Grades: Spurs vs. Kings - July 31, 2020

[timvp]

https://www.spurstalk.com/grades-san-antonio-spurs-sacramento-kings-july-31-2020/

*dusts off keyboard*

The Spurs are fun to watch again :tu

[ducks]

Good

[BillMc]

Thanks for the grades OP. Good to have this back.

[spurraider21]

we've been joking that its going to take injuries to forbes and marco for pop's hand to be forced. turns out to be the case.

there will be some rough games and growing pains, but guys like keldon and lonnie need in-game experience to grow. white needs to be thrust into a bigger role to get aggressiveness out of him.

[Chinook]

I thought Murray validated Pop not playing him and White together more. They don't fit, and them and DeRozan (and LMA in normal times) mean no one else playing with them will get touches. The Spurs were better without him tonight, and going forward, I think it makes sense to bench Murray and play Johnson as the starting three. That'd give the team some needed front-court strength and allow Walker to at least get third-option touches.

[KobesAchilles]

This is the team that I envisioned us being before Pop screwed it up. The Spurs didn't have a change of gear in the team. They played slow iso ball in the starters and then slow iso ball in the bench for most of the year. Pop should've played all the vets together and then brought all the youth in as the second unit to make the team really up tempo. I think a MIlls, White, KJ, Lonnie, and Poetl second unit would've been very helpful to us. BUt of course, we never saw that unit once during the regular season.

Also KJ is a beast. Him, White, and Lonnie have a future on the team. Everyone else is fighting for a spot on the roster as far as I'm concerned

[Russ]

With Bryn Forbes out due to injury and Patty Mills apparently becoming an assistant coach, Quinndary Weatherspoon got real minutes.

:lol

Welcome back. :toast

[Dejounte]

If I'm right about Keldon yelling at an established vet/ star to "pass the ball!" (DeMar) in last night's game.... We have ourselves a player with an intensity of past greats like Kobe and MJ... Who in their right mind would do that as a rookie? Dude has some balls...

[Russ]

If I'm right about Keldon yelling at an established vet/ star to "pass the ball!" (DeMar) in last night's game.... We have ourselves a player with an intensity of past greats like Kobe and MJ... Who in their right mind would do that as a rookie? Dude has some balls...

I was all for drafting Keldon at 19. Considering the stiff (perhaps) we got at 19, we were real lucky to get KJ on the rebound at 29.

[Play Boban]

I love how Poop always makes himself the center of attention. This time he stands when everyone else takes the knee. Hilarious! :lol

[GAustex]

Wonder if poop not kneeling here had to do with olympics coaching gig?

[NASpurs]

Wonder if poop not kneeling here had to do with olympics coaching gig?

I think it has more to do with him being 70+. Goes down, never comes back up.

[superbigtime]

Very pleased.

[spurs10]

Thanks for the grades! I hope Beli is okay, but a sprain isn't going to heal overnight. Great grades!

[Dejounte]

If I'm right about Keldon yelling at an established vet/ star to "pass the ball!" (DeMar) in last night's game.... We have ourselves a player with an intensity of past greats like Kobe and MJ... Who in their right mind would do that as a rookie? Dude has some balls...

https://imgur.com/gallery/qvv5Jag

https://i.imgur.com/VBm3heO.mp4

[SAGirl]

I thought Murray validated Pop not playing him and White together more. They don't fit, and them and DeRozan (and LMA in normal times) mean no one else playing with them will get touches. The Spurs were better without him tonight, and going forward, I think it makes sense to bench Murray and play Johnson as the starting three. That'd give the team some needed front-court strength and allow Walker to at least get third-option touches.
I agree. Hopefully he accepts that role bc otherwise he should be traded b4 he’s devalued.

[SAGirl]

This is the team that I envisioned us being before Pop screwed it up. The Spurs didn't have a change of gear in the team. They played slow iso ball in the starters and then slow iso ball in the bench for most of the year. Pop should've played all the vets together and then brought all the youth in as the second unit to make the team really up tempo. I think a MIlls, White, KJ, Lonnie, and Poetl second unit would've been very helpful to us. BUt of course, we never saw that unit once during the regular season.

Also KJ is a beast. Him, White, and Lonnie have a future on the team. Everyone else is fighting for a spot on the roster as far as I'm concerned 100% agree.:tu

[MultiTroll]

Who knows how much of this is Pop doing some soul searching in his time away or Pop getting lucky with injuries or Pop going into a developmental modePop and Us getting lucky.

Agree, regardless it was nice to see.
Please last thru the rest of the season.

[Chinook]

https://imgur.com/gallery/qvv5Jag

https://i.imgur.com/VBm3heO.mp4

He's not talking to DeRozan. He's talking to the group (my guess because they weren't doing it well before then). Anyone who's gone to a Toros game this year knows he says stuff like this ("Help each other out." "Pass the ball." "Communicate on D.") all the time. ST is obsessed with narratives. Johnson is impressive in how well he seems to understand the game and his willingness to be a leader even with vets on the team. There's no need to bring DeRozan bashing here.

[Dejounte]

He's not talking to DeRozan. He's talking to the group (my guess because they weren't doing it well before then). Anyone who's gone to a Toros game this year knows he says stuff like this ("Help each other out." "Pass the ball." "Communicate on D.") all the time. ST is obsessed with narratives. Johnson is impressive in how well he seems to understand the game and his willingness to be a leader even with vets on the team. There's no need to bring DeRozan bashing here.

It's a fair point and I'm willing to accept I could be wrong. If anything, like you said, it's impressive he's willing to speak up like that.

[TimmehC]

I remember practically screaming at my monitor for Clarke, Little or KJ at 19. Glad we still got one, but we could've had two.

[phxspurfan]

Curious to see how Luka will fit with this squad. Also with LMA out the team looks so different, playing small ball a la Houston. Perhaps they’ll like what they see and find that’s the way of the future

[BackHome]

Well at least it will answer some questions that will hopefully help them figure out who to draft who to trade and who to let go.

[offset formation]

This is the team that I envisioned us being before Pop screwed it up. The Spurs didn't have a change of gear in the team. They played slow iso ball in the starters and then slow iso ball in the bench for most of the year. Pop should've played all the vets together and then brought all the youth in as the second unit to make the team really up tempo. I think a MIlls, White, KJ, Lonnie, and Poetl second unit would've been very helpful to us. BUt of course, we never saw that unit once during the regular season.

Also KJ is a beast. Him, White, and Lonnie have a future on the team. Everyone else is fighting for a spot on the roster as far as I'm concerned

Pace has increased, you're right. But that's a two way street. We are giving up over 120 pts per game if you take the small sample size of these guys playing together.

We can't outscore all our opponents. Kings didn't even have Bagley.

So while our scoring is up modestly, so too, our defensive efficiency is down over the regular squad. Long term that's not sustainable. It's the Rockets. Or the 90s Suns.

Defense wins championships.

[Dejounte]

Well at least it will answer some questions that will hopefully help them figure out who to draft who to trade and who to let go.

If Metu cant even get a single minute now... He is gone

[D-Robinson 50 fan]

Great grades and great to have them back to read!!

I’ve said during the off-season that White was the better point guard between he and Murray and he has been proving it during the scrimmages and the 1st real game back. Murray is a solid player but he isn’t really a point guard and I sadly don’t think he ever will be a point guard. He doesn’t have the instincts for the position but I love that he actually works hard on his game so barring injuries I doubt his contract will be a bad one during the duration of it.

[TD 21]

I thought Murray validated Pop not playing him and White together more. They don't fit, and them and DeRozan (and LMA in normal times) mean no one else playing with them will get touches. The Spurs were better without him tonight, and going forward, I think it makes sense to bench Murray and play Johnson as the starting three. That'd give the team some needed front-court strength and allow Walker to at least get third-option touches.

You've swayed me on this one. Even though I said Murray's lack of play making would be exposed if forced to run a unit as the primary creator (there's obviously ways they could still avoid that though), he's lost with the starters and really just gets in the way.

A Murray-White decision was likely always going to have to be made and if White's newfound aggressiveness and confidence is permanent, they're in no position to trade away what's right now arguably their best all around player just because he's on the older side for a re-build.

[KobesAchilles]

Pace has increased, you're right. But that's a two way street. We are giving up over 120 pts per game if you take the small sample size of these guys playing together.

We can't outscore all our opponents. Kings didn't even have Bagley.

So while our scoring is up modestly, so too, our defensive efficiency is down over the regular squad. Long term that's not sustainable. It's the Rockets. Or the 90s Suns.

Defense wins championships.
We are the 10th seed and you’re talking about a championship :lol We have like 3 people on the team that should stay and maybe a 4th in DJ. We are a long way from a championship.

Our young players have no chemistry together bc they’ve never played together. Learning in Austin doesn’t really help defensive rotations in the NBA bc the players are much faster. But if Pop gave the young players actual minutes together, didn’t completely ruin Dejounte Murray, and structured the offense to the strengths of his young players players instead of having them play slow iso ball, we could actually have made a run for home court. How can a team with Lonnie, DJ, White, and KJ be 14th in fast break points? Makes no sense.

We don’t have a true franchise player yet so we can’t be the 90s suns or current Rockets. But we can be the Van Exel Lakers. Or we just tank and hope for a generational pick. But what Pop did was stupid and I’m not so sure he didn’t ruin Dejounte Murray.

[Chomag]

There will be more bumps in the road and growing pains but the Spurs Young core is ready to move on from the old , it's time we see where they can take this team into the future.

Add at least one franchise type of player to these guys and Spurs would improve leaps and bounds as a legit contender.

[offset formation]

We are the 10th seed and you’re talking about a championship :lol We have like 3 people on the team that should stay and maybe a 4th in DJ. We are a long way from a championship.

Our young players have no chemistry together bc they’ve never played together. Learning in Austin doesn’t really help defensive rotations in the NBA bc the players are much faster. But if Pop gave the young players actual minutes together, didn’t completely ruin Dejounte Murray, and structured the offense to the strengths of his young players players instead of having them play slow iso ball, we could actually have made a run for home court. How can a team with Lonnie, DJ, White, and KJ be 14th in fast break points? Makes no sense.

We don’t have a true franchise player yet so we can’t be the 90s suns or current Rockets. But we can be the Van Exel Lakers. Or we just tank and hope for a generational pick. But what Pop did was stupid and I’m not so sure he didn’t ruin Dejounte Murray.

Defense was there today.