Spurs are dead last in 3 points attempted, bottom 5 in point in the paint, and #1 in midrange attempts

[Amuseddaysleeper]

Pop's obsession with the midrange needs to die off. We still lack consistent shooters and we don't have nearly enough slashers.

I understand due to pace and lack of shooters we aren't going to be a great 3 point shooting team over the course of the season (which is a death knell in today's NBA) but being so poor at attacking the rim outside of DD is also frustrating.

This team needs to be major players by the trade deadline because the roster is awkwardly constructed right now.

[Robz4000]

The slashers this team has are mostly on the shelf (Murray, White, and Walker) while the shooters are playing up and down (Forbes, Beli) or just aren't very good in the first place (Mills, Bertans). The problem is the complete lack of wings and/or defenders. Like you said, the roster just isn't well constructed.

[marinoman]

The offense is solid though, defense is killing us

[cd98]

Sure, we can keep it up.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

The offense is solid though, defense is killing us

7th in offensive efficiency but only 15th in FG%

[bklynspursfan]

And despite that, 8th in ORtg, 10th in overall ppg, 2nd in FT shooting %, and turn the ball over the least in the league.

For comparisons sake, they were 17th in ORtg, 27th in PPG and 16th in FT% last season. (TO's they were 3 spots up, so still very good in that regard)

Point is, despite the lack of 3 point shooting compared to other teams, to this point they remain one of the top 10 offensive teams in the league. They are utilizing the personnel they have to do what they do best, and they're doing it efficiently.

[Dex]

Our main weapons are Aldridge and Derozan. What do you expect?

Pop can't just tell Aldridge to stay in the paint and tell Derozan to fire away from three.

Do you want to lose games? Because that is how you lose games.

Sure, it would be great if they could just run in for layups every time, but unfortunately, there usually tends to be another team in the way trying to prevent that.

[8FOR!3]

Dead last in 3's attempted, bottom 5 in paint (I could see that improving) and #1 in midrange attempts. And we're 6-3. So it's not like we're some kind of terrible team. The defense isn't good, I could also say that for a majority of the NBA. Obviously GSW stand apart from the rest but teams like OKC might be good on defense but I think we'd match up with them fairly well. But the offense has worked pretty well and it's been pretty damn good.

[Chinook]

I mean, Aldridge really should shot more in the paint. I don't get why he hates it. He's good at it, and the league is bad at stopping him from that range. I think DeRozan is fine offensively. If the team has problems with threes is comes from the role-players. Pop may well be discouraging guys shooting threes unless they're wide open, which could explain why they fake and drive way more than their skill-sets suggest they should. They also seem only to run plays for three when they have to. When you don't have enough scorers to play the iso style you want to play, you've got to tailor the offense to get other guys consistent looks. Beli seems underutilized. Forbes is pretty much just there to bring the ball up and space the floor. Bertans gets like two plays a game. Pop by and large hand picked this group of players. Gotta leverage them better than this.

[R. DeMurre]

It's also mystifying to me why Aldridge is so comfortable taking shots one step inside the three point line, but not taking three pointers. If anything, it would open the driving lanes a little if he took a few threes a game.

[itzsoweezee]

I mean, Aldridge really should shot more in the paint. I don't get why he hates it. He's good at it, and the league is bad at stopping him from that range. I think DeRozan is fine offensively. If the team has problems with threes is comes from the role-players. Pop may well be discouraging guys shooting threes unless they're wide open, which could explain why they fake and drive way more than their skill-sets suggest they should. They also seem only to run plays for three when they have to. When you don't have enough scorers to play the iso style you want to play, you've got to tailor the offense to get other guys consistent looks. Beli seems underutilized. Forbes is pretty much just there to bring the ball up and space the floor. Bertans gets like two plays a game. Pop by and large hand picked this group of players. Gotta leverage them better than this.

I thought he was shooting a lot more in the paint last year. Maybe it's just easier to get him looks near the basket when he's the main focus on offense. Seems he's getting the ball later in the shot clock this season.

[hater]

The beautiful game :cry

Love it :tu

[stu scotts eye]

I think Aldridge will be fine in the paint. Can he be more aggressive sometimes? Well, us on the couch says yes, because we've seen how we effective and unstoppable he van be when done.

But that shit gets tiring. He is picking his spots and pacing himself for the whole season. I mean, you guys realize how much of a burden he carried for us last year already?

Let him pick his spots, especially this early in the season.

[Immortal Spur]

And despite that, 8th in ORtg, 10th in overall ppg, 2nd in FT shooting %, and turn the ball over the least in the league.

For comparisons sake, they were 17th in ORtg, 27th in PPG and 16th in FT% last season. (TO's they were 3 spots up, so still very good in that regard)

Point is, despite the lack of 3 point shooting compared to other teams, to this point they remain one of the top 10 offensive teams in the league. They are utilizing the personnel they have to do what they do best, and they're doing it efficiently.
Thank you. Good post.


op right now... Everyone else is jumping off the cliff mom, I should too.

It's best to play to the players you have. Play to your strengths and limit your weaknesses. It's facts of life. Any mature person knows that. We got DeMar in a trade. LMA is the only major free agent to choose us. We ain't exactly at the grocery store. We make the best of what we have and what we can get. These sheep posts get on my nerves. Get over it. Our offense is potent. That's not the problem. We dam near put up 150 on the Lakers. But to be balanced we have to improve the defense, which is gonna have an affect on the offense.

[Seventyniner]

7th in offensive efficiency but only 15th in FG%

But I thought you knew which of those is more important.

[Immortal Spur]

Bottom line, everyone thinks the meta for the game is launching 3's and playing at elite pace, and that's so because the Warriors keep winning. It was the same thing when the Spurs were winning. Everyone wants to copy the champions. But when Durant leaves the Warriors, they ain't gonna be some world beaters anymore. They'll be very mortal. Some astute of the game might of notices that when the pace slows down and the game goes to a half court game Warriors struggle. Houston and other teams have shown that much. It's about controlling the tempo and who can play to their advantage or their game. Unfortunately differing styles have no chance cause the Warriors are so stacked, so it's moot. But I'm not of the mindset that 3's and elite pace is the only way to win. It just looks that way cause of how things are.

[JeffDuncan]

Pop's obsession with the midrange needs to die off. ...

But it already did. The desire for more and better 3pt shooting is why Forbes, Ferrari, and Bertans are on the roster.

But the desire has not been fulfilled this season, yet, for various reasons that are clear enough.

[DAF86]

Pop needs to start playing more lineups of 3 shooters around LA and DD.

Cunningham needs to start playing less in games where he's not needed to guard a superstar SF and/or isn't producing. Which are most of them.

[phxspurfan]

I mean, Aldridge really should shot more in the paint. I don't get why he hates it. He's good at it, and the league is bad at stopping him from that range.

LMA likes the 20 footers because he's not bout that bangin' in the post lyfe (most days). It puts a lot of wear and tear on the body. Look at how Duncan stopped doing it later in his career too.

[Poolboy5623]

What a disastrous formula..

[gospursgojas]

Yes they’re 6-3, 4th place in west. About where everyone thinks they should be.

[Kobe'sAchilles]

The 3 point attempts is misleading. I mean Houston, Boston, Golden St, etc etc have had games where they've shot 50 three pointers. We are never going to be like that so I dnt see why people are bitching about that. We are better this year than last year ( i assume bc I'm too lazy to look it up) in our number of makes and our 3 pts field goal percentage. That's what really matters. And also what helps cancel out the lack of 3s is us shooting more free throws. There are other ways to score than just 3s and focusing on only that will make you go 0-27 on attempts like Houston last year.

[Poolboy5623]

Yes they’re 6-3, 4th place in west. About where everyone thinks they should be.

Do you think they will stay top 4 throughout the season??

[rogcl1]

Is this a surprise to anyone? Merely a reflection of the strengths of their players. Primarily DD and LMA.

[Nathan89]

Recipe for success in the modern NBA.

[TD 21]

The apologists are predictably quick with their "our 3 highest usage players are all midrange specialists; what did you expect?" responses, but the question is, why haven't they evolved with the majority of the league? And why have we not heard of the Spurs even attempting to nudge them into doing so?

It's gotten so bad that Aldridge now has the yips from 3. The rare times he actually spaces to it, he's inexplicably passing up clean looks to step into long 2's.

Meanwhile, DeRozan's attempts are way down from last season. In his case, some of it could be due to him not being a pull up threat. His generally come on spot ups, but without another healthy perimeter playmaker to create those, he's not getting as many.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

Look at the roster. As Dex said, you work with what you’ve got. I’m sure if the Spurs can trade Cunningham and Poindexter for Klay Thompson you’ll see those three point percentages shoot right on up.

[cd021]

The apologists are predictably quick with their "our 3 highest usage players are all midrange specialists; what did you expect?" responses, but the question is, why haven't they evolved with the majority of the league? And why have we not heard of the Spurs even attempting to nudge them into doing so?

It's gotten so bad that Aldridge now has the yips from 3. The rare times he actually spaces to it, he's inexplicably passing up clean looks to step into long 2's.

Meanwhile, DeRozan's attempts are way down from last season. In his case, some of it could be due to him not being a pull up threat. His generally come on spot ups, but without another healthy perimeter playmaker to create those, he's not getting as many.

We both see eye to eye on this area. This whole "Spurs zig when the rest of the league zags" is silly when it puts the Spurs at a competitive disadvantage. I noticed the Aldridge pump fake on an wide open 3 and then taking two steps in and taking a 20 footer routine during the @ LA game and he's done it at least a couple of times since then. It's useful having a 5 that can shoot the way he does but it is a bit weird and annoying that his game didn't evolve out to the 3pt line like Bosh and Ibaka did.

The Spurs "big 3" are only taking 4.5 3pt per game and the SL is only taking 11 :lol The Spurs are taking fewer 3's per game than last seasons rocker throwing squad, it's clear that shooting more 3's isn't a priority. Shooting a higher percentage is fine but if the 21 teams are taking 30 3's per game (there is) then taking only 23 is just silly.

[cd021]

http://www.espn.com/nba/statistics/team/_/stat/offense-per-game/sort/avgThreePointFieldGoalsAttempted


21 teams are taking at least 30 3pt per game,

9 teams are taking at least 10 3's more per game than the Spurs 23.8 per game.

[cd021]

The 3 point attempts is misleading. I mean Houston, Boston, Golden St, etc etc have had games where they've shot 50 three pointers. We are never going to be like that so I dnt see why people are bitching about that. We are better this year than last year ( i assume bc I'm too lazy to look it up) in our number of makes and our 3 pts field goal percentage. That's what really matters. And also what helps cancel out the lack of 3s is us shooting more free throws. There are other ways to score than just 3s and focusing on only that will make you go 0-27 on attempts like Houston last year.

-Going 0-27 may be one of the oddest playoff flukes in NBA history, it doesn't cancel out or disprove what Houston did last season to post a record of 77-23 over the regular and post season.

- Spurs are taking fewer 3's than last season and only + 3%, that is not good.

-Spurs taking 13% more FTs but that's not nearly enough to make up for the explosion in 3pt attempts and makes

-There are other ways to score but it's a competitive disadvantage to be shooting significantly fewer 3's than most teams, while taking the most number of shots from mid range -a shot considered to be undesirable because of it's relatively low shooting percentages.

[Kobe'sAchilles]

-Going 0-27 may be one of the oddest playoff flukes in NBA history, it doesn't cancel out or disprove what Houston did last season to post a record of 77-23 over the regular and post season.

- Spurs are taking fewer 3's than last season and only + 3%, that is not good.

-Spurs taking 13% more FTs but that's not nearly enough to make up for the explosion in 3pt attempts and makes

-There are other ways to score but it's a competitive disadvantage to be shooting significantly fewer 3's than most teams, while taking the most number of shots from mid range -a shot considered to be undesirable because of it's relatively low shooting percentages.

We have two really good midrange shooters. That's just how it is. We need to figure out a way to get Bertans more involved. That's my real gripe so far. He NEEDS to be a threat and taking and making shots.
And Houston wasn't a fluke at all. They had plenty of games where they sucked on 3s. They won bc they actually played defense and they won in the playoffs bc of Chris Paul and his midrange. Once Houston lost him they went back to predictable basketball and got destroyed.

[cd021]

We have two really good midrange shooters. That's just how it is. We need to figure out a way to get Bertans more involved. That's my real gripe so far. He NEEDS to be a threat and taking and making shots.
And Houston wasn't a fluke at all. They had plenty of games where they sucked on 3s. They won bc they actually played defense and they won in the playoffs bc of Chris Paul and his midrange. Once Houston lost him they went back to predictable basketball and got destroyed.

-Houston lead the league with 42 3pt attempts per game last season, hitting 15 3's a game :wow. I think its safe to say that it was a big part of their success. Harden and Paul helped create those 3's, getting up that many 3's a game isn't easy and require play making, aggressive shooting, and also a commitment/green light from the coaching staff in order to do so. Their defense was certainly a part of it but bombing teams on offense was bigger part of the equation.

-The thing is that the Spurs have 4 high volume 3pt shooters in the rotation (Forbes, Mills, Beli, Bertans) the main issue is that the Spurs 3 best players only take a combined 4.5 3's a game, add in Cunningham- who's 3/4 and that number only jumps to 6 3's a game.

-Aldridge and DeRozen are both excellent mid range shooters but that shot is inherently bad shot. Shooting 43% on shots around 18 feet out is a high percentage (especially on the volume that they take) but taking two steps back adds another point while taking two steps in would result in a closer, and in theory, a higher percentage shot.

-Bertans starting in place of Cunningham, would definitely help the Spurs get more 3's up but Cunningham's team defense is something that is definitely needed.

[RC_Drunkford]

Out PGs are hurt. You want to shoot 3s? You need somebody to get to the rim and kick the ball out. 3 point attempts should go up once White is back

[sananspursfan21]

Our main weapons are Aldridge and Derozan. What do you expect?

Pop can't just tell Aldridge to stay in the paint and tell Derozan to fire away from three.

Do you want to lose games? Because that is how you lose games.

Sure, it would be great if they could just run in for layups every time, but unfortunately, there usually tends to be another team in the way trying to prevent that.

Thats actually why I think the midrange game can still be effective. Even if small ball rules supreme, teams are still packing the paint. And when they do, it’s nice to have a team that’s actually competent with the in between game. And as far as the 3 goes, without stat checking, aren’t they connecting pretty well when they do shoot them?

[Dex]

Thats actually why I think the midrange game can still be effective. Even if small ball rules supreme, teams are still packing the paint. And when they do, it’s nice to have a team that’s actually competent with the in between game. And as far as the 3 goes, without stat checking, aren’t they connecting pretty well when they do shoot them?

5th in percentage, but 29th in attempts.

[Philthemage]

Stats are only useful if you know what to make of them. We are 6-3 with a few of our core guys out. I'd take that record.

If we are shooting a good percentage midrange then why not stick to what we are good at. Would you rather us be shooting 20% from 3 point range but taking 40 a game?

[Seventyniner]

Come on now, this is just a math question. What is the correlation between ORtg and 3PAr (% of shots taken that are threes)? Bkref has the answers, after a little bit of work. In parentheses I put the Spurs' ORtg and 3PAr ranks for that season.

2018-2019 (so far): -0.1691 (ORtg: 9, 3PAr: 30)
2017-2018: 0.2517 (ORtg: 17, 3PAr: 27)
2016-2017: 0.3300 (ORtg: 9, 3PAr: 24)
2015-2016: 0.2678 (ORtg: 4, 3PAr: 25)
2014-2015: 0.4287 (ORtg: 7, 3PAr: 15)
2013-2014: 0.4841 (ORtg: 7, 3PAr: 16)
2012-2013: 0.5982 (ORtg: 7, 3PAr: 9)
2011-2012: 0.3525 (ORtg: 1, 3PAr: 7)
2010-2011: 0.4668 (ORtg: 2, 3PAr: 6)
2009-2010: 0.3497 (ORtg: 9, 3PAr: 9)

Notice a trend over the last 6 years? Cause I do. The correlation is getting weaker, which means that shooting threes is becoming ever less important to having a good offense. Hell, even though it's a small sample size, the correlation is fucking negative this year. More threes equals worse offense right now.

If the Spurs' midrange-heavy offense is offensive (!) to your idea of the way things should be, too bad. The numbers don't lie. A correlation of 0.3 or so is pretty weak, and that has been the case since the rise of the Rockets and their insane 3PAr.

I haven't seen any proof that if the Spurs shot more threes then their ORtg would improve. That would probably require a game-by-game analysis, adjusting for how well the opponents defend the three. I'd say the burden of proof is on the prosecution there. Even then, looking at the Spurs' ranks shows that Pop can craft a great offense without a lot of threes. That 2015-2016 team won 67 games with the #4 offense but a bottom-6 3PAr.

This year's Spurs team has problems, but I don't think the lack of three-point attempts is one of them.

[r0drig0lac]

Come on now, this is just a math question. What is the correlation between ORtg and 3PAr (% of shots taken that are threes)? Bkref has the answers, after a little bit of work. In parentheses I put the Spurs' ORtg and 3PAr ranks for that season.

2018-2019 (so far): -0.1691 (ORtg: 9, 3PAr: 30)
2017-2018: 0.2517 (ORtg: 17, 3PAr: 27)
2016-2017: 0.3300 (ORtg: 9, 3PAr: 24)
2015-2016: 0.2678 (ORtg: 4, 3PAr: 25)
2014-2015: 0.4287 (ORtg: 7, 3PAr: 15)
2013-2014: 0.4841 (ORtg: 7, 3PAr: 16)
2012-2013: 0.5982 (ORtg: 7, 3PAr: 9)
2011-2012: 0.3525 (ORtg: 1, 3PAr: 7)
2010-2011: 0.4668 (ORtg: 2, 3PAr: 6)
2009-2010: 0.3497 (ORtg: 9, 3PAr: 9)

Notice a trend over the last 6 years? Cause I do. The correlation is getting weaker, which means that shooting threes is becoming ever less important to having a good offense. Hell, even though it's a small sample size, the correlation is fucking negative this year. More threes equals worse offense right now.

If the Spurs' midrange-heavy offense is offensive (!) to your idea of the way things should be, too bad. The numbers don't lie. A correlation of 0.3 or so is pretty weak, and that has been the case since the rise of the Rockets and their insane 3PAr.

I haven't seen any proof that if the Spurs shot more threes then their ORtg would improve. That would probably require a game-by-game analysis, adjusting for how well the opponents defend the three. I'd say the burden of proof is on the prosecution there. Even then, looking at the Spurs' ranks shows that Pop can craft a great offense without a lot of threes. That 2015-2016 team won 67 games with the #4 offense but a bottom-6 3PAr.

This year's Spurs team has problems, but I don't think the lack of three-point attempts is one of them.

I agree, the problem is the lack of talent in general

[Amuseddaysleeper]

Come on now, this is just a math question. What is the correlation between ORtg and 3PAr (% of shots taken that are threes)? Bkref has the answers, after a little bit of work. In parentheses I put the Spurs' ORtg and 3PAr ranks for that season.

2018-2019 (so far): -0.1691 (ORtg: 9, 3PAr: 30)
2017-2018: 0.2517 (ORtg: 17, 3PAr: 27)
2016-2017: 0.3300 (ORtg: 9, 3PAr: 24)
2015-2016: 0.2678 (ORtg: 4, 3PAr: 25)
2014-2015: 0.4287 (ORtg: 7, 3PAr: 15)
2013-2014: 0.4841 (ORtg: 7, 3PAr: 16)
2012-2013: 0.5982 (ORtg: 7, 3PAr: 9)
2011-2012: 0.3525 (ORtg: 1, 3PAr: 7)
2010-2011: 0.4668 (ORtg: 2, 3PAr: 6)
2009-2010: 0.3497 (ORtg: 9, 3PAr: 9)

Notice a trend over the last 6 years? Cause I do. The correlation is getting weaker, which means that shooting threes is becoming ever less important to having a good offense. Hell, even though it's a small sample size, the correlation is fucking negative this year. More threes equals worse offense right now.

If the Spurs' midrange-heavy offense is offensive (!) to your idea of the way things should be, too bad. The numbers don't lie. A correlation of 0.3 or so is pretty weak, and that has been the case since the rise of the Rockets and their insane 3PAr.

I haven't seen any proof that if the Spurs shot more threes then their ORtg would improve. That would probably require a game-by-game analysis, adjusting for how well the opponents defend the three. I'd say the burden of proof is on the prosecution there. Even then, looking at the Spurs' ranks shows that Pop can craft a great offense without a lot of threes. That 2015-2016 team won 67 games with the #4 offense but a bottom-6 3PAr.

This year's Spurs team has problems, but I don't think the lack of three-point attempts is one of them.

That 67 win team is the most overrated Spurs team in history. The league was much weaker back then. That team also got their teeth knocked out by the Thunder.

There's a reason the long 2 is the least efficient shot in the game and why teams are more than happy to give it up. Almost all of the previous Spurs championships were excellent from downtown. 3 point shooting matters more than ever. It's frightening to build a team where your top 2 players suck from downtown. In this day and age you live and die by the 3. Being obsessed with midrange chucking and getting very little in regards to points in the paint is going to be a disastrous recipe come playoff time.

[sananspursfan21]

5th in percentage, but 29th in attempts.

Ok, that’s about what I would have guessed. Actually, better. If they’re hitting at that clip, they could take more but they seem to take good threes, not just jacking them up there. If shooting more means making more, obviously we all want that. But if it means taking threes just because, no thanks. There’s already 22-23 mediocre teams trying that. What has always set the Spurs apart in terms of success is that they didn’t follow trends....unless they knew they could pull them off. It’s not like we have a Steph Curry or Reggie Miller that just isn’t letting them fly, we don’t really have a 3 point specialty guy save for Brynnie or Belly.

[spurs10]

We are attempting fewer 3's but in the top five of makes. Yes DD and LMA are not 3 pt specialist, but we've seen several tight games won by DD's clutch play and LMA doing many things at an elite level. This team also has an array of shooters in Forbes, Bertans, Mills, Beli, and even Cunningham (5 3's against NOP).

[TD 21]

We both see eye to eye on this area. This whole "Spurs zig when the rest of the league zags" is silly when it puts the Spurs at a competitive disadvantage. I noticed the Aldridge pump fake on an wide open 3 and then taking two steps in and taking a 20 footer routine during the @ LA game and he's done it at least a couple of times since then. It's useful having a 5 that can shoot the way he does but it is a bit weird and annoying that his game didn't evolve out to the 3pt line like Bosh and Ibaka did.

The Spurs "big 3" are only taking 4.5 3pt per game and the SL is only taking 11 :lol The Spurs are taking fewer 3's per game than last seasons rocker throwing squad, it's clear that shooting more 3's isn't a priority. Shooting a higher percentage is fine but if the 21 teams are taking 30 3's per game (there is) then taking only 23 is just silly.

Well said. It's a simple math equation. Going against it means being a low variance team. When you're already at a talent disadvantage against elite teams, you can't afford to compound it with something that is in your control.

Mills, Belinelli, Bertans and Forbes, aren't the answer because none are good enough to play significant minutes against elite teams. It has to come from the best players. It's a combination of poor roster construction, archaic coaching and stubborn players.

At this point, they shouldn't be concerned with appeasing anyone. They needed Aldridge when they had a superstar, aspirations of championship contention and no other means to get him another star sidekick. Now, what's the downside if he wants out again? Besides, let's be honest: he wants to be here for family purposes and there's probably not another team that would be willing to turn it's offense over to a 33 year old, post up/mid range big.

[Coach X]

...
If the Spurs' midrange-heavy offense is offensive (!) to your idea of the way things should be, too bad. The numbers don't lie. A correlation of 0.3 or so is pretty weak, and that has been the case since the rise of the Rockets and their insane 3PAr.

I haven't seen any proof that if the Spurs shot more threes then their ORtg would improve. That would probably require a game-by-game analysis, adjusting for how well the opponents defend the three. I'd say the burden of proof is on the prosecution there. Even then, looking at the Spurs' ranks shows that Pop can craft a great offense without a lot of threes. That 2015-2016 team won 67 games with the #4 offense but a bottom-6 3PAr.

This year's Spurs team has problems, but I don't think the lack of three-point attempts is one of them.

Thanks for the numbers!


For the 3pt obsessed posters:

It's all about balance. Not enough threes is as bad as too many threes. Is there a magic number? No. It depends on every team style of play: their players, pace, number of long distance shooters, post players, quality and quantity of passers, athleticism, the structure of their playing units, etc. The 3pt attempts stat is irrelevant on its own. You can't base any analysis in such a simple stat. Put it against the 3pt% or any other shooting stat, distribution stats, efficiency stats or any other and we can start a discussion.
The lack of points in the paint could be much more representative, there are simple or advanced stats telling much more of what happens on the court (although the array of available numeric analysis provides complex information and a good understanding of the game is still needed in order to draw valid conclusions).

IMO there are no big issues in our offense so far. On the other hand, it's pretty obvious how fragile is our defense. Given the lack of defensive players in the roster, the team has to execute very well in order to present a decent defense. Otherwise, any team can score at its will, exploiting this Spurs team biggest weakness.

Spurs need to concentrate, communicate, put their asses down and move their feet if they want to have the chance of winning games. The number of 3pt attempts has nothing to do with that.

[JeffDuncan]

IMO there are no big issues in our offense so far.

Hello? Knock, knock. Anybody home?

We don't have a point guard.

Never mind. As you were. For a moment there I forgot it was Spurstalk.

[tbdog]

There was a good thread on Reddit recently, which really should have stayed longer. The league now all plays very similarly. Back in the early 2000s, how the Spurs played compared to the Lakers compared to the Suns compared to Mavs compared to the Kings were just different. It was a battle of who could play their style the most. It was fascinating to see how the Spurs could slow down the Suns, or how to handle Dirks midrange game. Even the east was fun with how the 76ers were just a bunch of defenders with AI as their sole offense. Or how Kidd would run and gun. Compared to Pistons which was just slow down D-troit Basketball.

Now it's just about finding the most talent, hence why teams like the Rockets have gone all in. It's about going with the most allstars you can get. Run up the floor, shoot 3's and switch of defense. Team with the most talent wins. The results are just boring. There isn't a chess match anymore. It's not even about matchups.

[r0drig0lac]

There was a good thread on Reddit recently, which really should have stayed longer. The league now all plays very similarly. Back in the early 2000s, how the Spurs played compared to the Lakers compared to the Suns compared to Mavs compared to the Kings were just different. It was a battle of who could play their style the most. It was fascinating to see how the Spurs could slow down the Suns, or how to handle Dirks midrange game. Even the east was fun with how the 76ers were just a bunch of defenders with AI as their sole offense. Or how Kidd would run and gun. Compared to Pistons which was just slow down D-troit Basketball.

Now it's just about finding the most talent, hence why teams like the Rockets have gone all in. It's about going with the most allstars you can get. Run up the floor, shoot 3's and switch of defense. Team with the most talent wins. The results are just boring. There isn't a chess match anymore. It's not even about matchups.

word
It's kind of sad as Durant made (so far) three nba seasons completely useless, and Silver is finishing the job.

[DaBears]

http://www.espn.com/nba/statistics/team/_/stat/offense-per-game/sort/avgThreePointFieldGoalsAttempted


21 teams are taking at least 30 3pt per game,

9 teams are taking at least 10 3's more per game than the Spurs 23.8 per game.

What does it matter if those 3's those teams are shooting more if they are not making them... SPURS may shoot less but they make a higher % than most of those teams above them... Look at those teams above them, do all of them have a better record than the SPURS currently, I havent seen the standings but i am willing to bet SPURS have a better record than most of them... So there is that!!

[Coach X]

Hello? Knock, knock. Anybody home?

We don't have a point guard.

Never mind. As you were. For a moment there I forgot it was Spurstalk.

Spurs controling tempo, no turnovers, running the offense they want, taking their shots. Forbes overachieving (I don't like him at all but can't deny it) and DeRozan is the playmaker.

We don't have a point guard but so far it hasn't been a problem. The defense has been THE problem until now.

[Roscoe P. Coltrane]

The beautiful game :cry

Love it :tu Diaw is playing again?

[JeffDuncan]

... The defense has been THE problem until now.

No argument there.

[HarlemHeat37]

There was a good thread on Reddit recently, which really should have stayed longer. The league now all plays very similarly. Back in the early 2000s, how the Spurs played compared to the Lakers compared to the Suns compared to Mavs compared to the Kings were just different. It was a battle of who could play their style the most. It was fascinating to see how the Spurs could slow down the Suns, or how to handle Dirks midrange game. Even the east was fun with how the 76ers were just a bunch of defenders with AI as their sole offense. Or how Kidd would run and gun. Compared to Pistons which was just slow down D-troit Basketball.

Now it's just about finding the most talent, hence why teams like the Rockets have gone all in. It's about going with the most allstars you can get. Run up the floor, shoot 3's and switch of defense. Team with the most talent wins. The results are just boring. There isn't a chess match anymore. It's not even about matchups.

That has nothing to do with the era or a change in philosophy, it's simply because the Warriors exist..everything is based on beating them, nothing else matters, nobody else is in the same universe..

[tbdog]

Although true. This is why i don't see trying to get 3 allstars on max contract is sustainable. The rule changes and how much is protected shooters, has resulted in this run and gun, switch D and 3 point shot is similar throughout.

[HarlemHeat37]

Warriors could very well lose Durant or Klay soon, it'll be interesting to see how much things change around the league if they break up..

[Coach X]

13/32 from 3pt line in Miami and Spurs score 88 points and lose against the Dragic-Wade-Waiters-Johson-less Heat.

As I said previously, lack of points in the paint is more concerning to me. Spurs don't need Aldridge and DeRozan just jumpshooting instead of finishing at the rim and getting fouled. Gay and Gasol were really missed in this area. DeJounte Murray's inside aggression is missed as much as his defense. Any contribution from any other player in this area will be very useful.

Want to shoot more threes regardless the shoots are coming from a balanced offense or not? InMiami you had an example of what will happen. A 40%3pt FG with 32 attempts is pretty good, isn't it? It doesn't mean a thing by itself, though.

The offensive juggernaut trio on Hassan Whiteside, J Winslow and Wayne Ellington having season highs in scoring and a 50%FG and yesterday's Miami Heat team turning the ball only 13 times says much more. Add to this the best offensive performance of the season from the Orlando Magic on their visit to San Antonio.

Forget about the 3pts. This Spurs team can't beat anybody without playing defense.

[cd021]

What does it matter if those 3's those teams are shooting more if they are not making them... SPURS may shoot less but they make a higher % than most of those teams above them... Look at those teams above them, do all of them have a better record than the SPURS currently, I havent seen the standings but i am willing to bet SPURS have a better record than most of them... So there is that!!

It matters a lot. Going 9-24 is all well and good but other teams are taking significantly more 3s and hitting them at only a slightly lower rates.

The days of the Spurs being able to clamp down and limit the number of opponents 3s are over, so opponents are more likely to get off 30+ 3s against us.

There is a level of variance that taking a lot of 3s adds; most teams probably won't shoot worse than 30% during a bad game and a median outcome is probably around 35-38% but there are going to be games where a team might go, say 14-31 or 16-36.

Since the Spurs are taking so few 3s the variance is much smaller; where they could shoot poorly and end up with only 7 or 8 3s made or shoot it great and hit 10 or 11. Instead the Spurs are taking a ton of mid range shots that are very inefficient, especially in today's NBA . It's just bad strategy.

[tbdog]

https://imgur.com/GrRs07x

[duncan2k5]

Wow... So many ppl ok with mediocrity

[TimDunkem]

Wow... So many ppl ok with mediocrity

Best to let others have a turn and all that.

[DaBears]

It matters a lot. Going 9-24 is all well and good but other teams are taking significantly more 3s and hitting them at only a slightly lower rates.

The days of the Spurs being able to clamp down and limit the number of opponents 3s are over, so opponents are more likely to get off 30+ 3s against us.

There is a level of variance that taking a lot of 3s adds; most teams probably won't shoot worse than 30% during a bad game and a median outcome is probably around 35-38% but there are going to be games where a team might go, say 14-31 or 16-36.

Since the Spurs are taking so few 3s the variance is much smaller; where they could shoot poorly and end up with only 7 or 8 3s made or shoot it great and hit 10 or 11. Instead the Spurs are taking a ton of mid range shots that are very inefficient, especially in today's NBA . It's just bad strategy.

This will happen and is a result of who we have as our primary scorers are 2 of the best Mid range shooters in the game. But maybe we make a trade our 2 1st rds for Jimmy B... he would help in the 3&D..

[cd021]

This will happen and is a result of who we have as our primary scorers are 2 of the best Mid range shooters in the game. But maybe we make a trade our 2 1st rds for Jimmy B... he would help in the 3&D..

I don't think Butler would fit with DeRozen offensively. They are both ball dominant and neither are necessarily lethal off ball. Then there is Aldridge who would have fewer touches to go along with his inefficient start to the season. It would be a talent play but it has plenty of risk.

Having Forbes, White, DeRozen, Gay, and Aldridge as the SL would help considering White is a better shooter than Cunningham but the Spurs would still likely remaining near the bottom of the league in attempts

[JeffDuncan]

Having Forbes, White, DeRozen, Gay, and Aldridge as the SL would help...

...the team to tank, no question about it.

[Spurtacular]

:lmao Awesome thread.

10/10

[ceperez]

Miami exposed the Spurs offense. Throw in an athletic big that can threaten DeRozan and Aldridge and Spurs can't score.