Most improved Spur next year from last NBA season.

[exstatic]

Who you got? Humans only, please.

[KingKev]

Damn quite a few guys in the running purely on base effects.

Zollins probably has a long leash given how weak we are upfront and I don’t think could get anyone worse.

I’m rooting for Wesley as he has such an intriguing skill set you can’t teach with the defensive tenacity, length and quickness plus he be appeared to begin to turn a corner towards the end of last year but I think he will struggle to get minutes and is probably out the door in the next year.

Keldon is a finished product at this point; I’m skeptical slimming down will improve his game in any facet.

Tough for Dev to improve much after a solid offensive year unless he starts playing defence. His touches are about to drop I suspect.

Sochan is coming off a year he digressed but he was put in a difficult position. I think this year with a more defined role he will appear to be most improved.

Branham/Champ aren’t going to see much if anytime I suspect.

[scott]

Voted for Sochan almost by default. Part of it is what I hope happens, the other part is that it's hard to imagine him not improving considering how bad he looked at times last year.

[gambit1990]

you'd think it'd be sochan but i voted for keldon.

cp3 will elevate everyone's game though.

[exstatic]

Damn quite a few guys in the running purely on base effects.

Zollins probably has a long leash given how weak we are upfront and I don’t think could get anyone worse.

I’m rooting for Wesley as he has such an intriguing skill set you can’t teach with the defensive tenacity, length and quickness plus he be appeared to begin to turn a corner towards the end of last year but I think he will struggle to get minutes and is probably out the door in the next year.

Keldon is a finished product at this point; I’m skeptical slimming down will improve his game in any facet.

Tough for Dev to improve much after a solid offensive year unless he starts playing defence. His touches are about to drop I suspect.

Sochan is coming off a year he digressed but he was put in a difficult position. I think this year with a more defined role he will appear to be most improved.

Branham/Champ aren’t going to see much if anytime I suspect.

I’m not sure that tracks. If they had no plans for him, they could have cut him, paid CP3 $12M, and paid Barnes his kicker. The fact that they didn’t do those things, going to both players with a 7 figure ask, says they have plans for Julian and he’s in the rotation.

[KingKev]

I’m not sure that tracks. If they had no plans for him, they could have cut him, paid CP3 $12M, and paid Barnes his kicker. The fact that they didn’t do those things, going to both players with a 7 figure ask, says they have plans for Julian and he’s in the rotation.

I think he is cheap insurance but with a healthy squad I don’t see him getting more than 10 minutes a night. He is going to be battling Barnes, Keldon, Sochan and potentially Castle for time at the 3 on most nights.

The addition of two starters in CP3 and Barnes plus a lottery pick in Castle with no loss of any contributing players means Branham, Wesley, Champ and Mamu are likely deep bench guys seeing the floor sparingly.

[MultiTroll]

Victor Wama.

He's that good but yet he will get even better.


Voted for Sochan almost by default. Part of it is what I hope happens, the other part is that it's hard to imagine him not improving considering how bad he looked at times last year.
Ya it's like appreciate the effort on the thread ex, but damn so many of these have soo much room to improve they can only get better.

Since anyone of our grandmas runing point would be an improvement over Popped Sochan and the Freeze Out Team, i think Vic will look even better.

[MultiTroll]

Voting on what is available, i voted Sochan.

Free (We hope!) from the influence of Coach Retard and in his more natural position (we hope!) and responsibilities let's see what a season later Sochan can do.

I don't mind his faggy hairdos and eccentric behavior IF IF IF he's going to bring same basketball passion that Ms. Rodman did.
You want to emulate fruitcake, go for it. Basketballwise.

[KingKev]

Voting on what is available, i voted Sochan.

Free (We hope!) from the influence of Coach Retard and in his more natural position (we hope!) and responsibilities let's see what a season later Sochan can do.

I don't mind his faggy hairdos and eccentric behavior IF IF IF he's going to bring same basketball passion that Ms. Rodman did.
You want to emulate fruitcake, go for it. Basketballwise.

He has braids currently.

[Leetonidas]

Really hoping for a strong bounce back year from Keldon

[MultiTroll]

Really hoping for a strong bounce back year from Keldon
Was someone posting he lost 25 pounds?

[exstatic]

Victor Wama.

He's that good but yet he will get even better.


Ya it's like appreciate the effort on the thread ex, but damn so many of these have soo much room to improve they can only get better.

Since anyone of our grandmas runing point would be an improvement over Popped Sochan and the Freeze Out Team, i think Vic will look even better.

It wasn’t an oversight. He was intentionally excluded because he’s the answer to many different polls.

[exstatic]

Voting on what is available, i voted Sochan.

Free (We hope!) from the influence of Coach Retard and in his more natural position (we hope!) and responsibilities let's see what a season later Sochan can do.

I don't mind his faggy hairdos and eccentric behavior IF IF IF he's going to bring same basketball passion that Ms. Rodman did.
You want to emulate fruitcake, go for it. Basketballwise.

Even last year, he had stopped with the multi colors, and just had a slight bleach. He’s got corn rows in current videos.

[Mr. Body]

Jeremy moves back to his natural role and position. Gets to attack mismatches on offense and be more of a free safety / utility guy on defense.

[heyheymymy]

I picked Sochan because I'm a Sochan believer and his play for Poland this summer appeared to be demonstrating new capacities. Settling back into his natural position, operating around an increasingly established Wemby, and with a team priority of winning should work wonders from his low point last season.

But I want to say I think people are going to be very impressed by Devin Vassell this season too. Not sure his volume will increase but the quality of his contributions will be elevated noticeably imho. His pics looked like he added some muscle this summer. I could see a lot of the original pre Wemby guys start to impress more as they are not stretched as thin. What happens when opponents have a few others to watch now and can't drown out Dev and KJ as much?

[exstatic]

I picked Sochan because I'm a Sochan believer and his play for Poland this summer appeared to be demonstrating new capacities. Settling back into his natural position, operating around an increasingly established Wemby, and with a team priority of winning should work wonders from his low point last season.

But I want to say I think people are going to be very impressed by Devin Vassell this season too. Not sure his volume will increase but the quality of his contributions will be elevated noticeably imho. His pics looked like he added some muscle this summer. I could see a lot of the original pre Wemby guys start to impress more as they are not stretched as thin. What happens when opponents have a few others to watch now and can't drown out Dev and KJ as much?

Devin’s 3 ball% should go up with him not having to create all of his shots.

[scott]

I picked Sochan because I'm a Sochan believer and his play for Poland this summer appeared to be demonstrating new capacities. Settling back into his natural position, operating around an increasingly established Wemby, and with a team priority of winning should work wonders from his low point last season.

But I want to say I think people are going to be very impressed by Devin Vassell this season too. Not sure his volume will increase but the quality of his contributions will be elevated noticeably imho. His pics looked like he added some muscle this summer. I could see a lot of the original pre Wemby guys start to impress more as they are not stretched as thin. What happens when opponents have a few others to watch now and can't drown out Dev and KJ as much?

I do agree on Devin. I think having CP3, Tre and Castle at all the PG minutes will mean a much more competent and coherent Spurs offense that naturally creates an easier time for him. And Barnes' spacing will help in that regard as well. It's not outside of the range of possibility that Devin shows he can be a legit #2 in this league this coming year. Personally I think he's likely still a #3, but it's definitely possible he flashes an even higher ceiling.

[Strategic]

Champ if only because he’s the size to be a versatile defender, if he even plays D. Lots of choices of guys needing to improve.

[KobesAchilles]

I think rather than improvement of play, I want improvement in knowing their damn role. Vassell cannot be shooting as much as Wemby. Sorry Devin but you’re not that dude. Give me around 12 shot attempts a game rather than his 16. Learn how to play some actual fucking defense too. Don’t zone out on your man, fight through screens, and communicate communicate communicate.

Sochan is an off ball player. All the idiots here clamoring about how he’s our secondary playmaker and should have the ball in his hands more and run plays need to STFU and get Sochan back to his role. He is a player who makes quick reads when he gets the ball. He either shoots, drives, or kicks. Back to basics for him offensively. He needs (and I mean needs) to hit open 3s at a high rate. I’m talking like 37% for him to justify him being on the court more than 30 minutes a game. Also he need to improve on finishing around the rim bc his turn around jumper is about the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen other than him trying to make a lay up in traffic.

KJ doesn’t need to improve much at all. He’s bench player. They are supposed to be flawed. He comes in with great hustle and high energy and just plays like the wild colt he is. I suppose if he could learn how to actually use his body in the post like Barkley that would be nice so he is usable in the half court setting. Also not driving into 4 people at once would be helpful too. But I’m not holding my breath

The rest shouldn’t even be on the team after next year. So who really gives a flip. All in all I vote KJ improving the most bc he’s the only one who is in year two of actually knowing his damn role. This will be Vassells first year of not shooting every time he gets the ball and he will struggle to be engaged without the ball in his hands and Sochan in year one of being PF again.

[Ni-G]

Hello everyone.
I am new here and it's my first post but I've been lurking around for a while.

I voted for Jeremy Sochan as he has had quite poor andmessed up with PG experiment season and has a lot to prove to haters, himself and PATFO. Now in organised game he should be able to finally play his best game and improve his percentages.
Also as a Pole myself I root for him and I hope for the best Jeremy possible in a contest of our national team which sucks to be fair :)

I think that Devin will improve as well a lot with less doubleteams but Jeremy starts from a lower level.

[Spurs Homer]

Didnt vote -

WEMBY - is the answer...

you guys STILL dont know what we have!

[exstatic]

Didnt vote -

WEMBY - is the answer...

you guys STILL dont know what we have!

We all know EXACTLY what we have, and he was INTENTIONALLY omitted from the poll, and it was noted in the poll post, because he’s the default answer to almost any poll posted here, and that’s pretty boring.

[TekXX]

Should have included a none of the above option because that's what i've come to expect from this squad. I'm going to write-in Wemby.

[jjspur]

Overall a few players should improve considering we won't have backups playing as starters any more. Wemby will improve, that's a no brainer, but I voted for Keldon. Considering where he was drafted, he's already done pretty well if you compare the other spurs players drafted higher than him, but haven't done anywhere close to what he has already done. Only Wemby and Devin have justified their draft position, all the others haven't. Still waiting on Sochan. Castle should be interesting though.

[Allan Rowe vs Wade]

Having Chris Paul And Tre Jones giving 48 minutes of competent PG play should elevate everyone tbh. Imagine running plays

[widowmaker]

I say Sandro I hope he gets much more playing time

[LeBowen]

Can't see Keldon getting rid of tunnel vision or becoming a good defender in his sixth season.
Jeremy better improve, otherwise he's not worth shit. Made zero improvements other than his FTs since he was drafted.
Malaki is borderline useless and Blake is a lost cause.
Collins needs to be traded asap.
Champagnie should improve his consistency.

Devin is the one I expect to make another jump. He got used to Wemby and he won't need to create that much since we finally got an actual point guard.
I expect a 22ppg season on good efficency.

[FutureMan]

I said Sochan but I hope the majority of this lists feels the pressure and is better for it. This seasons decides a lot for basically everyone on this list.

Keldon - needs to be the shooter he was back in 2021-22. Coincidentally, that was the last year we had a starting PG so maybe that’s the secret for him added with the work he appears to be putting in this offseason.

Devin - is he a #2 option or not.

Sochan - shooting and defense or he should be moved to a bench role.

Malaki - needs to be almost a Luke Kennard or Duncan Robinson level shooter to remain in the rotation.

Wesley - shooting, more than anyone else shooting. If he can’t figure this out next year’s option should not be picked up. Same can be said for Cissoko.

Collins - needs to revert back to Collins of 2022-23 AND bring his fouls down.

For me, if the Spurs are truly interested in winning then these players fix those things or they are gone by the trade deadline or next offseason if a trade needs to wait until then. All of these players were drafted by the Spurs, except Collins, during a time when it was more acceptable to lose. IMO that time is over. Can these players be winning players? That’s the question.

[R. DeMurre]

Gotta go with Sochan. If he's starting with CP3, Devin, Barnes, and Wemby he'll be the 5th option on offense, which will give him the opportunity to do the dirty work of rebounding/boxing out/setting picks/ball movement etc without the pressure of being a lead player. Him focusing on D and being a junkyard dog on O probably plays best to his highest potential.

[R. DeMurre]

The sleeper pick here would be Mamukelashvili... if he can find a way to integrate a solid 18mpg with the same level of effectiveness that he had in the last month of last season, he could be a valuable super sub.

[John B]

I’m rooting for Wesley because he has that dawg in him from day 1. His open court defense is already elite and if he can get his offense going, he’s going to be a solid role player in a championship team.

I agree that Sochan will have a more defined role with CP3 having the ball and setting up people, helping Sochan to focus on defense and opportunistic scoring coming off defense.

Vassell needs to be the 2nd All-Star and I think he will get there. With the eyes on Wemby, and CP3 finding people, Vassell will get more open shots. I think Vassell adds another 4-6 points on his average making him an All-Star

Keldon has a chip on his shoulder with all the trade rumors, him giving up his jersey number. If he could channel all that energy to becoming a great 6th man. But the Spurs need to win to make it easier to swallow that bitter pill.

And for the rest. Tre is a good backup PG but needs to get stronger defensively. Bassey and Collins for that backup C should be good. We haven’t really seen enough of what Bassey can do. But Mamu seems to have developed a good chemistry with Wemby and could be playing more minutes. Champ seems to be the more aggressive than Branham. Too bad since Malaki has the more natural scoring touch but seems the definition of nonchalant.

[exstatic]

The sleeper pick here would be Mamukelashvili... if he can find a way to integrate a solid 18mpg with the same level of effectiveness that he had in the last month of last season, he could be a valuable super sub.

There was a method to the selections. Everyone was either a FRP by SA or was signed to a multi year contract at some point for basketball reasons. I purposely omitted any older veterans that we got from other teams, and Mamu, because for the second straight season, SA only offered him a one year contract. That doesn’t say a lot about their thought for his future in SA. I like Manu, and he has some good qualities, but he doesn’t play much defense, and while his shot looks nice, it goes in less often than Zack Collin’s shot. The one I was on the fence about was Sidy. My thought is that he only got the guarantees he got to cover his buyout in Spain. He’s pretty bad, and shoots at a level blow Ausar/Amen. I see him as gone next summer.

[KingKev]

I’m rooting for Wesley because he has that dawg in him from day 1. His open court defense is already elite and if he can get his offense going, he’s going to be a solid role player in a championship team.

I agree that Sochan will have a more defined role with CP3 having the ball and setting up people, helping Sochan to focus on defense and opportunistic scoring coming off defense.

Vassell needs to be the 2nd All-Star and I think he will get there. With the eyes on Wemby, and CP3 finding people, Vassell will get more open shots. I think Vassell adds another 4-6 points on his average making him an All-Star

Keldon has a chip on his shoulder with all the trade rumors, him giving up his jersey number. If he could channel all that energy to becoming a great 6th man. But the Spurs need to win to make it easier to swallow that bitter pill.

And for the rest. Tre is a good backup PG but needs to get stronger defensively. Bassey and Collins for that backup C should be good. We haven’t really seen enough of what Bassey can do. But Mamu seems to have developed a good chemistry with Wemby and could be playing more minutes. Champ seems to be the more aggressive than Branham. Too bad since Malaki has the more natural scoring touch but seems the definition of nonchalant.

I don't see him anywhere near this bro but I really hope you and DV prove me wrong!

[Pauleta14]

I think it'll be Devin, he went from being potentially THE guy, to now be behind Vic and Cp3, barely any hype behind even Castle (makes sense/novelty) or Sochan.

If he managed to improve his playmaking as he said he would focus on, he could become the side kick a lot of us are still pescimistic he can be.

It's just a bet, my wish is that Sochan is that guy, he's the one the team needs the most to improve.

[ismael-robert]

Tre, Bassey, mamu

[rankingtear]

Sochan can't really build on his late rookie season sucess because a huge part of it is using him closer to the basket. The arrival of Wemby takes a lot of it, so instead of steady progress we see him stagnate but the reality is he is much better perimeter player than he was in his rookie year. His natural playstyle clashes with Wemby but by the end of the year he is the 2nd best pairing with him. Sochan is also hitting his middies to counter how he is guarded and functioning as the offensive hub before he was shutdown.

[Dejounte]

What took away from Sochan a lot was him being the lone defensive playmaker last season (aside from Wesley in spurts). Having Castle there at the same time will allow him to be more selective with his matchups and exert less energy on defense. Having more energy on offense means more creativity to flow. Domino effect.

[exstatic]

Tre, Bassey, mamu


There was a method to the selections. Everyone was either a FRP by SA or was signed to a multi year contract at some point for basketball reasons. I purposely omitted any older veterans that we got from other teams, and Mamu, because for the second straight season, SA only offered him a one year contract. That doesn’t say a lot about their thought for his future in SA. I like Manu, and he has some good qualities, but he doesn’t play much defense, and while his shot looks nice, it goes in less often than Zack Collin’s shot. The one I was on the fence about was Sidy. My thought is that he only got the guarantees he got to cover his buyout in Spain. He’s pretty bad, and shoots at a level below Ausar/Amen. I see him as gone next summer.

Didn’t mention Bassey, but there’s usually a “gap” season after ACL surgery when the player is not yet confident in the knee.

[rankingtear]

I think Sidy would outlast 4-5 of these guys. His archetype would likely remain cheap and more useful than a lot of these players when the team is good and the cap is filled out. Him and Julian would stay with the team longer than a lot people think.

[exstatic]

I think Sidy would outlast 4-5 of these guys. His archetype would likely remain cheap and more useful than a lot of these players when the team is good and the cap is filled out. Him and Julian would stay with the team longer than a lot people think.

Julian yes, Sidy no, IMO. Sidy is just pretty bad. I don’t see them keeping him over a second rounder in next years draft. As usual,we’ll have two and keep one, in addition to our two FRPs.

[couchman]

Sochan is the obvious choice with a 3rd year leap and a PG putting him in better positions.
Vassell is the dark horse who might have another leap if he can become more efficient.
Both guys should benefit greatly from CP3 if the Point Gawd can stay healthy

[jjspur]

I'll be surprised if Sidy makes it past the trade deadline. There's always a surprise cut or trade before the beginning of the season for a lot of teams and maybe (probably) one of those players is better than Sidy. If the team really wants to improve, I do believe his days with the spurs are numbered.

[SpurSpike]

I'm going with Blake, he suffered an injury early in his career and has not had the same amount of playing time as Branham. I feel Branham and Blake get kinda lumped together here as possible busts which seems kinda unfair as one has had much more opportunity than the other. So I Hope to see Blake get more opportunities and really grow this year and maybe carve out a role for himself.

[thOOdee]

I see many are saying champs may not get a whole lot of playing time, but if he gets any where near gary neal minutes, and can get neal production, I can see him being pop's new pet, and I don't think that's too much of a difficult task for champs. Would love it though if sochan get's most improved.

[spurraider21]

think it kind of has to be sochan since he has by far the biggest cominbation of room to grow and opportunity to showcase said growth. like obviously wesley/branham can get better but how many minutes will they get? will they be given huge responsibilities when on the floor? on the other hand, the spurs are going to continue throwing Sochan at other team's best scorers on most nights.

his defensive consistency needs improvement. he has games where he is disruptive as hell (remember one of the OKC games last year in particular) but then so many games where im not sure he has any real impact there at all. rebounding is part of this equation as well

offensively it just has to be his ballhandling, even more so than the shooting. right now he always looks down when dribbling because of the lack of confidence in his handles. this has led to him having very poor vision when on the move, and he doenst make use of his above average passing ability as a result. obviously improving to his jumper would be welcome but is not the single most important aspect of his game. if he's playing the 4 alongside good shooters in paul/vassell/barnes/champagnie, etc, and with wemby at the 5, i dont think the 3 point shot from him will be as monumentally important as some here make it seem

[itzsoweezee]

I don’t think Sochan has the skills needed to take a jump at his position. Vassell, on the other hand, just needs to be consistent. He’s gotten better every year. I think he takes the next step — plays within his self, moves off the ball a bit, and takes consistent advantage of the attention paid to wemby with better guard play to get him the ball in scoring position

[John B]

Wemby is the projected to be the favorite to win the MIP next season with +850. DPOY, All-NBA, what else??

[CGD]

Wembs

[Limguogolo]

(Collins is ready for a new Dynasty.)


Voted for Sochan. After being manhandled by Pop, logic would dictate that he stabilizes his game. And it is generally a decisive year where players perform well.


That being said, I hope that the best progression, like the others, remains Victor despite everything. I'm afraid that with the arrivals and the new roles assigned to everyone that these players simply won't find enough time to express themselves on the floor.

[Fireball]

Wemby is the projected to be the favorite to win the MIP next season with +850. DPOY, All-NBA, what else??

What do you think about second year players even being considered for MIP? Should it not reward players make a leap during other steps in their career instead of the most obvious one?

[KingKev]

What do you think about second year players even being considered for MIP? Should it not reward players make a leap during other steps in their career instead of the most obvious one?

Ja Morant won it a few years ago when it was clear he was already headed to superstar status the year prior. Likewise Shai has been in the running the last few years also. I expect Wemby to play closer to 25 mins a night and have better efficiency this season. He is probably going to average something close to 25/12/4/4/2

[Seventyniner]

Ja Morant won it a few years ago when it was clear he was already headed to superstar status the year prior. Likewise Shai has been in the running the last few years also. I expect Wemby to play closer to 25 mins a night and have better efficiency this season. He is probably going to average something close to 25/12/4/4/2

I sure hope you meant 35.

[KingKev]

I sure hope you meant 35.

Haha I did. Freudian slip up. You never know with PATFO :pop:

[John B]

What do you think about second year players even being considered for MIP? Should it not reward players make a leap during other steps in their career instead of the most obvious one?

I agree with your point. In fact, I thought Devin deserved the MIP instead of Ja that year. It’s the media pushing their favorite to sell tickets. In this case, it’s Wemby. I’d take it. It’s not always the Spurs (or a Spur) in a receiving end.

[KingKev]

I agree with your point. In fact, I thought Devin deserved the MIP instead of Ja that year. It’s the media pushing their favorite to sell tickets. In this case, it’s Wemby. I’d take it. It’s not always the Spurs (or a Spur) in a receiving end.

Please go back and look at the jump in Ja vs your baby girl Vassell in 2021-22. If anything Dejounte Murray deserved it more than DV.

[buttsR4rebounding]

Sochan hands down. By this time next year he’ll be wrecking Rolls Royces.

[KingKev]

Pretty good article acknowledging DV’s efficiency last season and his potential for improvement yoy:

https://www.thescore.com/nba/news/3067067

[Kevin]

Dev's a shooting oriented elite role player. He doesn't anything else particularly well other than shoot. Defense, rebounding, passing and getting to the foul line are all very meh.

[The Truth #6]

DV could appear to improve by getting more open looks and scoring more and more easily. And so his PPG could go up without actually improving his skills if that makes sense.

As for improving skills, Jeremy has lots of room to work with.

[LeBowen]

Dev's a shooting oriented elite role player. He doesn't anything else particularly well other than shoot. Defense, rebounding, passing and getting to the foul line are all very meh.

We have to see how he does on a functioning team.
He'll never be a top tier playmaker, but it gets so much more difficult with awful spacing and if you're the only creator on the floor, which he was in a lot of lineups.
My biggest issue with him is that he deferred to worse players in a lot of games. He was too passive and allowed Keldon and Jeremy to ruin way too many key possessions in some losses.

Players like him become deadly with an actual point guard and spacing. I truly belive CP3 and Barnes will transform this team with good decision making and huge spacing improvement over what we had last season.
I guess Devin will be the starter who spends the most minutes with bench lineups. I'll be disappointed if he doesn't take over against bench players while Wemby sits.

Still, even if he stays the player he is right now, his contract is amazing value considering the money thrown at players these days. Any improvement he makes will be a bonus.
I'd be happy with him being a 22ppg efficent scorer who's not a negative on defense. Not everyone can be a superstar.

[Kevin]

We have to see how he does on a functioning team.
He'll never be a top tier playmaker, but it gets so much more difficult with awful spacing and if you're the only creator on the floor, which he was in a lot of lineups.
My biggest issue with him is that he deferred to worse players in a lot of games. He was too passive and allowed Keldon and Jeremy to ruin way too many key possessions in some losses.

Players like him become deadly with an actual point guard and spacing. I truly belive CP3 and Barnes will transform this team with good decision making and huge spacing improvement over what we had last season.
I guess Devin will be the starter who spends the most minutes with bench lineups. I'll be disappointed if he doesn't take over against bench players while Wemby sits.

Still, even if he stays the player he is right now, his contract is amazing value considering the money thrown at players these days. Any improvement he makes will be a bonus.
I'd be happy with him being a 22ppg efficent scorer who's not a negative on defense. Not everyone can be a superstar.

CP3 might improve his shooting numbers further still not sure how it will improve his defense, play making or ability to draw fouls and get to the line.

[LeBowen]

CP3 might improve his shooting numbers further still not sure how it will improve his defense, play making or ability to draw fouls and get to the line.

Devin can improve his defense by himself.
Playmaking is always easier when you have actual floor spacers around yourself.
Drawing fouls is an issue, we'll see if he can improve in that regard.

[Seventyniner]

Pretty good article acknowledging DV’s efficiency last season and his potential for improvement yoy:

https://www.thescore.com/nba/news/3067067

Nice article. This increased efficiency and having competent PG play is what led me to pick Vassell in the poll.

This quote was funny though, it doesn't seem to have helped Sochan yet.


All that time spent without a genuine starting point guard may have benefited Vassell and the Spurs in the long run, though.

[Mr. Body]

Pretty good article acknowledging DV’s efficiency last season and his potential for improvement yoy:

https://www.thescore.com/nba/news/3067067

Great article. Nice pointing out how low-turnover Vassell is. I think he'll start grooving this year as more of a third option behind Wemby and, for now, Paul, and the threats of Barnes and overall cohesion. If Castle can get downhill, that opens things up, too. I think his defense will get better as he can draw less hard assignments.

[KingKev]

Great article. Nice pointing out how low-turnover Vassell is. I think he'll start grooving this year as more of a third option behind Wemby and, for now, Paul, and the threats of Barnes and overall cohesion. If Castle can get downhill, that opens things up, too. I think his defense will get better as he can draw less hard assignments.

Yeah, I was quite surprised to see this from The Score; as a Canadian I don’t often enjoy their programming but this appeared to be very well informed article. I’ve been largely indifferent on Vassell over the years (partly for lack of engagement over my frustration with PATFO) but starting to see otherwise on him. Alot of our players were the really thrown into the deep end these last few years between lack of talent, rebuilding, development and let’s be honest strategic tanking. So while no likely perennial all-star has emerged I think we know what we have with these guys.

What I like about Vassell is he can give you an efficient/consistent 20 a night versus guys who have been paid more to go for 40 one night and 10 the next. If DV reinvigorates that defensive prowess he held at FSU as help and off ball disrupter he is going to be a gem and true member of this future core.

[playbonner15]

Vassell should be much better, need another firepower next to Victor. Sochan should improve his jumpshots and corner 3s. Feels like he's not fast enough for drives, not strong enough for post ups, so his offense is limited but excited to see a Victor-Castle-Sochan lineup in terms of defense. Vassell should be there but i'd rather have him bring out the offensive tools

[MultiTroll]

Can Pop improve from last season?

Will he?
His strategies will affect how much some players do or do not improve.

[TimmehC]

I don't know that Devin's counting stats will go up at all, but I think he should have much better looks at the basket, so his percentages should be better. The only player I expect to have an increase in ppg is the non-human, so a big increase to efficiency will have to do. And if that allows Devin to expend more energy at the defensive end, I wouldn't hate that either.

[Das Texan]

Why isnt Victor a choice?

:elephant

[exstatic]

Why isnt Victor a choice?

:elephant
Because he’s the painfully obvious choice for almost any positive aspect poll, and he would win them all, and that would be boring.

[Chomag]

Vassell should be much better, need another firepower next to Victor. Sochan should improve his jumpshots and corner 3s. Feels like he's not fast enough for drives, not strong enough for post ups, so his offense is limited but excited to see a Victor-Castle-Sochan lineup in terms of defense. Vassell should be there but i'd rather have him bring out the offensive tools


Thats not a very good sales pitch if your trying to talk up Sochan TBH lol. So why do we have Sochan again? He seems very mid on all aspects of the game.


I do hope he does at least improve his effectiveness at range though as you stated so he can be somewhat serviceable

[exstatic]

Thats not a very good sales pitch if your trying to talk up Sochan TBH lol. So why do we have Sochan again? He seems very mid on all aspects of the game.


I do hope he does at least improve his effectiveness at range though as you stated so he can be somewhat serviceable

It’s not rocket science. He has more room to improve than the others.

[Pauleta14]

Thats not a very good sales pitch if your trying to talk up Sochan TBH lol. So why do we have Sochan again? He seems very mid on all aspects of the game.


I do hope he does at least improve his effectiveness at range though as you stated so he can be somewhat serviceable

Because his draft was super weak and BW didn't identify the 2-3 better players available.

Also bc such a player is ideal for soft tanking lol

(I still hope he improves but it's his last season/chance really, his main advantage is that contrary to 90% of players he seems to love defending)

[buttsR4rebounding]

I think it is best for the team if Devin is the most improved because if he is he is probably playing at an All-Star level and could be a legit #2 on a contender. I voted for Sochan because of all the obvious reasons discussed her ad nauseum. However, the more I learn about Zach Collins off season and the work he's putting in I believe he is the sleeper here. I think there's a good chance he'll shoot near 40% from 3 this year and improve his rebounding. It would be a huge benefit to the Spurs if the team didn't turn into a bunch of wannabes when Wemby goes to the bench.

[exstatic]

Because his draft was super weak and BW didn't identify the 2-3 better players available.

Also bc such a player is ideal for soft tanking lol

(I still hope he improves but it's his last season/chance really, his main advantage is that contrary to 90% of players he seems to love defending)

One better player after Sochan, JWill.

[Pauleta14]

One better player after Sochan, JWill.

Only 1 "name", I agree.

But surely many more that didn't have the luxury of being offered so much PT not based on merit.

Good for him, but others could've had that chance

[exstatic]

Only 1 "name", I agree.

But surely many more that didn't have the luxury of being offered so much PT not based on merit.

Good for him, but others could've had that chance

Yes, I’m sure those players were higher quality, but just held back because no one wanted to give them a chance \sarcasm

That’s not how the draft works. Everyone watches the same film, and everyone has a representative at the combine, and gets sent all of the measurements. Every mock had Sochan top 10, and some that I follow, like DoD had him top 5. From a prospect viewpoint, it wasn’t a miss. It remains to be seen what his development curve tops out at. He was a swing to get a franchise player before we had Wemby. We no longer need that, but if he could become a #2 or #3 guy, that would be ideal.

[heyheymymy]

An interesting sleeper call buttsR4, was thinking about lesser roles that might flourish a bit recently too. Obvs not expecting much, not expecting anything realistically.

But there's got to be one of Wesley, Branham, Champagnie, Mamu, Zollins, Bassey that get some semblance of a foothold at least. Plus not sure how you classify Jones for this discussion age wise (and Zollins, Mamu, Jones, Bassey perhaps are too old?) but as someone who steadily improved last 2 seasons I could see Tre Jones' cup finally overflow. I could see Jones, Zollins, Branham and Champ looking sharp this season in limited secondary support roles. Not sure what to expect with Bassey, feels like a hypothetical concept at this point. Love Mamu and thought he fit well next to Wemby and made the team gel while on court but hope to see improved defense.

[Pauleta14]

Yes, I’m sure those players were higher quality, but just held back because no one wanted to give them a chance \sarcasm

That’s not how the draft works. Everyone watches the same film, and everyone has a representative at the combine, and gets sent all of the measurements. Every mock had Sochan top 10, and some that I follow, like DoD had him top 5. From a prospect viewpoint, it wasn’t a miss. It remains to be seen what his development curve tops out at. He was a swing to get a franchise player before we had Wemby. We no longer need that, but if he could become a #2 or #3 guy, that would be ideal.

Yeah bc everyone is always right / sarcasm

My point was mostly that usually MERIT is an essential reason for PT, there are (anthopological) reasons for that.

Sochan needs to win his spot to get better (in soooo many areas, technical as much as mental or IQ) but never had to fight for it. He's had it way too easy

I hope PATFO challenge him this season and don't put him as a starter, he needs it.

[Dejounte]

I just wonder what the future rotation looks like if both Wesley and Branham surprise and turn into competent NBA players capable of playing on a playoff contender. What does this hypothetical look like?

[LeBowen]

I just wonder what the future rotation looks like if both Wesley and Branham surprise and turn into competent NBA players capable of playing on a playoff contender. What does this hypothetical look like?

First off, players guaranteed to play relevant minutes:

PG: CP3/Tre
SG: Devin
SF: Jeremy/Keldon
PF: Barnes
C: Wemby/Collins

I left Castle out because he'll surely get minutes, but we don't know what's his role going to be.
Eight guaranteed rotation members and Castle.
Then it's going to be between Branham, Champagnie and Mamu.
If Branham does well, then Castle probably moves down to SF and Jeremy/Keldon spend minutes at PF.
If Mamu continues where he left off last season, then Castle stays at SG and Jeremy Keldon at SF.
I can't see Wesley playing if noone is sitting out. He'll probably get some minutes while Devin is out and then wait for those games when CP3 rests.

Everyone will get a chance, then it's up to them to stay in the rotation.
The most interesting thing for me will be the point guard dynamic.
Is CP3 actually committed to this project or will he look to go to a contender at the deadline? If he stays for the entire season, then he'll probably get one more year.
If that happens, Tre probably gets traded because we can surely get some SRPs for him. No point in keepking him after the deadline if he doesn't get an extension.
Will Castle be an actual point guard? If he impresses, that just accelerates the departure of CP3/Tre. If that's his role, then he probably gets the starting spot next year and one of CP3/Tre would be his backup. But it's too early to tell right now.

[scott]

i expect Wesley to get his chances when CP3 inevitably misses some games. Just enough to give him an opportunity to earn more, if warranted.

[KingKev]

Castle, Wesley, Branham and Champ are in a dogfight for the true 9th man spot. Mamu/Bassey will get 10-12 mins a game combined regardless given our ridiculous lack of depth at the 4/5.

[exstatic]

Castle, Wesley, Branham and Champ are in a dogfight for the true 9th man spot. Mamu/Bassey will get 10-12 mins a game combined regardless given our ridiculous lack of depth at the 4/5.

If that’s the competition, it’ll go to Castle. I think that with the acquisition of CP3, Tre will sit like Devonte did last year, so those backup minutes will be available for Castle and Wesley.

[heyheymymy]

If that’s the competition, it’ll go to Castle. I think that with the acquisition of CP3, Tre will sit like Devonte did last year, so those backup minutes will be available for Castle and Wesley.

I know SA has a lot of PGs but I feel like Tre Jones will play more consistently than Graham did last year.

[exstatic]

I know SA has a lot of PGs but I feel like Tre Jones will play more consistently than Graham did last year.

Graham was better than a lot of our guards last year, and sat anyway.

CP will probably play ~30 minutes. That only leaves 18 PG minutes for Castle, and only if Tre primarily sits like Devonte did.

[KingKev]

Graham was better than a lot of our guards last year, and sat anyway.

CP will probably play ~30 minutes. That only leaves 18 PG minutes for Castle, and only if Tre primarily sits like Devonte did.

I think that is the biggest question mark going into this season - where Castle gets minutes. I see him learning PG role behind the scenes and predominately backing up Vassell while sharing some PG duties. Tre Jones is too good of a backup and knows the system. If Castle excels I could see Jones being moved at the deadline.