto the 10-seed for the West play-in game.
The Spurs fell behind early to the Grizz in the play-in, but they fought back to make it interesting. They ultimately fell short, but the fact that Pop has given the keys to the youngin’s is all you can really ask for here.
Pop’s glow and glare from under the mask was always good for some unintentional comedic relief. And his flow makes him look rejuvenated, which we suspect also stems from coaching the Spurs fountain of youth.
With or without Winter, the future is here.
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Did our preseason Over/Under prediction hit?
Under 31.5 wins and it just feels so, so wrong.
Spurs 2020-21 Record: (33-39)
Nope, our preseason Over/Under prediction did not hit. It felt wrong because it was wrong.
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What’s Next?
The #12 pick in the draft. KOC’s mock has Turkish league MVP Alperen Sengun which seems like a very Spursy pick. The Spurs are also reported to be hosting Belgium point forward Vrenz Bleijenbergh for a pre-draft workout. Some have already dubbed Bleijenbergh the 2021 Poku, so LFG.
DeRozan, Rudy Gay and Patty Mills are all free agents which could open up $50 million in cap space. Not many big-time free agents out there and San Antonio isn’t exactly known for landing them either. Aldridge was probably the biggest and most recent.
One free agent who we could see really prospering with the Spurs: John Collins. The Hawks would be silly to not match any offer sheet, though. (The Hawks might be silly.)
If and when Patty Mills is re-signed, get him to play like International Competition Patty Mills!
The rumor mill says the Spurs are open to shopping Dejounte or Derrick White to possibly move up in the draft. Well, the Spurs could use a main building block. (That is if Keldon Johnson doesn’t continue on the trajectory that we see possible with him.)
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Favorite Spurs Highlight from the 2020-21 Season:
THE BIG BODY.
