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thanks for the on point grades as always. nice to see white back, a little bit hesitant but I think he's a natural point guard unlike Forbes.
After four straight victories, the Spurs are now riding a two-game losing streak after losing in Miami by a final score of 95-88 on Wednesday night. Much like their loss against the Magic, San Antonio trailed for a vast majority of the game before rallying late in the fourth quarter. This time, the Spurs cut a 16-point fourth quarter lead to five points but it turned out to again be too little, too late.
Versus Orlando, it was their defense that let the Spurs down. Against the Heat, the defense was fine; they allowed only 97.9 points per 100 possessions. The offense, though, was a disaster. The Spurs shot 33 percent from the floor and hit only 18 of their 62 attempts (29 percent) from two-point range.
Yes, the Spurs missed a ton of relatively easy shots. However, give credit to the Heat for playing physical. Hassan Whiteside, specifically, was a beast -- especially in the first half when he recorded a franchise-record 8 blocked shots.
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LaMarcus Aldridge
The good: LaMarcus Aldridge rebounded pretty well and contested a few shots at the rim. The bad: Everything else. He was thoroughly dominated by Whiteside on both ends of the court. Offensively, Aldridge was pathetic. He played with almost no force and either missed open jumpers or settled for unnecessarily difficult looks. Defensively, Aldridge was too soft against Whiteside. With the Spurs starting a small lineup, they needed Aldridge to be the backbone. Instead, he wilted and the rest of the team can tumbling after.
Grade: D-
Summary: Aldridge got destroyed by Whiteside so completely that it was nearly impossible for the Spurs to recover.
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DeMar DeRozan
It's difficult to put a letter grade on his performance. On one hand, DeMar DeRozan set a career-high in rebounds, finished two assists shy of a triple double and played relatively decent defense. On the other hand, DeRozan failed to set a tone for the Spurs. With Rudy Gay out of the lineup once again with a heel injury and Aldridge getting destroyed, the Spurs were relying on DeRozan to get them going -- but it never really happened. He needed to be more relentless in making plays, especially when he saw that the ship was sinking.
Grade: C+
Summary: DeRozan was productive but didn't provide the spark the Spurs needed.
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Derrick White
Not only did Derrick White make his season debut against the Heat, Pop inserted him into the starting lineup. Unfortunately, things were rough for the second-year guard. He went scoreless in 16 minutes and looked tentative and unsure of himself for much of his court time. That said, there were some highlights: he right away looked like the best perimeter defender on the team, his passing and playmaking were breaths of fresh air at the point guard position, and he looks to be in reasonably good shape. Let's hope he can quickly find his niche on this team because the Spurs sure can use what he brings to the table.
Grade: C+
Summary: White wasn't good in his return from injury but it was encouraging to see him look healthy.
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Bryn Forbes
With White playing point guard, Bryn Forbes stayed in the starting lineup but shifted over to shooting guard. The shift wasn't seamless, however. Forbes didn't look as comfortable playing off the ball. He oscillated between being too passive and being too aggressive. The Spurs could have really used him to step up scoring-wise tonight but that didn't happen. Defensively, he was okay-ish but he was unnecessarily reaching far too often.
Grade: C
Summary: Forbes scooted over to shooting guard but the transition was rocky.
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Dante Cunningham
It's becoming clear that the Spurs can't function offensively with Cunningham in the starting lineup and Gay out of the starting lineup. There's just not enough offensive punch without a legit third scorer on the court. Cunningham's presence makes life too difficult for DeRozan and Aldridge to find space to operate. To make matters worse, I wasn't too impressed with his defense today, either. Sure, the hustle was there but Cunningham was too small to do contend with Whiteside and too slow to stay in front of the Heat's perimeter players.
Grade: D
Summary: Until Gay returns, Cunningham needs to ride the pine.
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Davis Bertans
The silver lining of this game was the return of Davis Bertans' confidence. He pumped in a season-high 19 points and was actively hunting shots. If anything, he deserved more touches. Bertans even had a couple of slick passes and made plays off the dribble a few times. On defense, he did a better job than usual at boxing out but his individual defense was a bit too tissue-like. He was doing a great job of moving his feet but he offered almost no resistance when players took the ball at him. At the very least, he has to cut off the driving angle -- he can't only simply allow straight line drives to the rim. But all in all, this was a good step forward for Bertans. Let's hope he can build off of it.
Grade: A-
Summary: Welcome to the season, Davis.
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Patty Mills
The one player on the team who played with any type of chutzpah tonight for the Spurs was Patty Mills. Pop, searching for energy, inserted five reserves a few minutes in the first quarter. Mills instantly responded by scoring nine straight points for the good guys. That heart and passion was on display all night long. He took a few bad shots . . . but at least the effort was there. Defensively, Mills was fine. I once again was impressed by him battling on the boards.
Grade: A-
Summary: Mills came to play. Not many of his teammates can say the same.
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Marco Belinelli
With the team desperate for a bolt of lightning, Marco Belinelli was anything but electric. Talk about bad timing for Belinelli to go limp. The Italian missed open shots, wasn't making many plays and was uncharacteristically subdued. With Gay out and the two stars wobbling, this game was made for Belinelli to provide a Ginobili-esque jump start. Didn't happen.
Grade: C-
Summary: Belinelli made things worse instead of better.
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Jakob Poeltl
With Pau Gasol also sitting out (foot), Jakob Poeltl entered the rotation. By the end of the night, the Spurs were left wishing Gasol had been available. Poeltl put up no fight against Whiteside. Instead, Poeltl was busy putting up feeble shots for Whiteside to block. The Austrian showed some life on the offensive boards but that was about the extent of his contributions.
Grade: C
Summary: Poeltl got a chance to show what he could do. He didn't take advantage.
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Pop
Pop was aggressively searching for combinations that were willing to get their hands dirty. He never really found it. The offense remained passive and out of sorts. In retrospect, throwing White straight into the fire was probably the wrong choice -- bringing him off the bench likely would have given the Spurs a better chance to win. It now looking like Cunningham hurts much more than he helps, especially with the current state of the team health-wise. Hopefully Pop realizes that before the losses start piling up.
Grade: C+
Summary: Pop was trying to coax toughness out of the Spurs but couldn't figure out the right buttons to push.
Looking ahead: Disappointing loss. This wasn't going to be an easy game but it was certainly winnable even with a B effort.
Next game is a tough one at home against the Rockets. Houston is currently 3-0 after three games of a five-game road trip that ends in San Antonio. A win for the Spurs would help right the ship but it'll be a challenge.
thanks for the on point grades as always. nice to see white back, a little bit hesitant but I think he's a natural point guard unlike Forbes.
Thank you for the grades Timvp. Agree that White would’ve been more effective coming from the bench tonight. There was no smooth flow in the offense as a result imo. Also LMA needs to demand the ball more in the post like last year. Spurs should keep feeding him inside. He seemed to be overshadowed by Demar I think. Cunningham cannot start if there’s not enough outside shooters around. He just doesn’t pose any offensive threat. I feel all and all that Pops is still tinkering with the lineup, not so much because of the injuries but that he is still searching for combinations, not much about winning one ballgame, but what could work in the future. I guess we just need to be patient on the outcome and see the bigger picture. Or I’m just in denial. GSG!
Thanks for the grades OP.
Now people will realize perhaps that Gasol is actually pretty useful. Among other things his high-low with Aldridge usually gets LaMarcus going. White didn't look ready to me and the starters didn't know what to do with him on the court. LMA is in a funk and I don't know if he's already tired from all those minutes or its somehow an X's and O's thing I'm missing. Good to see Patty playing well at last. Same with Davis.
Okay, he didn’t hold back, but no doubt LaPatty DeMills stepped it up today when a couple of all star team mates had a tough day in the office. He really has lifted his intensity tbh.
Bertans scored 8 of his 19 points in 4th quarter garbage time though the bar is set so low for Bertans, pretty much anything he does that nets a positive result on the court is going to result in an A.
there was no garbage time ... Bertans fueled a Spurs run that might have beed successful
The whole game was pretty much garbage time. They shot 34% and made a couple of shots to make the score look presentable. That's what they do. The game was never in doubt.
Why bother?
I don’t watch Heat games so can someone explain why is there always talk of them getting rid of Whiteside?
I'm glad this team is showing it's true potential
Whiteside is a headcase. Here is the thing about Whiteside; if he gets going, he does really well. He got a couple of early blocks and a few made baskets. All of a sudden, he feels great and Spo went for him. Players like Amare Stoudamire did the same thing. He gets his touches, makes baskets, then all of a sudden he is an elite rebounder and altering shots. Whiteside is that type of player. The idea is, you get him to bite, make dumb fouls, and then his game is in his head.
Pop dropped the ball. He should have seen Whiteside was full of energy after a few blocks and baskets. He should have lit the fire under LMA. The loss was mainly on LMA. Can't blame the role players on this one. DD did okay. He didn't actually hurt the spurs, but LMA 2-12 or some is a massive negative.
I'm pissed because you can't drop games like this with Dragic out. And we just lost to the Magic. FFS, these games are the difference between getting home court advantage or being a 9th seed.
1. 10 games in and Marco is shooting 32% from three and 39% from the field.
Add in the poor defense and a few dumb turnovers and his age ... I just don't get it.
2. I agree about White's defense. In the game thread I posted about that one impressive help block that Aldridge got came from White being able to recover and slow down the offensive player long enough for Aldridge to rotate over. Forbes and Mills and Bertans et al just get blown by or marched to the rim and it's over. Add in the deflections, he's an improvement on defense.
Offensively he was uncomfortable without chemistry with LMA and DD, but also with Pop's harsh hook that White had to feel like an anchor around his legs. Sure enough, a bad turnover and he's yanked. Meanwhile both Mills and Marco had the exact kind of dumb turnover, losing it to the defender right in front of them inexplicably ... but of course they are made men and don't have to worry. White was also showed some of his good passing and I expect if he ever gets comforable without getting Popped too much he'll deliver some nice stat lines.
3. And Poeltl just looks ... soft, unmotivated. Unskilled.
I have no doubt anymore that Mulitinov would be better. I don't even think Mulitinov has been performing up to his potential, but if he doesn't move with purpose. Poeltl just kind of floats around unless it's an offensive board opportunity.
RC and Pop really got wrecked by the Raptors, it's embarrassing. Not only did the Raptors not have to give up OG or Siakam, they actually got Green with Kawhi, a top 3 player who faked his way out of town humiliating Pop and RC.
I appreciate when TIMVP does the grades and I usually agree with them but Bertans doesn’t deserve an “A” grade at all. He was one of the worst defensive players all night and the Heat players constantly attacked him when he was on the court. He shot well and gave good effort but shown to be just as big of a defensive liability as Patty and Forbes, if not worse in this game.
I really enjoyed seeing Bertans attacking the rim, but defensively it may have been the worst game of a spur I remember in a long time
I also agree Bertans has not been good on defense on this one...he tried but he need to be a lot better. He has the tools to do that...however he was all things considered a positive in the game. The point was a lack of effort by a lot of players till the last quarter...but too late means a loss, expecially on the road.
Agree here but I'd still give some time and confidence to them. Marco still has credit to me, White is coming from an injury and Jacob is a young center in his first year in the system.
The progression curve on a young player is irregular. We don't know how are they working on a daily basis so we can only wait and trust the process. The best thing a player can receive from his coach is attention and corrections. I have no doubt about Popovich will of White to perform to his highest level as soon as possible. Poetl looks super soft now but we know he's not that kind of player so I guess he's just focusing too much in other stuff (offensive and defensive positioning i.e.) rather than simply going hard for the ball. This is a usual backstep in big guys' game evolution.Offensively, White was uncomfortable without chemistry with LMA and DD, but also with Pop's harsh hook that White had to feel like an anchor around his legs. Sure enough, a bad turnover and he's yanked. Meanwhile both Mills and Marco had the exact kind of dumb turnover, losing it to the defender right in front of them inexplicably ... but of course they are made men and don't have to worry. White was also showed some of his good passing and I expect if he ever gets comforable without getting Popped too much he'll deliver some nice stat lines.
I have no doubt anymore that Mulitinov would be better. I don't even think Mulitinov has been performing up to his potential, but if he doesn't move with purpose. Poeltl just kind of floats around unless it's an offensive board opportunity.
Id give an F to everyone that made Hassan Whiteside look like Kareem.
Both comments true. I finally understood why his minutes fluctuate so much. Sometimes Pop spares him from getting exposed too much. They didn’t have enough healthy players to spare him this game.
thanks for the grades. I was unable to catch this game.
Wow
Haw bad White needs to play to give him F ?
He probably should score a ton for opposite team
He was really bad. idk where you took C+ from?
C+ it's an average grade. If this is average White ....
LMA - 36 minutes, 6 points. That is an F. Aldridge is no good to the team when he doesn't score.
Derrick White - pass. Grade him according to pass/fail. The only real question was, is he recovered from the injury? Looks like a yes, therefore "pass." He should not have started.
Poeltl - not an NBA center. He can't jump, and his technique isn't good enough to compensate. Maybe if he spent a few hundred hours on a trampoline.... He is "incomplete."
Bertans - answers the question of whether a woman could play in the NBA. The answer is, sorta, if she can shoot. He plays like a girl. Put a shoulder into him and he falls down.
Pop - F. He did a horribly stupid thing, that not even a rookie high school coach would do. He moved the team's star player out of position to make room for a nobody. DDR just took a step closer to the Exit door, and what is this team gonna do without him?
DDR - pissed off. Smooth move, Pop, you addled old wino.
Intentionally or unintentionally, the Spurs are in tank mode as the Rockets come to town.
LMA is a D-
Not only did he play selfish and tried to get "his". He also missed a bunch of wide open shots. There was an instance where Demar would score in in half court, only for the LMA to demand the ball next possession and brick a shot.
Oh and please stop the Forbes/White together on the court experiment. This is flat out a recipe for disaster. Watching them take turns playing hot potato with the ball while Derozan is being ignored is flat out idiot ting
I thought it was a bit screwed up when Poetl went down and no one bothered to foul or call time out.
Derrick obviously wasn't ready to start. They should bring him off the bench for now and get him used to playing again. And Marco focused too much on weights this offseason and it looks like it affected his shot. We need Lonnie tbh when we dont play Gay. He has a scorer's mentality that we need plus he can get to the hoop and create his own shot.
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