Expectations for 2021-2022? We will be at the bottom of the standings right?

[kht]

Key losses:
- Derozan
- Rudy Gay
- Patty Mills


Key Additions:
- Forbes
- McDermott


We lost arguably our best player, our best glue/locker room guy, and our best and most reliable guy off the bench. I'm not seeing anymore than like 28 wins this season, and if we want to tank for a low pick... then sure. But not sure Pop is willing to tank in the twilight of his career.

On paper, we look way worse than we did last season.

[timtonymanu]

Spurs will be bad but I’m looking forward to seeing them play (other than Forbes) with no expectations.

[playblair]

im just exhilarated that i can watch spurs basketball again......... i boycotted the entire bubble & ensuing season due to gay/derozan/lma/mills being on the team

[SpurPadre]

I'm gonna smash a couple TV sets watching Forbes do his annoying AF clapping and getting butt-fucked by whoever he's guarding.

[mookie2001]

Playoffs.

[John B]

Key losses:
- Derozan
- Rudy Gay
- Patty Mills


Key Additions:
- Forbes
- McDermott


We lost arguably our best player, our best glue/locker room guy, and our best and most reliable guy off the bench. I'm not seeing anymore than like 28 wins this season, and if we want to tank for a low pick... then sure. But not sure Pop is willing to tank in the twilight of his career.

On paper, we look way worse than we did last season.

Demar’s basketball is not winning basketball, at least not in this modern NBA. His iso plays and unwillingness to shoot the open 3’s consistently were hurting us. As a 2nd or 3rd option, he would be great. I wish him luck with the Bulls. Patty, I would’ve kept. But I think that they view Forbes as more aligned with the age of our core. Our vets are gone, and it’s time for our youngsters to shine. It’s boom or bust for some of them, but this year is a great opportunity for them to prove themselves. Pop promises an up-tempo offense with a lot of passing, and less isolation. I think they will finally play to their strength. We have long athletic guards who can rim run and push the tempo. Likewise we have long athletic players, who can potentially switch on anyone, nobody really a defensive liability, except for Forbes. I still have to watch McDermont. But I think we will see a version of the beautiful game, and promises to be fun. I know they might lose a lot or not, defends on how they trust the system, make crisp passes and hit open shots. Plenty of transition offense similar to early 90’s Spurs also. I’m excited to see this new team.

[Dex]

32 wins and another pick in the 10-15 range.

I think the team will compete and catch some people by surprise to pull off a few upsets, but we just don't have the firepower to make the playoffs unless 2 or 3 of the young guys really take a leap.

We are also probably one or two injuries away from being a bottom dweller, but I don't see Pop letting this crew purposefully tank.

[Allan Rowe vs Wade]

Playoffs.

https://i.giphy.com/media/ejDxbDaxZZkeQmr0yu/giphy.webp

[itzsoweezee]

They’ll be better than last year.

[poopbox]

If we stay relatively healthy then this is a playoff team...probably the 5th or 6th seed. We have been freed of every single shackle that was holding us back. Ma touches, Denevershoota3zan, the corpse of Rudy Gay, and I only shoot long 2's and 3's while doing nothing else Mills. Forbes being back is a bummer but we got so many guards on this team even Pop at his poppest couldn't find minutes for him.

Playing a real big or a real undersized big at pf instead of Derozan will make a ton of difference for this team. If Luka plays well we could be a 4 or even 3 seed.

[offset formation]

32 wins and another pick in the 10-15 range.

I think the team will compete and catch some people by surprise to pull off a few upsets, but we just don't have the firepower to make the playoffs unless 2 or 3 of the young guys really take a leap.

We are also probably one or two injuries away from being a bottom dweller, but I don't see Pop letting this crew purposefully tank.

the only reason I'm hopeful for more than 32 wins, which btw is my prediction as well, is that Tre and Luka are kinda unknowns in what their upsides could mean for the team. I think we have a pretty good handle on where most of the other guys games are at, but Luka coming in and giving stellar D and dropping 16 and 8, along with a solid D and scoring punch our of your 2nd team PG could be huge for this team. Enough so to make them a marginal playoff contender even.

Their games, given significant minutes and actual production, make us a much, much better team.

Problem is I don't think either will see significant enough minutes, barring a White injury or something, to actually produce to those levels. So I'm sticking with 32-50.

That said, I think both of those guys along with the potential for an occasional outstanding game from Primo are really the only hopes for W-L improvement on this squad.

I feel like Thad is basically a push for Rudy. Forbes is a push or even deficit over Mills. And losing DD is a bigger hit than most realize, and is unlikely to be overcome by the higher 3 pt percentage from McBuckets.

All in all, we likely finish close to the record we have had the last two years.

[cjw]

I’m fine with whatever happens this year, as long as the young guys show improvement and give clarity on the path forward. And will be watching college ball for the first time in a long time.

The Spurs have a ton of useful pieces but no centerpiece. But they also don’t have cap albatrosses or a deficit of picks, so are positioned just fine.

I’m going with 34-46 and 12th in west.

[cd98]

Demar’s basketball is not winning basketball, at least not in this modern NBA. His iso plays and unwillingness to shoot the open 3’s consistently were hurting us. As a 2nd or 3rd option, he would be great. I wish him luck with the Bulls. Patty, I would’ve kept. But I think that they view Forbes as more aligned with the age of our core. Our vets are gone, and it’s time for our youngsters to shine. It’s boom or bust for some of them, but this year is a great opportunity for them to prove themselves. Pop promises an up-tempo offense with a lot of passing, and less isolation. I think they will finally play to their strength. We have long athletic guards who can rim run and push the tempo. Likewise we have long athletic players, who can potentially switch on anyone, nobody really a defensive liability, except for Forbes. I still have to watch McDermont. But I think we will see a version of the beautiful game, and promises to be fun. I know they might lose a lot or not, defends on how they trust the system, make crisp passes and hit open shots. Plenty of transition offense similar to early 90’s Spurs also. I’m excited to see this new team.

Well, you can say DDR doesn't play winning basketball, whatever that means. But he won a lot of games for us in the last 5 minutes as the only guy that could create his own shot and score consistently. Without that, we are guaranteed to lose probably most of the close games as there is no scorer of his talent on this roster. I guess it would be fair to say that if DDR doesn't play winning basketball, the same will be said of everyone on this roster because they are going to lose a lot.

[cd98]

They’ll be better than last year.

There are a number of games that the Spurs won because DDR took over the last few minutes and won the games. When he was out, the Spurs struggled to score. I think it is going to be a painful season, but one that is necessary to get the franchise changing draft picks. It's no guarantee, but there is a chance the Spurs can get that player if they lose a lot. They should've done this last year.

[XDT76]

You can argue that DDR won some close games for us, but I felt he lose others for us. Especially towards the end of the season, other teams just allow DRR to shoot mid range without foul and they counter with 3 pts both to chase the Spurs and hold off the Spurs. If DDR failed to get his foul or miss a couple of times, he just goes into tunnel vision. The rest of the team can be wide open and the ball is not going to them. Besides the Spurs are known to lose in Q1 and Q3, where he is playing heavy minutes, so it's really debatable on whether he win or lose more games for us.

[John B]

Well, you can say DDR doesn't play winning basketball, whatever that means. But he won a lot of games for us in the last 5 minutes as the only guy that could create his own shot and score consistently. Without that, we are guaranteed to lose probably most of the close games as there is no scorer of his talent on this roster. I guess it would be fair to say that if DDR doesn't play winning basketball, the same will be said of everyone on this roster because they are going to lose a lot.

I liked Demar. He was a good soldier who did his job and never complained. But he doesn’t really get us over the hill, and he’s taking away (minutes, possessions) from the youngsters to develop. Spurs basically needed to move on.

[Dirks_Finale]

I think they are gonna have a very rough first half, but come on strong in the 2nd half and ultimately finish with like 34 wins. And with that ridiculous 10 seed play-in stuff, who knows, maybe they get into the playoffs.

I think Johnson will average around 23 ppg as the feature guy. White being the obvious wildcard with his fragility. DDR 'loss' is addition by subtraction.

[KingKev]

20 games but an exciting season nonetheless so long as Pop gives the right guys the minutes.

[RC_Drunkford]

28 is a long shot. More like 10

[stnick2261]

I have no idea what to expect... and I kinda like that. Derozan was a great player, but a net negative. With the young guys getting more playing time, they could rise and play well together and someone could become an all star. Or, they could completely shit the bed. No expectations for 2021-2022.

[spurspl]

finally at the bottom and finally a top pick

[cd98]

To me, this year is about establishing the value of our players and seeing who is worth the long term investment and, if they don't want to invest in a particular player, can they up their value and get a good draft pick or another younger player they like. Also, I think they will make a play on any star that becomes available. But this team will not win 30 games. I think they will win max mid 20s and that's totally fine. We need to get a lottery pick and the best chance of getting a difference maker. And, we need to see what we have in the players we have drafted. The goal is not to make the playoffs. The goal is to develop, improve, and set up the team so in a few years it can be competitive again for a championship.

[TDomination]

if derrick white stays healthy all year, i can see us competing for an 8th spot.

[jjspur]

We should win 33-38 games this year which is on par with last year's team. Where that lands us in the standings is really anybody's guess. All teams will have issues and injuries just like us. As always we win some games we should lose and lose games we should win. That's what you get with a young group, inconsistency.

I expect we will be in the running for a play in spot until the last two weeks of the season where the young talent may eventually hit a wall and run out of energy or get their second wind and finish strong. Either way this will set us up for a chance for a good to great draft pick next year.

Everyone on the team has their shots so lets start the season with a bang and not an injury. Go spurs go!

[C-Dub]

It depends on Coach Pop rotations. More than likely he's going to use the opposite of what most us fans feel he should use - like playing Forbes in certain situations that clearly, it seems maybe Devin or LW4 should be on the court. Or playing someone over Luka when clearly, Luka should be in the game. So it's hard to answer the initial question when you have Coach Pop running the show. My guess would be 36 - 46 just outside the playoffs but hey, I'm very excited about this current team aa long as Forbes gets less playing than I'm anticipating and Luka gets more playing time than I'm anticipating.

[Joseph Kony]

1. Lakers
2. Suns
3. Nuggets
4. Jazz
5. Blazers
6. Warriors
7. Mavericks
8. Clippers

---

9. Grizzlies
10. Kings
11. Pelicans
12. T-Wolves
13. Spurs
14. Thunder
15. Rockets



Spurs will be in the 20-29 win range imho. I'm thinking 26-56

[tbdog]

Spurs will be better than Kings and Pelicans. Spurs will be top 10 defense this year. And that wins games.

[KingKev]

Spurs will be better than Kings and Pelicans. Spurs will be top 10 defense this year. And that wins games.

I see them bottom 5 in offense however unless DJ, White or Keldon all bring some new junk to their offensive games.

[Uriel]

I say about the same as last year. We’ll make the play-in tournament (will there still be one?) but miss the playoffs.

[lefty20]

Just enough wins to get Pop his record and not one more.

[MultiTroll]

It depends on Coach Pop rotations. More than likely he's going to use the opposite of what most us fans feel he should use - like playing Forbes in certain situations that clearly, it seems maybe Devin or LW4 should be on the court. Or playing someone over Luka when clearly, Luka should be in the game. So it's hard to answer the initial question when you have Coach Pop running the show. My guess would be 36 - 46 just outside the playoffs but hey, I'm very excited about this current team aa long as Forbes gets less playing than I'm anticipating and Luka gets more playing time than I'm anticipating.
Exactly. We have no idea if he'll keep his word in the interview saying "Lonnie, White, DJ, Devin" will all play -i'm paraphrasing. He is certainly inferring they will all start and see decent minutes. Also that the ball will not stick. It was his offense that had Aldridge and Derozan hogging the ball so he has zero cred. 2014s offense was designed by Duncan, not Grandpa.

If he does stay out of the way and Spurs run, i fully believe .500+ is possible.

[tbdog]

I see them bottom 5 in offense however unless DJ, White or Keldon all bring some new junk to their offensive games.

Put it this way. Kings were 30th in defense last year.

[KobesAchilles]

It’s hard to see us be worse than Minn, OKC, Houston, and Sacto. So like 12th in the West? And there will be 4 teams worse than us easy in the East. Toronto, Orlando, Detroit, Cleveland. Puts us at the 10th pick

Best case scenario is the Wolves youth actually learn how to play ball, but they are led by Towns so that’s nothing to bet on. Also Sacto is gonna have to get their shit together and Fox has a break out year. So 8th pick at best.

**edit** I can’t add :lol but you get the point I’m trying to make

[Spursfanfromafar]

if derrick white stays healthy all year, i can see us competing for an 8th spot.

Yes. But they could be competing utmost for the play-in if White and Murray are healthy throughout.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

I think the 32 wins Dex threw out there is a good over/under number.

I’ll have to check where Vegas has us.

[SpurPadre]

One thing is for sure, we’ll be the whitest team in the league.

[SpurPadre]

One thing is for sure, we’ll be the whitest team in the league.

[exstatic]

28 is a long shot. More like 10

No team trying to win games in the Tanking Era will ever win only 10:games.

[exstatic]

I think the 32 wins Dex threw out there is a good over/under number.

I’ll have to check where Vegas has us.

Vegas only cares about evening out the bets so that the losers pay the winners. Put it this way: millions of casuals dropping their hard earned ducats on bets determine the Vegas line. BSPN has pretty much conditioned them to disregard the Spurs. I’d take The Vegas line, and add maybe 20% more wins to account for the retarded casual fan bias. If the Vegas line were to be 32, I’d expect another 6 or 7 wins.

[Spursfanfromafar]

Good piece by Zach Lowe - https://www.espn.in/nba/insider/story/_/id/32299872/lowe-where-gregg-popovich-san-antonio-spurs-go-here .. He thinks that the Spurs' defense would be their trump card. If they are really good (Top 5ish), they will fight for the play-in, anything less would result in positioning for the upper lottery. I suspect they will be in the 10-12 conversation again this year and if White breaks out even further, will be in the play-in.

[cd98]

1. Lakers
2. Suns
3. Nuggets
4. Jazz
5. Blazers
6. Warriors
7. Mavericks
8. Clippers

---

9. Grizzlies
10. Kings
11. Pelicans
12. T-Wolves
13. Spurs
14. Thunder
15. Rockets



Spurs will be in the 20-29 win range imho. I'm thinking 26-56

That is about the way it should turn out unless the Thunder and the Rockets stop tanking and try to improve. Both teams have players that are better than our best players, at least as of last year. But they get tanking to get superstars and playing young and unseasoned players lots of minutes is the best way to make the team competitive in the future. I see them partially tanking. As for Grizzlies, Kings, Pelicans, and T-wolves, barring injuries, they should be ashamed of themselves if the Spurs leapfrog them with this roster and make the playin or the 8th seed. And the Kings should lose a draft pick or be forced to pick the last pick in the first round if they end up in the lottery yet again.

[exstatic]

That is about the way it should turn out unless the Thunder and the Rockets stop tanking and try to improve. Both teams have players that are better than our best players, at least as of last year. But they get tanking to get superstars and playing young and unseasoned players lots of minutes is the best way to make the team competitive in the future. I see them partially tanking. As for Grizzlies, Kings, Pelicans, and T-wolves, barring injuries, they should be ashamed of themselves if the Spurs leapfrog them with this roster and make the playin or the 8th seed. And the Kings should lose a draft pick or be forced to pick the last pick in the first round if they end up in the lottery yet again.

Each of those lottery teams listed ahead of us will have their realization, and then tank hard once it’s apparent that they won’t make the playoffs. The spurs will, at the minimum, make the play in, simply because no other teams want to.

Oh, and the Blazers are rated way too high. They are as flawed a concept as the mid-range Spurs. Going nowhere powered by two small guards.

[cd98]

Each of those lottery teams listed ahead of us will have their realization, and then tank hard once it’s apparent that they won’t make the playoffs. The spurs will, at the minimum, make the play in, simply because no other teams want to.

Oh, and the Blazers are rated way too high. They are as flawed a concept as the mid-range Spurs. Going nowhere powered by two small guards.

I agree. They make the playoffs, but they are closer to a 7th or 8th seed. Mavs probably pass them and the Warriors definitely pass them. Jazz have the best record with an early playoff exit. Nuggets are the best team and I predict they make the finals. Suns also drop to 3rd. I see the regular season end: Jazz then Nuggets, then Suns, then Lakers, Warriors, Mavericks, Blazers, and Clippers. Jazz are built to win in the regular season because they have a deep bench. Nuggets have the most talent in my opinion, when everyone is healthy. Suns, Lakers, and Warriors likely have the most variability where they could end interchangably, but I think 3-5 will be how they end up in some order. The Mavs just don't have the talent outside of Luka to better than 6th. Blazers aren't that good, but better than Kawhi-less Clippers, though I anticipate that Kawhi will be back before the playoffs making the Clippers a dangerous first round team and ensuring they make the playoffs.

[rastaspur]

Better than last year.

[superbigtime]

Hoping for lots of Forbes DNPs.

[R. DeMurre]

Good piece by Zach Lowe - https://www.espn.in/nba/insider/story/_/id/32299872/lowe-where-gregg-popovich-san-antonio-spurs-go-here .. He thinks that the Spurs' defense would be their trump card. If they are really good (Top 5ish), they will fight for the play-in, anything less would result in positioning for the upper lottery. I suspect they will be in the 10-12 conversation again this year and if White breaks out even further, will be in the play-in.

I don't have ESPN Insider so I couldn't read that entire Lowe article-- why does he think they have a shot at a top 5 defense? McDermott replaces DeRozan as one of the very few guys who might actually make the D worse, and Walker, KJ, and Forbes still rate as negative defenders... I just don't see it.

[SPURt]

They’ll be better than last year.
I agree with this, these Spurs will finish with a better record than last year. My hope, like many of us, is we see at least a watered down version of the “beautiful game”, maybe call it the “beer goggle game”

[objective]

I don't see the defense being good enough when there's probably 40-50 minutes a game of Forbes and McDermott. Two of the worst in the league with Forbes possibly worst of all.

Walker and Johnson aren't that great either. And while Vassell is good, how many minutes could be get with Forbes and McDermott around?

[stnick2261]

I don't have ESPN Insider so I couldn't read that entire Lowe article-- why does he think they have a shot at a top 5 defense? McDermott replaces DeRozan as one of the very few guys who might actually make the D worse, and Walker, KJ, and Forbes still rate as negative defenders... I just don't see it.

I couldn't read it either, but Murray, White, Vassell, Samanic and Poeltl could be the best defensive 5 in the league (they would need to work on their spacing on offense). But Forbes, McDermott and Walker as backups are 3 of the 6 worst defenders in the league according to RAPTOR.

[Chinook]

It's hard to project, since the Spurs will almost certainly make at least one trade. They are not nearly as talented as they were last year, so they should be expected to lose more games, but they'll likely be in the 30s if they keep Thad.

[Chucho]

I see them bottom 5 in offense however unless DJ, White or Keldon all bring some new junk to their offensive games.

Yeah, if we finish in the top 2/3 of the L in offense, that's a giant win. Don't see a logical path to that, but one of the few things I'll be lookin to.

[FutureMan]

Without a player competing to be an Allstar it will be very easy for the Spurs to lose more games and for calls to favor the opponent. Think about all the times we saw DeRozan going to the line. I’d expect somewhere between a 5-9 pick for next years lottery.

But they could always make a trade. So we’ll see.

[RC_Drunkford]

I don't understand why people think this will be a top 10 defense. The defense of this team won't be any better than last year. You sub DeRozan with Walker who's one of the worst defenders in the league. Forbes for Mills and McDermott for Gay. The defense might be worse.

[TDomination]

I don't understand why people think this will be a top 10 defense. The defense of this team won't be any better than last year. You sub DeRozan with Walker who's one of the worst defenders in the league. Forbes for Mills and McDermott for Gay. The defense might be worse.

Perhaps its more hope than think.

Murray/White/Keldon/Devin/Poeltl are all pretty good defenders. The hope is that the others can surprise and be better on D as well.

[SPURt]

Some pretty good takes in here :clap

[R. DeMurre]

Most of the predictions were pretty much spot on.