Grades: Spurs at Magic - Oct. 10, 2021

[timvp]

https://www.spurstalk.com/grades-san-antonio-spurs-orlando-magic-preseason-game-4/

[KingKev]

Thank you sir. Luka absolutely giving up on that fast break should have earned him an automatic C.

[Chinook]

If White's not scoring, I'm not sure the team can afford to start him. The defense is nice, but relying on only Murray and Johnson to get first-contact points feels like a set-up to put the Spurs in holes, and the Forbes/Walker bench may not be able to compensate. Starting one of those guards for White fixes multiple problems, and it leaves open the idea of starting Vassell for McDermott to shore up the defense. I don't think Eubanks or Landale are bad players at all, but I also worry that the bench doesn't really have the players to make them work any more. Young's fit with either has been awkward, and the general lack of size both guys have combined with the bad defense from Walker/Forbes and potentially slow feet of Young means the bench defense may not be very good. If the team starts Murray/White and plays a nine-man rotation, you'd think one of the most common players to remove from the rotation would be the back-up center and just run with Thad. It's not great how many centers they wouldn't be using at that point, but I also feel like despite the investment, the Spurs still need to look for a long-term center prospect anyway. If there's a value trade for Eubanks, I'd be tempted to move him. He's a real NBA player and obviously has chemistry with the other guys. But I just don't know that it's worth it to keep four centers given their short-comings, and Drew is easily the most moveable member of that group.

[Mr. Body]

I have no idea whether you actually watched the game, with that Samanic score.

I also think Eubanks struggled.

Walker playing like that? A whole other team.

White just doesn't look right and then got the yips. Don't know how to get him back on track.

[KingKev]

If White's not scoring, I'm not sure the team can afford to start him. The defense is nice, but relying on only Murray and Johnson to get first-contact points feels like a set-up to put the Spurs in holes, and the Forbes/Walker bench may not be able to compensate. Starting one of those guards for White fixes multiple problems, and it leaves open the idea of starting Vassell for McDermott to shore up the defense. I don't think Eubanks or Landale are bad players at all, but I also worry that the bench doesn't really have the players to make them work any more. Young's fit with either has been awkward, and the general lack of size both guys have combined with the bad defense from Walker/Forbes and potentially slow feet of Young means the bench defense may not be very good. If the team starts Murray/White and plays a nine-man rotation, you'd think one of the most common players to remove from the rotation would be the back-up center and just run with Thad. It's not great how many centers they wouldn't be using at that point, but I also feel like despite the investment, the Spurs still need to look for a long-term center prospect anyway. If there's a value trade for Eubanks, I'd be tempted to move him. He's a real NBA player and obviously has chemistry with the other guys. But I just don't know that it's worth it to keep four centers given their short-comings, and Drew is easily the most moveable member of that group.

What? Eubanks has no value in the trade market. Not even a 2nd round pick.

[Chinook]

What? Eubanks has no value in the trade market. Not even a 2nd round pick.

He's a productive big. If he gets cut, he'll either hang out with another team or being a great overseas player. I just don't see him as the right center for the Spurs bench

[raybies]

Derrick was definitely an F tonight. That was hard to watch. Samanic with a B, I have no idea how... Glass half full perhaps for your perspective. But I agree he gets by on gene's alone.

[Floyd Pacquiao]

White will get back on track it’s the preseason :lol

[KingKev]

He's a productive big. If he gets cut, he'll either hang out with another team or being a great overseas player. I just don't see him as the right center for the Spurs bench

Yeah I don’t disagree there just don’t see him having any actual trade value. I’m sure he would get a look from another NBA team if we cut him even if just 10 day contracts here and there but aside from
his energy he really only does one thing well and that is dunk the ball. Defense is pretty bad, below average rebounder and this apparent new found 3 point stroke has yet to he seen.

[raybies]

White will get back on track it’s the preseason :lol

Your statement is kind of an indictment to him at the same time... like why the fuck is he shitting the bed in preseason for a player of his experience and tenure. How can you have a top guy like this on a team who gets the yips in preseason...

[spurraider21]

its a shame that through all the injuries to both guys, everyone was waiting for the murray/white backcourt to be a thing, and it just hasn't worked. and it's white who hasn't held his end of the bargain. he's fallen off on both sides of the court

[KingKev]

One takeaway from this game is the team’s willingness to let it fly from beyond the arc. Unfortunately Forbes and McD are our only real solid 3pt shooters but just the threat of guys pulling the trigger from deep helps open things up. Big change from last season!

[jermaine]

Thank you sir. Luka absolutely giving up on that fast break should have earned him an automatic C.

He's trash an needs to be cut for that play alone. No effort at all.

[Floyd Pacquiao]

Your statement is kind of an indictment to him at the same time... like why the fuck is he shitting the bed in preseason for a player of his experience and tenure. How can you have a top guy like this on a team who gets the yips in preseason...
Maybe he’s just rusty who’s shaking off the cobwebs after not playing for what 4or 5 months? If he’s continuing to suck after a couple games into the reg season then I’ll start to worry

[raybies]

Maybe he’s just rusty who’s shaking off the cobwebs after not playing for what 4or 5 months? If he’s continuing to suck after a couple games into the reg season then I’ll start to worry
fair

[KingKev]

He's trash an needs to be cut for that play alone. No effort at all.

Who knows. Never been a fan of this pick even after all of Spurstalk was calling for him to be the face of the franchise after a decent game against the Knicks last year but also seems silly to cut him when you knew he was 2years away from breaking the rotation. With that being said two guys have to go and Luka/Aminu look like the obvious choice based on their preseason performances all though the optionality on those two is greater than guys like KBD and Eubanks who are destined to be career 12th men at best; Luka could still pan out given his size and rare skill set and Aminu could still
prove to be a valuable trade chip.

[timtonymanu]

Maybe he’s just rusty who’s shaking off the cobwebs after not playing for what 4or 5 months? If he’s continuing to suck after a couple games into the reg season then I’ll start to worry

I’m more worried about him reinjuring himself after he gets back on track. Appears to be the case so many times with him, he turns the corner then suffers a freak injury and is out for a while.

[KingKev]

I’m more worried about him reinjuring himself after he gets back on track. Appears to be the case so many times with him, he turns the corner then suffers a freak injury and is out for a while.

Easy for us to call him a china doll but sometimes it is just bad luck. We should all manage our expectations even if healthy. If he can get back to the level he was performing at peak I think that is a win. Doubt he gets any better than where he was a few years back however.

[KobesAchilles]

Lack of free throws is going to be a problem

[lefty]

Rookie mistakes from Primo , not worried

[EasyMoney]

Does anyone have a clip of that Luka fastbreak you guys are talking about?

[Fireball]

Not worried about Derrick White that he is still rusty as this seems to be his thing needing like 10 games to get into a fine rhytm. Problem is he gets injured in game 11 or 12 ... I just hope he can get through this season healthy.

"Babyface assassin" for Primo anyone? I like it ... although its not a sustainable nickname :lol

[raybies]

Not worried about Derrick White that he is still rusty as this seems to be his thing needing like 10 games to get into a fine rhytm. Problem is he gets injured in game 11 or 12 ... I just hope he can get through this season healthy.

"Babyface assassin" for Primo anyone? I like it ... although its not a sustainable nickname :lol

Yeah it seems to cliche for Primo... Primo time/Prime Time is what I'm leaning for. I think it fits but we'll find something. Josh "Prime Time" Primo goes hard as fuck imo. But first he need to get Game Time lol... and right now, I'm not sure where Pop slots him in. I mean he's not kicking his son to the 3rd unit.

[pookenstein]

Nobody talking about Forbes with the game saving stop against Suggs at the end? Wing Stop 2.0, imo.

[raybies]

Nobody talking about Forbes with the game saving stop against Suggs at the end? Wing Stop 2.0, imo.

See everybody hating on Bryn thinking he was gonna be the Tank Commander but he probably came to lead us to the playoffs. I mean once we lost him we were out and now that he's back he's like the dark night. He's the hero San Antonio deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So we'll talk shit about him, because he can take it. Because he's not our hero, he's a silent guardian; a watchful protector, a dark knight.

[Dex]

I know I've been hard on Luka lately but yeah, I just don't see where a B- is coming from. He was absolutely pitiful out there. I re-watched the last 4 minutes focusing solely on Luka.

3:48 - Luka Samanic enters the game for Drew Eubanks

3:36 - gets danced on and gives up an open mid-range jumper to Ross which misses

3:03 - sets a weak screen against Forbes' man, then rolls out of the play. Forbes throws the ball off defenders foot

3:00 - another weak pick, almost a moving violation on the roll, doesn't get back in the play to contest for the rebound

2:50 - doesn't close out on Bamba in time, three-pointer for Mo

2:30 - Primo turns the ball over trying to pass to Samanic at the top, more of a bad pass by Primo but Luka could've come to the ball better

2:27 - gives up on chasing his man after the turnover, wide-open dunk in transition

2:16 - sets a screen for Forbes on the wing, then almost runs into Forbes while rolling. Doesn't contest for the rebound.

2:04 - loses sight of the ball and doesn't rotate to prevent the dunk from Carter Jr. despite being like 2 steps away

1:35 - decent box out but still can't grab the board, multiple Magic players there so not really his fault

1:08 - nice fake from the top to get an open drive to the basket, ball gets poked away from behind by Bamba

1:10 - decent handoff to KBD for assist on a three

0:47 - gets stuck in no man's land defending a pick and roll, loses touch with Bamba who gets an easy lob and dunk

0:37 - sets two "screens" which make zero contact with the defenders since Luka keeps trying to slip the screen

0:25 - nearly loses his dribble driving into two defenders, then throws out to KBD in the corner with 1 second left, shot is blocked

:07 - moves his feet well defending Suggs causing him to trip and lose the ball, clock expires during the ensuing scramble

Like obviously I'm being critical here and there were some positive plays including the one that sealed the win, but that is a lot of negative action in a 4 minute span. It would be one thing if this was just a bad stretch by a guy who has otherwise proven himself to be a good player, but that is not the case.

It honestly looks like Luka has checked out. Instead of fighting for his NBA life, he is just taking up space on the floor. Really sad to see for a 19th pick who had high expectations, but sometimes you just can't squeeze blood from a stone.

[DPG21920]

Lonnie Lonnie Lonnie!

[NK123]

- After reading your grades, I still don't know how Luka deserves a B. He is done. He does not have the will to face difficulties. He quits or lacks aggressiveness.

- I think that White should lead the bench. He and Dejounte cancel eachother on offense. Derrick looked a lot more comfortable playing with the second unit.

- Lonnie NEEDS to have the ball in his hands to be effective. This game showed that his confidence grew, the more he controlled the offense.

- Vassell can be a SOLID player. I see a 18pts/7rbs guy. He is a less athletic version of Shawn Marrion to me. He has been one of the most consistent players.

- Bryn has been great. Hope he keeps like this.

- Joshua Primo needs to start at the 2. He has the 3 level shooting we need to open the game for both Dejounte and Keldon. He is more composed than Lonnie which is amazing for such a young kid. He is not a defensive liability and can provide instant scoring by himself.

- Eubanks is a solid player. the problem is that he is not imposing enough on defense. I think that the offense played better with him at the 5 over Poeltl. Our team is too small to have him starting and playing as the sole legit big.

- Jock is player that might be the best option over both Poeltl and Eubanks in the future. He is big enough to defend and get rebounds. He can create offense from inside, mid post and stretch to the 3. He needs to let the game come to him more but more playing time will help.

[rjv]

white has been the biggest disappointment of the preseason and i'm not sure what is going on with him. he looks tentative and lacking in confidence. obviously, if white is as pedestrian during the season has he has been in camp, this will hinder the spurs success. and it sure was nice to see lonnie have a good game. i hope that wasn't an anomaly.

[raybies]

- After reading your grades, I still don't know how Luka deserves a B. He is done. He does not have the will to face difficulties. He quits or lacks aggressiveness.

- I think that White should lead the bench. He and Dejounte cancel eachother on offense. Derrick looked a lot more comfortable playing with the second unit.

- Lonnie NEEDS to have the ball in his hands to be effective. This game showed that his confidence grew, the more he controlled the offense.

- Vassell can be a SOLID player. I see a 18pts/7rbs guy. He is a less athletic version of Shawn Marrion to me. He has been one of the most consistent players.

- Bryn has been great. Hope he keeps like this.

- Joshua Primo needs to start at the 2. He has the 3 level shooting we need to open the game for both Dejounte and Keldon. He is more composed than Lonnie which is amazing for such a young kid. He is not a defensive liability and can provide instant scoring by himself.

- Eubanks is a solid player. the problem is that he is not imposing enough on defense. I think that the offense played better with him at the 5 over Poeltl. Our team is too small to have him starting and playing as the sole legit big.

- Jock is player that might be the best option over both Poeltl and Eubanks in the future. He is big enough to defend and get rebounds. He can create offense from inside, mid post and stretch to the 3. He needs to let the game come to him more but more playing time will help.
great post man. post more. i agree with most of this.

[exstatic]

LJ, do better. Luka gets an F, for the matador defense alone.

[couchman]

Forbes has actually been good this preseason. I can't believe I just wrote that but it's true.
I'm worried about White. His shooting last season was the worst of his career and his shot looks broken right now. He has enough talent that I expect him to ramp up once the season begins but I'm a bit anxious about it. We really need him to play well.

[jermaine]

I normally like All the grades an agree with them. But this Luka grade... Makes me question your judgment. That fool is a quitter. His grade definitely should be D-.

[itzsoweezee]

Posters getting hyperbolic off of just 3 preseason games — this is what happens when you don’t play young players in real games so that you can go full speed into the lottery trying to ride a bunch of washed vets into the playoffs

What a waste the last three years have been.

[wildbill2u]

LJ, do better. Luka gets an F, for the matador defense alone.

Is Luka a player who needs a lot of minutes to orientate himself on court? Can he be sent to Austin for a long time to get those minutes or would that be impossible under his contract? I just hate to see him go without ever having gotten enough minutes to reveal his worth or not

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

I know I've been hard on Luka lately but yeah, I just don't where a B- is coming from. He was absolutely pitiful out there. I re-watched the last 4 minutes focusing solely on Luka.

3:48 - Luka Samanic enters the game for Drew Eubanks

3:36 - gets danced on and gives up an open mid-range jumper to Ross which misses

3:03 - sets a weak screen against Forbes' man, then rolls out of the play. Forbes throws the ball off defenders foot

3:00 - another weak pick, almost a moving violation on the roll, doesn't get back in the play to contest for the rebound

2:50 - doesn't close out on Bamba in time, three-pointer for Mo

2:30 - Primo turns the ball over trying to pass to Samanic at the top, more of a bad pass by Primo but Luka could've come to the ball better

2:27 - gives up on chasing his man after the turnover, wide-open dunk in transition

2:16 - sets a screen for Forbes on the wing, then almost runs into Forbes while rolling. Doesn't contest for the rebound.

2:04 - loses sight of the ball and doesn't rotate to prevent the dunk from Carter Jr. despite being like 2 steps away

1:35 - decent box out but still can't grab the board, multiple Magic players there so not really his fault

1:08 - nice fake from the top to get an open drive to the basket, ball gets poked away from behind by Bamba

1:10 - decent handoff to KBD for assist on a three

0:47 - gets stuck in no man's land defending a pick and roll, loses touch with Bamba who gets an easy lob and dunk

0:37 - sets two "screens" which make zero contact with the defenders since Luka keeps trying to slip the screen

0:25 - nearly loses his dribble driving into two defenders, then throws out to KBD in the corner with 1 second left, shot is blocked

:07 - moves his feet well defending Suggs causing him to trip and lose the ball, clock expires during the ensuing scramble

Like obviously I'm being critical here and there were some positive plays including the one that sealed the win, but that is a lot of negative action in a 4 minute span. It would be one thing if this was just a bad stretch by a guy who has otherwise proven himself to be a good player, but that is not the case.

It honestly looks like Luka has checked out. Instead of fighting for his NBA life, he is just taking up space on the floor. Really sad to see for a 19th pick who had high expectations, but sometimes you just can't squeeze blood from a stone.

Not really giving a sh!t cost him. Lots of talent but no heart. We want the guys that don't accept losing. I'd take heart over talent any day...certainly would rather have both. That's what separates championship players like Tim, Tony, Manu and role players like Bruce from the guys that can never get their teams over the hump. Luka doesn't appear to have that winning mindset.

[Brazil]

White is becoming slow mo 2.0

loved dat Tear drop ala Parker by josh late in the game

[Mr. Body]

Luka Samanic B- grade

Pretty astounding

[TD 21]

If White's not scoring, I'm not sure the team can afford to start him. The defense is nice, but relying on only Murray and Johnson to get first-contact points feels like a set-up to put the Spurs in holes, and the Forbes/Walker bench may not be able to compensate. Starting one of those guards for White fixes multiple problems, and it leaves open the idea of starting Vassell for McDermott to shore up the defense. I don't think Eubanks or Landale are bad players at all, but I also worry that the bench doesn't really have the players to make them work any more. Young's fit with either has been awkward, and the general lack of size both guys have combined with the bad defense from Walker/Forbes and potentially slow feet of Young means the bench defense may not be very good. If the team starts Murray/White and plays a nine-man rotation, you'd think one of the most common players to remove from the rotation would be the back-up center and just run with Thad. It's not great how many centers they wouldn't be using at that point, but I also feel like despite the investment, the Spurs still need to look for a long-term center prospect anyway. If there's a value trade for Eubanks, I'd be tempted to move him. He's a real NBA player and obviously has chemistry with the other guys. But I just don't know that it's worth it to keep four centers given their short-comings, and Drew is easily the most moveable member of that group.

As I said months ago, they should re-route Young before the season to avoid injury, decline and his being an awkward fit (not only the spacing issues next to Poeltl/Eubanks or Murray playing with the second unit, but limiting Vassell to almost spot minutes) to derail his value.

If not, then the ideal rotation might end up being Johnson-Vassell-Poeltl-Walker IV-Murray, White-McDermott-Young-Forbes, with a backup center spotted in when necessary. That's the best they can do balance and minutes wise to get people in the range they should be.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

White is becoming slow mo 2.0

loved dat Tear drop ala Parker by josh late in the game

White's airball floater in this game was a thing of beauty.