I tried to tell yall MFuuhs

[Chinook]

Well, I don't think anyone is playing particularly good defense, which is what you alluded to earlier. I mean, Wemby blocks shots because he is tall and long, but it's not like you can just put him on any player and he shuts them down. I think the Spurs caught the Pacers on a hot shooting night, but I saw guys hit shots over Wemby. Once the Spurs learn to play good team defense, then Wemby's length and shot intimidation will be at its max powers. The Spurs rotations are so late and disjointed that a good shooting team like the Pacers with some good passing is going to get open shots.

Oh, yeah, Wemby doesn't play good defense. I think he's been coached on fundamentals, but something about Pop coaching is making him slide more toward the other players. Again, it's a massive indictment of Pop that the team can't figure how to defend the three-point line.

But as to Sochan, he has the physical tools to be a good defender and he has only played a half a season last year and 7 games this year. Let's see what he develops into at the end of year two. In fact, we really need to give him three years because that's about the time you start to see guys in the Spurs development system really show if they are a player or not. But of all the guys on the roster, he has the height and the athletic ability to develop into a guy that can guard 4 positions and no one on the roster has the same physical tools.

The Spurs don't need a guy to put on everyone. Defense, like spacing, can't be outsourced. The Spurs during the Medium Three era had three guys who could defend at each level as well as defend together. Sochan isn't defending one position well -- let alone four. While I don't think he looks all that bad by the eye test, I'd reckon the Spurs are seeing so little success because they are defending "late". Meaning they're focusing on trying to block the guy's vision while doing nothing to stop him from getting to his spots or denying passes. I think the issues with passes are because the only legit centerfielder the Spurs have on the perimeter is Tre Jones. Wemby covers a ton of ground, but teams are basically mitigating him by just playing to the other side of the court and waiting for Victor to make a mistake. Having guys like Kawhi, Green, Anderson or Murray would really help. That's part of the reason why the Spurs might want to consider trading for OG if the price is right. You can see the effect adding Wemby has had. They need to double- or triple-down on that effect by getting good defenders rather than assuming guys who haven't figured out D in four or five years will see the light.

I don't know if he is a point guard or not. I like Jones, but we don't have an elite PG and while the Spurs clearly wanted Chris Paul, they ultimately could not get him. My guess is that they will get a veteran point guard down the road this season but they are still evaluating the best roles for all the players. And I think the Sochan at point guard is a little off anyway. The Spurs have been talking about position-less basketball during this rebuild. In the starting line up, like 4 different players bring the ball down the court. I think the Spurs are seeing if they can make an offense work without a traditional point guard. So far the results have been mixed to poor, but maybe they see some stuff they like or maybe they'll pull the plug later this month and start Jones. I think they feel like Sochan is one of their 5 best and they want to find a way to get him on the court knowing that the 4 spot is owned by Wemby.

The Spurs have been trying this offense without success for years now. Sochan starting at PG is just more obvious, but there's a through-line from that to Primo playing PG, to the "hydra offense" with DMDR at PF to White/Murray as a starting duo to Parker and Ford getting minutes together to Pop wanting a Kidd/Parker starting backcourt. If Pop wants to run an offense that way, he needs to get guys who are good at that rather than trying to develop guys to be good at it. Can Sochan "be the PG" if he's playing PF? Maybe. If he's supported by three or four other players who have floor games similar or better than him, he'd probably be able to do his part even now. But Pop wants a PG, which is why he keeps using that term. He wants Sochan to do PG things and play that role -- he needs someone to do that to develop the team. So I don't buy the positionless argument particularly about Sochan. I think Pop wants multiple PGs rather than no PGs.

[Chinook]

Less "Diaw lite" and more "athletic Kyle Anderson"?

I keep thinking of Reggie Evans for some reason. Or Marcus Smart. Or MWP. Or Lance Stephenson. Just ... a guy who's in the league. I don't see him as Anderson or Diaw.

[paperboy77]

His ceiling is probably Draymond Green.

Triple Single with good defensive skills and some passing skills.

Don't we wish that would be the case?

[TD 21]

I love Sohan as a player. He's a dirty work gritty player and every team needs one of those. I love his demeanor and that he's unhappy. Seven games in and playing like he is, he should be unhappy. But that's the thing, these type of players just need time to figure it out. Like Draymond he will figure out the league and master it and eventually become a great player and teammate for Wemby. We all just have to be patient and watch carefully for the signs that he is coming around. I have no doubt he needs as many minutes as possible, but eventually he will figure it out. I get really frustrated and inpatient from time to time, but when I step back I realize this team is going in the right direction with him as a big part of it.

"He's a dirty work gritty player" and "this team is going in the right direction with him as a big part of it", based on what? All you were missing was "he has to start because he's our third best player". Does he actually ever have to prove any of these things to be anointed?

Oh, yeah, Wemby doesn't play good defense. I think he's been coached on fundamentals, but something about Pop coaching is making him slide more toward the other players. Again, it's a massive indictment of Pop that the team can't figure how to defend the three-point line.

Analytics claim 3-point defense is mostly luck in a large sample size, but it's a long term issue here. My theory is their aversion to prioritizing wingspan has played a significant part.

[exstatic]

Analytics claim 3-point defense is mostly luck in a large sample size, but it's a long term issue here. My theory is their aversion to prioritizing wingspan has played a significant part.

Cissko 6’6” 6’10”
Barlow 6’9” 7’3”
Sochan 6’9” 7’1”
Branham 6’4” 6’10”
Wesley 6’3” 6’9”
Vassell 6’6” 6’10”

Anything over +4 is considered “long”. I’d say they done nothing BUT prioritizing wingspan.

[Obstructed_View]

keep in mind theres a contingent here who think that the spurs were actually secretly good last year and pop basically instructed them to lose and play no defense, etc

Lol nobody said they were "secretly good". They tanked by not playing defense. The fact that defense has been mentioned more in seven games than the entirety of last season is evidence of that. They've certainly not figured out how to defend the perimeter. Frankly, they'd be better giving up layups than threes at 50%.

In fact, their defense isn't always terrible. Many times they get a stop but fail to secure a rebound and then give up a three. This year's team is harder to watch than last year's.

[TD 21]

Cissko 6’6” 6’10”
Barlow 6’9” 7’3”
Sochan 6’9” 7’1”
Branham 6’4” 6’10”
Wesley 6’3” 6’9”
Vassell 6’6” 6’10”

Anything over +4 is considered “long”. I’d say they done nothing BUT prioritizing wingspan.

Sochan is 6'8'' barefoot with a 6'11'' wingspan.

Some of them have decent length relative to height, but are subpar relative to position and they're below average athletically.

Barlow is the only exception to either rule, but he's a project/non rotation player.

[exstatic]

Sochan is 6'8'' barefoot with a 6'11'' wingspan.

Some of them have decent length relative to height, but are subpar relative to position and they're below average athletically.

Barlow is the only exception to either rule, but he's a project/non rotation player.

Now you're just moving the goalposts.

[TD 21]

Now you're just moving the goalposts.

Nah, I'm adding injury to insult.