Electing the Backup Point Guard

[timvp]

With the 2012-13 training camp underway, perhaps the most intriguing battle on the Spurs depth chart can be found at backup point guard. No less than four players have a legit chance to secure the backup PG duties. Here's a quick rundown of each candidate:

PLAYER	PROS	CONS
Gary Neal	The in bent, Gary Neal was actually quite productive in the role for much of the season after taking over for T.J. Ford. Offensively during the regular season, the Spurs were extremely potent with Neal running the show. He's not only one of the best shooters in the league, he's able to create his own shots at times and has shown a knack of hitting timely shots. While not a great passer, he illustrated improvement in pick-and-roll sets as last season progressed.	Defensively, Neal is atrocious. If he's not the worst defensive point guard in the NBA, he's in the running. While he has quality size for the position, he lacks the quickness to stay in front of all but the slowest PGs. On offense, though the Spurs scored while he was at the helm, he's a below average ballhandler and passer for the position. In the playoffs, Neal didn't play well and ended up being a liability at both ends when he was at point guard.
Patrick Mills	If you read between the lines during the offseason, Pop and the coaching staff indicated that Patrick Mills would play a bigger role this season. If you look at what he's done since signing with the Spurs, it's difficult to find many negatives. He averaged double-figures for the Spurs in 16 games despite playing only 16.3 minutes per contest. Quarterbacking an overachieving Australian squad, Mills led all the Olympics with a scoring overage of 21.2 points. As the numbers suggest, Mills is a very good scorer who is never afraid to let it fly. Defensively, while his size limits his upside, he's shown a willingness to compete and pressure the basketball.	Although he's only a six-footer if you're feeling generous, Mills isn't a true point guard. He's a pretty good ballhandler but not as good as you'd suspect for someone with his size and speed. He's not selfish but he's also not going to win you basketball games with his passing ability. In fact, when it comes to running pick-and-rolls, he's the least accomplished of the four players on this list. Considering the Spurs rely on such sets so much, that's not going to help his candidacy. Defensively, his ceiling is to become average for a backup PG. He's just too slight to ever become a true asset on that end of the court.
Cory Joseph	Cory Joseph was really good during summer league. In five games, he averaged 17 points, 5.2 assists and 4.4 rebounds, while shooting 47.8% from the field and 40% from beyond the three-point arc. Compared to his rookie season, his improvement was stunning. On offense, he knocked down open jumpers, scored off the dribble and finished at the rim rather well. His leadership skills and the way he orchestrated the offense were usually positives. He passed the ball well, particularly on pick-and-roll sets. Defensively, he has the size, athleticism and dedication to become a difference-maker. He's not there yet but he has the tools. Overall, perhaps his most notable positive is the rate at which he seems to be improving.	Joseph still has a lot to prove. He's only 21 years old and his resume is lackluster. In college, he was a disappointment. His rookie season -- both with the Spurs and with the Toros -- was underwhelming. While he played well in summer league, it's impossible to ignore the small sample size. Speaking of summer league, it's also worth noting that he turned the ball over too much (3.4 turnovers per game) and his intensity on both ends was inconsistent. I believe it's safe to say that Joseph restored his standing as a legit prospect but it's too early to say with confidence that he's ready for the bright lights. The Spurs might prefer to have Joseph spend another year in Austin and begin the year with a more proven commodity.
Nando De Colo	The tallest of the four candidates, Nando De Colo is a legit 6-foot-5. And while he's not an athletic wunderkind, he's light on his feet and his length for the position is a definite asset. In Europe, De Colo did his best work in pick-and-rolls -- an aspect that will translate well to what the Spurs would want out of him. He has also shown promise as a shooter and his experience playing with Tony Parker and Boris Diaw shouldn't be ignored. Neither should the fact that France ran San Antonio's offense, which hypothetically will result in a shorter learning curve.	Is De Colo a shooting guard or point guard in the NBA? That question is still up for debate. While his athleticism isn't a weakness, it's asking a lot for any 6-foot-5 player to stay in front of the quicker point guards in the NBA. On offense, he has a lot to prove. While he was a good player in Europe, he wasn't a star. He was more thought of as an up-and-coming prospect than a sure thing. De Colo also has a rep for making easy plays more difficult than necessary. Plus, he isn't known to be especially sound fundamentally -- a trait that could quickly aggravate the coaching staff.

My questions for the denizens of SpursTalk:

1. Who would you elect as the Spurs backup point guard?

2. Who do you think Pop will go with to start the season?

3. Who do you think will be the backup point guard come playoff time?

[JR3]

1.Patty Mills
2.Gary Neal
3.Nando De Colo

[ElNono]

1. Who would you elect as the Spurs backup point guard?

Patty Mills

2. Who do you think Pop will go with to start the season?

Gary Neal

3. Who do you think will be the backup point guard come playoff time?

Gary Neal

Thanks for the writeup!

[timtonymanu]

As of right now,

1. Patty Mills
2. Gary Neal
3. Gary Neal

Neal is obviously the most experienced in the Spurs system. Unless Joseph or De Colo come out of nowhere (like Danny Green last season), it's pretty much a race between Patty and Neal.

I'm more concerned about the backup power forward position.

[Drom John]

1) Ginobili
2) Mills
3) De Colo
4) Joseph

SG) Neal

[objective]

1. Mills
2. Neal
3. Ginobili

[benefactor]

Neal will be traded.

1. Mills
2. Neal
3. Mills(with Manu splitting time)

[Spurs Brazil]

1.Mills
2.Neal
3.Mills

[TD 21]

Let's face it, two guys (Neal and Mills) have a legit shot at securing the primary backup point guard role. I'm not sure why people are pretending otherwise, when it's clear De Colo is bound for the inactive list and Joseph is bound for the Toros.

I'm also not sure why so many are surprised to see Neal starting at point in the scrimmage. Not that Mills can't and won't take his spot at some point, but make no mistake, Neal is the slight favorite going in, for the simple fact that he's the in bent. He doesn't have to prove anything. Mills, on the other hand, has to take his spot. They're not just going to hand it to him on the basis of him technically being a natural point guard.

1. Mills
2. Neal
3. Mills

[Leetonidas]

Mills is not a natural point guard at all

[spursince#99]

Patty Mills is a baller and that's all that matters. Therefore, he'll take Neal spot.

[Libri]

1. Mills
2. Neal
3. Neal

I think De Colo will get the Oberto treatment and will not play significant minutes in his first year.

[DesignatedT]

This is really a tough decision imo. Both are so similar but Neal performed well in the spot last year. I do think Patty deserves a shot though.

Either way, I think both are fully capable.

[justinandimcool]

i would love to see Patty starting out, see where that takes us. but IMO he's a faster, more selfish Neal, tbh. but that speed could be what elevates this team, or at least that bench-- to the next level.

[dunkman]

Mills, he's good both on offense and defense.
Neal or De Colo will have trouble defensively, Cory isn't ready yet.

[team-work]

1. Mills
2. Neal
3. Mills (he beats Neal for the backup PG spot or Neal is traded.)

[TD 21]

Mills is not a natural point guard at all

I meant in the sense that there's no other position you'd consider playing him at. There's a difference between natural and pure though.

[Bruno]

1. Mills
2. Neal
3. Mills

Joseph might quickly enter in the mix with good preseason games. At the end, I think the battle for the backup PG spot will be between Mills and Joseph with Neal and De Colo being more SGs.

[timvp]

Let's face it, two guys (Neal and Mills) have a legit shot at securing the primary backup point guard role. I'm not sure why people are pretending otherwise, when it's clear De Colo is bound for the inactive list and Joseph is bound for the Toros.

Disagree. The Spurs wouldn't sign a player for more than the minimum without thinking he could do more than sit on the inactive list. That'd make no sense. At some point, I'm confident De Colo will be given a chance.

Coming into the summer, the Spurs probably had Joseph penciled into Austin's starting lineup. But his play this summer has been good enough to make them reconsider that penciling.

Personally, I'm rooting for Joseph in this compe ion. He's a definite darkhorse right now but I like his defensive potential and the fact that he's probably the only one of the four who could possibly be the long-term starter down the road. Plus, if he wins the compe ion, it means he has become an undeniable force.

Go CJ

[jesterbobman]

I'm also rooting for Joseph. In a back court with Manu as a de facto PG, there isn't as much value in a PG being a huge creative force. Joseph's D has the most benefit, and if he can shoot well the spacing will be fine.

Realistically, I think Pop will start with Neal, and it'll be a battle between Mills and Neal to be the back up come playoff time. I could easily see a tighter rotation come playoff time though, where Manu is our reserve guard.

[TD 21]

Disagree. The Spurs wouldn't sign a player for more than the minimum without thinking he could do more than sit on the inactive list. That'd make no sense. At some point, I'm confident De Colo will be given a chance.

Coming into the summer, the Spurs probably had Joseph penciled into Austin's starting lineup. But his play this summer has been good enough to make them reconsider that penciling.

Personally, I'm rooting for Joseph in this compe ion. He's a definite darkhorse right now but I like his defensive potential and the fact that he's probably the only one of the four who could possibly be the long-term starter down the road. Plus, if he wins the compe ion, it means he has become an undeniable force.

Go CJ

I thought so too throughout the majority of the summer, but based on them standing pat, apparently they would (who else would they deactivate?). The reality is, it's going to to take multiple injuries simultaneously or Neal and Mills struggling mightily for De Colo or Joseph to be given a legit shot at being in the rotation this season. Otherwise, they're a year away.

Merit has very little to do with professional sports. Last season, it didn't matter that Green was better than Neal and Anderson. He only got the chance to show it when Neal got injured and Anderson struggled mightily.

I'm not rooting for anyone specifically, but like most, I think Mills is best suited for the role at this time.

[Leetonidas]

I meant in the sense that there's no other position you'd consider playing him at. There's a difference between natural and pure though.

ah, gotcha i get what you mean

[Kidd K]

Neal will be on the team, but will not be given the backup PG role. Ginobili will still split the duties with Parker like last year. We have the same ball handling weakness we always did. Only two guys worth a at doing it. Too bad Ford got hurt.

Joseph will probably spend the year with the Toros again unless Neal's traded, which is certainly looking possible with the De Colo signing, and fact that Mills really isn't much worse than Neal offensively, and despite being small isn't any worse defensively either.

De Colo, who knows. I think he's too shaky to end up being on the team and getting significant minutes the way Neal did a couple years ago. Wouldn't be surprised if he spent half the year with the Toros and got called up if Neal gets traded.

[iManu]

1. Mills
2. Mills
3. Mills

[SpursRock20]

I'd like to see Mills as the backup point guard, Pop will begin Neal in the beginning of the season at this spot, but end up replacing him with Mills.