Grades: Spurs vs. Jazz - Jan. 3, 2021

[timvp]

https://www.spurstalk.com/grades-san-antonio-spurs-utah-jazz-game-6/

Ouch.

[Dingle Barry]

https://www.spurstalk.com/grades-san-antonio-spurs-utah-jazz-game-6/

Ouch.
In the pouch

[Sugus]

Heavily disagree on Pop's grade, tbh (was expecting it, though). Of course no on-court coaching can make up for the deficiencies... Pop should be making it up in other facets of coaching - film room (seemingly non-existent for this team, as they consistently make the same mistakes), training sessions, all play a part in how the team performs. The team being outmatched from the jump is not a coincidence, and the fact that it happened against a far-from-elite team is even more a sign that something's fundamentally off in SA's gameplans. Were the Jazz unnaturally hot from 3? Or were the Spurs allowing unnaturally big space and opportunities for them to shoot? It's been a constant for the team, at this point, and we're probably far from the end of it.

I wonder what Pop's grade will be once every team has got their outlier high-shooting night from deep against us, tbh.

[tmtcsc]

What excuses or explanations did Pop have for the disgusting display tonight? We're going on 3 seasons of piss poor defense now.

[Sugus]

What excuses or explanations did Pop have for the disgusting display tonight? We're going on 3 seasons of piss poor defense now.

:pop: the players didn't execute and played soft :pop:

[NASpurs]

What excuses or explanations did Pop have for the disgusting display tonight? We're going on 3 seasons of piss poor defense now.

He pulled the "soft" card six games into the season. Usually holds that baby for after the All Star break.

[tmtcsc]

Pop needs to look at his team, GM, coaches and the mirror. This organization is soft. It starts with him. If he doesn't think they listen to him, then retire or get rid of those players' asses. You can't just decide to shoot more 3's knowing you can't make them. WTF does that do? If you can't shoot 3's you sure as hell better make sure your team can play solid perimeter defense.

[poopbox]

Rudy and Patty are so bad on the perimeter defensively even when I try to watch the game for pure analytical purposes I cannot tell what our defensive scheme is...

Rudy had a play where Ingles caught an open 3 and Rudy TURNED AROUND AND RAN AWAY FROM HIM :wtf

[poopbox]

Pop needs to look at his team, GM, coaches and the mirror. This organization is soft. It starts with him. If he doesn't think they listen to him, then retire or get rid of those players' asses. You can't just decide to shoot more 3's knowing you can't make them. WTF does that do? If you can't shoot 3's you sure as hell better make sure your team can play solid perimeter defense.

TBH LMA took Pops balls years ago when he told the old man trade me or let me play the way i want and he caved. That was the beginning of the end of "tough pop". LMA probably got his balls on a mantel somewhere in his shoe house

[spurs10]

Well thankfully we have a couple of easy games next and should be able to right the ship............wait....never mind. What's the longest losing streak we've gone on in the last 20 years? "Ouch" is right!

[tmtcsc]

TBH LMA took Pops balls years ago when he told the old man trade me or let me play the way i want and he caved. That was the beginning of the end of "tough pop". LMA probably got his balls on a mantel somewhere in his shoe house

I agree. Was that ultimatum before nephew made him blink in a staring contest? I thought that was the beginning but you may be right.

[duncan2k5]

I agree. Was that ultimatum before nephew made him blink in a staring contest? I thought that was the beginning but you may be right.

Yes

[John B]

Thanks for the grades. This was really the 1st bad game with being flat and not much energy. It was a let down after the best basketball performance the previous games. It didn’t help that Spurs are missing 2 starters. But it was over and I hope they learned to tweak some and get back to winning attitude. Keldon continously impresses me. He is fearless and willing to carry this team on his broad shoulder. I’m glad Pop let Lyles and Luka play. They’re big bodies who needs to play well with the group. I think they’re going to be okay. Move on.

[Fireball]

the defense is just bad ... by everybody ... and like the last two seasons it is still the case that we cannot keep up with other teams three point shooting. if white really reinjured himself this will get ugly over the next weeks. Keldon is the bright spot but at least i can be honest enough to say that I also hate these Russ like antics after a ferocious dunk even if the player doing it belongs to the Spurs. Despite that Keldon looks great ...

[tmtcsc]

Thanks for the grades. This was really the 1st bad game with being flat and not much energy. It was a let down after the best basketball performance the previous games. It didn’t help that Spurs are missing 2 starters. But it was over and I hope they learned to tweak some and get back to winning attitude. Keldon continously impresses me. He is fearless and willing to carry this team on his broad shoulder. I’m glad Pop let Lyles and Luka play. They’re big bodies who needs to play well with the group. I think they’re going to be okay. Move on.

I appreciate your optimism as a fan but its really unfounded. Luka has shown less than nothing, he's shown he is not good. Same with Lyles. The Spurs are acting like a woman who thinks they can change a man to who they want them to be. It rarely works. Luka is the tall young dude who had good handles & could shoot against Euros. Classic case of looking like a potential star when playing against subpar competition. The Spurs made a ridiculous leap of faith by drafting him in the first round. Higher than Keldon Johnson. SMH. Can you believe that?

Now he has a giant tattoo on his arm, stupid money in his pockets and looks every bit the immature kid he is. He looked terrible against the Jazz. He made a three but the one he missed could've actually injured a teammate. That shot ricocheted so hard off the backboard (without hitting the rim) I thought it was going to knock someone out. The worst part about his court time was his body language. He was sucking wind after going up and down the court a few times. He looked like he was just going though the motions and was being bullied and pushed around on offense and defense. Sean Elliott even gave him some undeserved credit saying "Looked like he going up there with a two handed throw down." The replay clearly showed him going up for a soft layup. That was laughable.

I imagine the kid is looking forward to going back to Europe to be a stud in some junior league & lead his best life. Its not here.

[JeffDuncan]

Thanks as always, timvp, for the grades and commentary.

What a great pic of Keldon! That pic's a keeper, like he is. This season would be purely gruesome without him.

Poeltl made a free throw!

We got to see a few minutes from Luka. Maybe if I was traveling around Europe, drinking heavily, watching Croatian league basketball, he'd look like an NBA player, but he did not look like an NBA player yesterday. The only thing developing there is disappointment.

Patty Mills is a moron. He's our 3pt specialist, the team desperately needs points, and what does he do? He drives to attempt a layup against Gobert. And you want your young players to see that? Mills needs to be gone.

Utah was hot from outside, bombing away, and the Spurs' starting lineup had a grand total of 1 three-point attempt. I can only echo some other comments on the board, that there's a coaching problem in Spursland.

[SpursFan0728]

Thanks for the grades as always timvp!

[Rummpd]

Regression to the mean is in play here. Spurs got a couple of early wins but cannot mask the fact that that other than Keldon and White this roster is very poorly constructed and being woefully coached by a HOF coach.

[LeBowen]

This roster isn't that good, but coaching has been abysmal.

Pop encouraging the bench unit to play YMCA ball with Rudy and Patty chucking while everyone else is a spectator.
Patty+DDR+Rudy lineups are disgusting. Especially in the 4th quarters of close games.

I'm losing hope that Lonnie will ever put it together, but he should either get a proper chance or they should just trade him right now while he still has some value.
He'll never impose himself like DJ or Keldon. Especially when DDR is also on the floor. He should be in charge of the bench unit. Give him the ball, tell him he'll get a DNP next game if he's not aggressive and see what he can do. If he's still awful after 5 to 10 games in that role, then there's nothing left to hope for. Lonnie+Devin would be so much better than Patty+Devin. But we all know that when Derrick comes back, Devin will be the one losing minutes.

Lonnie just running around watching everyone chuck shots is extremely frustrating to watch. I dread the free agency because Patty will surely get another deal and is already a negative asset for us. Will only get worse.
I'd give Rudy away for free.

Poeltl is an embarrassment. I've never seen a player like him. Unique combination of being extremely soft and lacking any basketball skill. Soft bigs can usually at least shoot. He just looks scared out there. Sure, his defense is good, but you can't have a starter who's absolutely useless in every aspect of offense except for decent screens. I can't even watch his FTs. I switch the channel when he's on the line. What would the kids these days call it? Cringe?

Eubanks on the other hand looks way more lively, always gives 100%, but he's just not an NBA player.

Lyles is another contract year player who'll just try to chuck this season hoping he earns his next deal. I think KBD should get a chance instead of him.

Luka...idk, looks like the worst pick current front office has made. No injury excuses or anything. He just looks like he wants to go home.

Demar is a good player, but not a winner. Sure, he'll win you some games here and there, but for every game where he looks like a legit star, there's a game where his body language just kills everyone's momentum.
He'll never be a part of legit playoff roster here, he's already 31, might aswell trade him. Same goes for LMA, idk if anyone would trade a decent piece for him anymore. But PATFO is settling for false hope of being a playoff team. If we make the playoffs, it will be because youngsters develop, not because of DDR and LMA. But how can they develop with current hierarchy? Demar at least accepted a reduced role, but as I already said Patty is quickly becoming my most hated player. Him and Rudy are the next Forbes/Marco.

But Pop is the biggest problem. Maybe we're all wrong and this is actually the limit of this team, but it's so frustrating to watch games for more than 2 straight years now. So many games lost because of inexplainable decisions. If any other coach in the league had Pop's rotations and defensive scheme, he'd be long gone.
So frustrating that I had to make my first post here. :rollin

At least we have Keldon.
Forgot to mention DJ, but he's just random. No other word for it. One game he looks like a potential all-star, the next game he's beyond awful. Not a point guard, not a shooting guard. Most random skillset I've seen in a while.
Tre looks like he'll be a good backup PG for Derrick.

[Truth4sale$]

Thanks Timvp for the grades.
I think the lack of a strong big man is really hurting this team. Poertl is showing he was not worth 9 million a year. He needs to dunk instead of tossing in floaters around the basket. He is no offensive threat anyway but when he has the ball in his hands, he has to go up strong with it and he needs to start making free throws.
I think the 2nd unit needs a primary playmaker and/or a point guard. Patty and Gay come out chucking shots and the ball movement just ends. Really hope Tre Jones can quickly develop enough to get some solid playtime.

[John B]

I appreciate your optimism as a fan but its really unfounded. Luka has shown less than nothing, he's shown he is not good. Same with Lyles. The Spurs are acting like a woman who thinks they can change a man to who they want them to be. It rarely works. Luka is the tall young dude who had good handles & could shoot against Euros. Classic case of looking like a potential star when playing against subpar competition. The Spurs made a ridiculous leap of faith by drafting him in the first round. Higher than Keldon Johnson. SMH. Can you believe that?

Now he has a giant tattoo on his arm, stupid money in his pockets and looks every bit the immature kid he is. He looked terrible against the Jazz. He made a three but the one he missed could've actually injured a teammate. That shot ricocheted so hard off the backboard (without hitting the rim) I thought it was going to knock someone out. The worst part about his court time was his body language. He was sucking wind after going up and down the court a few times. He looked like he was just going though the motions and was being bullied and pushed around on offense and defense. Sean Elliott even gave him some undeserved credit saying "Looked like he going up there with a two handed throw down." The replay clearly showed him going up for a soft layup. That was laughable.

I imagine the kid is looking forward to going back to Europe to be a stud in some junior league & lead his best life. Its not here.
I’m not the biggest fan of Luka and Lyles. But the Spurs needed help in rebounding against Lakers and Pop didn’t play them. I was glad that Pop reinserted them in the lineup instead keeping them in the doghouse. Pop has that stubborness that kept playing Bryn/Beli/Mills heavy minutes the last couple of years, or putting Carroll in the doghouse after paying him handsomely. Lyles has some value despite what others would say. He is a stretch big body who can grab rebounds. And Luka deserves burns specially during garbage time to prove himself. Like a lot of fans, I wasn’t happy with Luka’s selection. I prefered an athletic big or a 3 and D to replace the void that nephew left. But Luka was drafted and he deserves to prove himself. I can see he is very skilled but still physically weak, and obviously lacks conditioning. He should be honing his skills in the G-League, but the Covid situation is depriving him that valuable time. As a Spurs fan, I’m just hoping that he would prove a lot of people wrong.

[XDT76]

I don't know what happen to Lonnie, he just suddenly stop shooting 3s even when relatively open to drive to the rim. If everyone only drives to the rim it makes the job of the opponent so much easier especially with Rudy in there. Our bigs really needs to be more assertive and tough, the whole team needs to collapse to help on defence leaving the Jazz with lots of open shooters.

[lefty]

Pop
The Spurs got destroyed from the opening tip — and Pop deserves some blame for that. The Spurs came out flat, unquestionably. However, I don’t think the rotations were an issue. There just weren’t enough players playing well and the Jazz were on fire from three-point territory. No amount of coaching would have been enough to make up the difference.
Grade: C

Wat

[r0drig0lac]

Thanks as always, timvp, for the grades and commentary.

What a great pic of Keldon! That pic's a keeper, like he is. This season would be purely gruesome without him.

Poeltl made a free throw!

We got to see a few minutes from Luka. Maybe if I was traveling around Europe, drinking heavily, watching Croatian league basketball, he'd look like an NBA player, but he did not look like an NBA player yesterday. The only thing developing there is disappointment.

Patty Mills is a moron. He's our 3pt specialist, the team desperately needs points, and what does he do? He drives to attempt a layup against Gobert. And you want your young players to see that? Mills needs to be gone.

Utah was hot from outside, bombing away, and the Spurs' starting lineup had a grand total of 1 three-point attempt. I can only echo some other comments on the board, that there's a coaching problem in Spursland.

:lol

[Truth4sale$]

Pop waited too long to insert Luca, when you start the 4th quarter down by 20. What do u have to loose other than a game already lost. Luca needs minutes for development. He should been in earlier and Pop should have pulled Rudy. The Spurs were not winning this one.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

Three point shooting killed us, but part of that is we have not been able to defend the lane since LMA went out. Our guys are sagging to help Poetl and we're giving up open threes. If we get out and defend the perimeter, teams can just run over us inside. Our team is little.

We also need White. I hope Jones starts getting more run, because we need a point guard. Mills is a little shooting guard and energy off the bench. Who know what Murray is...a short 3?

Unfortunately the holes in our lineup remain. I like the youth movement, and I think we need our two primary vets available and playing, LMA and Demar, more than folks care to admit. I'd be fine phasing out Mills, Gay and Lyles if we could find suitable replacements.

[timvp]

Heavily disagree on Pop's grade, tbh (was expecting it, though). Of course no on-court coaching can make up for the deficiencies... Pop should be making it up in other facets of coaching - film room (seemingly non-existent for this team, as they consistently make the same mistakes), training sessions, all play a part in how the team performs. The team being outmatched from the jump is not a coincidence, and the fact that it happened against a far-from-elite team is even more a sign that something's fundamentally off in SA's gameplans.

Compared to the Spurs, the Jazz are pretty elite, if we're being honest about the situation. And that's before you factor in the Spurs being without two of their three top players. Last night, unquestionably the Jazz had the top two players on the court in Mitchell and Gobert -- and maybe more depending on how you want to rank Conley and Bogandovic.

So, yeah, while excuses are lame in most circumstances, it's just odd to pretend that these are two evenly matched teams and that San Antonio lost because their "training sessions" weren't good enough. The Spurs lost primarily because the Jazz are a better team, have better players and have more cohesion due to experience playing together. Add in factors such as Murray not being able to make a shot, Poeltl uncharacteristically getting exploited on defense on all three levels and a starting lineup in 2021 with one made three-pointer and there's really no need to reach for nebulous explanations like a lack of quality training sessions.

Is Quin Snyder a better coach than Pop these days? Yeah, I mean, probably. But the impact of coaching in the NBA, especially in the regular season, is highly overrated. Give Snyder the Spurs roster and give Pop the Jazz roster and the outcomes would basically be the same.

Spurs fans like to overrate their team, underrate the opponent and then overrate the impact of coaching. Once Pop retires and there's someone else in charge, there will be a rude awakening that coaching wasn't what caused the fall from grace.



Luka...idk, looks like the worst pick current front office has made. No injury excuses or anything. He just looks like he wants to go home.

Welcome, LeBowen. That username makes me a fan of you already :lol

I don't think you can really take anything from Luka's play in garbage time. The guy has barely played any competitiveness basketball in the last year. Him being extremely rusty and getting tired fast is to be expected.

Luka was always a home run swing of pick. Considering he was a below average player in the Slovenian league just two years ago, the soonest he was going to be ready was Year 3 ... and that was in an ideal situation. If the Spurs knew a pandemic would halt the first G League season, erase summer league and neuter the next G League season, they probably wouldn't have selected a project. But, regardless, he's still an athletic big who can shoot threes, which would make him valuable if he figures it out. I haven't seen anything out of him yet that makes it clear he's an NBA player ... but the opposite is true too. He has the tools. Hopefully the G League starts up soon so he can work on those tools and so we can get a better idea of if he's progressing. Five minutes of garbage time out of the blue isn't the stage where that could be determined.

[r0drig0lac]

But the impact of coaching in the NBA, especially in the regular season, is highly overrated. Give Snyder the Spurs roster and give Pop the Jazz roster and the outcomes would basically be the same.
Spurs fans like to overrate their team, underrate the opponent and then overrate the impact of coaching.

true

[Dejounte]

Agreed. Pop can't put his hands up on the defenders and make them miss. That's the players' job. Our players were way out of position and too slow to rotate.

[Mnky]

Patty is definitely putting his stock up there for trades with his scoring this year, but he wants to be in SA which makes it hard for me to think they'll move him. If we continue trending lottery area, I do see some desperate contenders making a pitch for our vets. Draft picks or a young contract year player might be plausible this year more so than others. The intention was to compete for the playoffs. That's what all the vets and coaches said in the offseason.

Let's see if the vets tunes change.

[phxspurfan]

didn't watch. But looks bad, man. We're not back, boys!

[JeffDuncan]

I don't think you can really take anything from Luka's play in garbage time. The guy has barely played any competitiveness basketball in the last year. Him being extremely rusty and getting tired fast is to be expected.


No, sir, that is not expected, about Luka getting tired in 6:17 of game clock time. He should not have shown any sign at all of fatigue. None at all.

What has he had to do, except work on his game, and get in shape, and stay in shape? What other full time job does he have, that forces him to sit at a desk 8 hours a day, and get out of shape? None that I know of.

Now, it is true that game conditions are more demanding than a typical 5 on 5 practice session with frequent stops for instruction. But games are not more demanding than running wind sprints - hard - up and down the court. And not more demanding than running the steps hard, and doing the other things players do, to get in shape and stay in shape.

He should not have looked tired. 6:17 of game time, at age 21, should have been a stroll in the park. It has to be asked, is he even healthy?

[John B]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMPvJva0E0c
Luka has the handles, spin moves to get by his defender, but 4 weak dunk attempts. One ugly missed 3pt attempt that ricocheted and almost beheaded Ewwbanks :lol:lol. 1 made 3pt.
He looked winded, compare to Vassell who looks more springy, while straight from college.
Yup I think Luka came back not in good condition.

[timvp]

No, sir, that is not expected, about Luka getting tired in 6:17 of game clock time. He should not have shown any sign at all of fatigue. None at all.

What has he had to do, except work on his game, and get in shape, and stay in shape? What other full time job does he have, that forces him to sit at a desk 8 hours a day, and get out of shape? None that I know of.

Now, it is true that game conditions are more demanding than a typical 5 on 5 practice session with frequent stops for instruction. But games are not more demanding than running wind sprints - hard - up and down the court. And not more demanding than running the steps hard, and doing the other things players do, to get in shape and stay in shape.

He should not have looked tired. 6:17 of game time, at age 21, should have been a stroll in the park. It has to be asked, is he even healthy?

Yeah, no, that's not how it works. You can't simulate NBA basketball in any other setting. I don't care which player in history you name, if they've only played one real game in the last nine months, they are going to get winded easily.

[ginobilized]

Ugly game for the Spurs, not too surprising. 2 questions:

How serious is White's re-injury?
Is it too early to think that we might be heading toward the lottery, again?

[jjspur]

The Lakers and Utah just have a lot more size and a bit more talent than we do. Our bigs just don't do all that much. Without an injured Aldridge, what are we getting from our bigs 10-15 points maybe ? The days of even a 37 year old Duncan are long gone. Its going to be a long season if things continue like this. Come on RC lets trade for big that can actually help. I'd even be glad for someone 6'9" who can play some defense and rebound a bit.

[LeBowen]

Welcome, LeBowen (https://www.spurstalk.com/forums/member.php?u=54457). That username makes me a fan of you already

Thanks. :lol


I don't think you can really take anything from Luka's play in garbage time. The guy has barely played any competitiveness basketball in the last year. Him being extremely rusty and getting tired fast is to be expected.

Luka was always a home run swing of pick. Considering he was a below average player in the Slovenian league just two years ago, the soonest he was going to be ready was Year 3 ... and that was in an ideal situation. If the Spurs knew a pandemic would halt the first G League season, erase summer league and neuter the next G League season, they probably wouldn't have selected a project. But, regardless, he's still an athletic big who can shoot threes, which would make him valuable if he figures it out. I haven't seen anything out of him yet that makes it clear he's an NBA player ... but the opposite is true too. He has the tools. Hopefully the G League starts up soon so he can work on those tools and so we can get a better idea of if he's progressing. Five minutes of garbage time out of the blue isn't the stage where that could be determined.

Yeah, garbage time was really garbage last night. I guess we're all frustrated because he obviously has great handless and a good shot for someone his size, but his body language is so off.
Maybe he's just disappointed that he never got any real minutes. Minutes have to be earned, but considering how much the likes of Forbes, Marco, Trey and even Rudy played, he should've had more chances.

From what I've seen, noone in Europe talked about him, he had no exposure. Even kids like Pokusevski were hyped up way more.
I guess RC was scared of Sean Marks taking him so he somewhat wasted the 19th pick. Luka looks like an early second round project.
G league being cancelled is obviously a big hit to his development, as you said. But for me it's about body language. He just looks like someone who's really disappointed in his current situation. And idk if he has for example Keldon's mental fortitude to keep grinding. Averaged 15/8 in G-league. Not like he was completely useless. I guess Pop would still rather see Rudy and Patty chuck and win us 1 out of 5 games while being trash in the other 4 than have young players grow into their roles. As I already said, imo Lonnie is the biggest victim of this. Let him run the second unit. So we can see where he's actually at.

Since Pop rarely goes away from his usual methods, unless someone really impresses like Keldon, Luka won't be an actual member of the rotation for 2 more years. G-league this season, 9th-12th in rotation next year and a full-time rotation player in 2023. To me, he doesn't look like someone ready to work a couple more seasons before he gets actual minutes. Hopefully I'm wrong, because if he ever puts it together, he would be perfect PF for current core.

[JeffDuncan]

Yeah, no, that's not how it works. You can't simulate NBA basketball in any other setting. I don't care which player in history you name, if they've only played one real game in the last nine months, they are going to get winded easily.

We will disagree on this point. Enough cardio-respiratory conditioning can be gained in ways other than playing in NBA games. He should not have been winded in 6:17 on the game clock - which was not continuous action since he, himself, went to the free throw line.

What might show up is muscle soreness the next day, from a different use of muscle groups. But CR, no, not in just 6 minutes.

[Kurgan]

Considering he was a below average player in the Slovenian league just two years ago, the soonest he was going to be ready was Year 3 ... and that was in an ideal situation. If the Spurs knew a pandemic would halt the first G League season, erase summer league and neuter the next G League season, they probably wouldn't have selected a project. But, regardless, he's still an athletic big who can shoot threes, which would make him valuable if he figures it out. I haven't seen anything out of him yet that makes it clear he's an NBA player ... but the opposite is true too. He has the tools. Hopefully the G League starts up soon so he can work on those tools and so we can get a better idea of if he's progressing. Five minutes of garbage time out of the blue isn't the stage where that could be determined.

Thunder drafted a project big this year and they have no problem finding 15 mpg for him. If there's no G-League, I see no reason why Spurs can't give Luka a similar amount of playing time. It's not like we're a playoff team this year. What longterm value is there in giving minutes to players like Patty/Gay/Lyles when they'll all be gone next year?

[timvp]

Thunder drafted a project big this year and they have no problem finding 15 mpg for him.

How's that going for him? Does he have his field goal percentage above 10% yet? :lol

[DAF86]

How's that going for him? Does he have his field goal percentage above 10% yet? :lol

Aside from his shot not falling, he actually looked pretty good for a prospect that suppossedly is 3 years away. Specially on defense, which was the main concern regarding him. He's proving to have the quickness to stay in front of most players (on one possession he was switched into Donovan Mitchell, stayed in front of him and blocked his shot) and he's already showing his "do-it allness" playmaking on that end, exemplified by the fact that he's averaging 4 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block in 16 minutes of play (8, 2.3 and 2.3 per 36). Once he gets confidence on offense watch out. He would definitely benefit from the G-league coming back and getting some reps as a primary ball-handler. Right now he's doing a lot of screen setting and spotting up, which isn't his game.

Imho, he's a "stayer". At worst, he has a long career as a depth guy that comes in and provides a little bit of everything. I don't see him as the boom-or-bust prospect most folks thought he would be. He can definitely fill a role, even if his "unicorn" potential doesn't quite materialize.

[XDT76]

Did we used up all our luck for the bigs on DRob and Timmy. All our bigs comes back this year worse than last. Also why is Luka played a position down in pre-season and the last game? His strength at PF is negated at SF.

[ragas]

Yeah, no, that's not how it works. You can't simulate NBA basketball in any other setting. I don't care which player in history you name, if they've only played one real game in the last nine months, they are going to get winded easily.

I fully understand that it's hard for a player like Luka to get on track. He hardly played a full g-league season, but if it comes to conditioning I wouldn't give him a pass. This guy is 21 years old and he should be ready to run till he goes down.

[tmtcsc]

Yeah, no, that's not how it works. You can't simulate NBA basketball in any other setting. I don't care which player in history you name, if they've only played one real game in the last nine months, they are going to get winded easily.

C'mon LJ, with that sort of logic, everyone on the team would have looked winded in the first 6:17 seconds of game #1. Derrick White didn't look as winded as Samanic in his minutes against the Lakers. Luka was clearly winded much earlier than he should have been no matter the amount of games he's played. Are they not scrimmaging in practice? Did he do any sort of training or cardio work? We're not talking about him looking winded AFTER 6:17 of game time. He was dragging much sooner than that & never gained a second wind. He scored 16 points against the Jazz in 31 minutes of the last game in the bubble. No excuse for him looking so tired the other night.

[tmtcsc]

Ugly game for the Spurs, not too surprising. 2 questions:

How serious is White's re-injury?
Is it too early to think that we might be heading toward the lottery, again?

No, not too early to think Lottery. White's missed games coupled with Aldridge's menstrual cramps & Murray's too often disappearing act will have this team sniffing lottery once again.