The last time he was playing regularly was like in March. His midrange is with him when he wakes up. His 3 pt game is something he needs to build into his NBA game still. Hopefully he gets incrementally better at it as the season progresses.
Great point. And his quick first step just breaks defender every time. I think Pop sees that and hoping learn to trust the guy the same he let Manu be Manu.
There’s still so much more talent with our young players, and scary exciting to unwrap and see what they become
Was it just me or did that Grizzlies team seemed like a for sure lottery team despite contending for the playoffs last year. I suppose Jackson would make a pretty big difference. Hopefully Pop integrates White by reducing the vets minutes.
It’s crazy how Spurs could have several elite 2ways in Murray, White, Keldon, Vassell, Lonnie
Absolutely. Anything from Luka is extra. I hope he gets the nod over Lyles.
I don't want to get ahead of myself here, but...
WE ARE GOING TO THE SUPERBOWL!
They need Jackson back
Our cupboard is certainly no longer bare with two ways, but Lonnie is barely average right now, defensively, and Murray is not elite offensively. The middle three are scary good on both sides of the ball, though.
Disagree. Maybe it wasn't on full display last night, and I wasn't expecting it to be, but Poeltl started this (pre)season by markedly trying to force his offensive game. He was backing down dudes in the post the second preseason game IIRC, and missed the shots, but that's the baby steps he needs to be taking. Of course, you'll think "why would I ever want Poeltl to back someone down?", and to an extent I agree, but as others have said, it's a mental thing with him. I wouldn't be surprised to see Poeltl try to score for himself a bit more, here and there, and ESPECIALLY once White gets back on the team. They have an even better connection than Lonnie does with Jak. Watch out for it.
He's not there yet, but the window isn't closed or near it. I also think once he gets the starting job from LMA, it'll help his confidence even more, similarly to White who vastly improved once he started games.
Yeah man!! I was jumping on my seat last night, having Playmaker Lonnie back after a poor preseason showing. He's really growing in his IQ and understanding the court, passing angles, and expanding that part of his game. He definitely wasn't making these passes his rookie seasons, and was simply a scorer in Austin. And to see him throw down dunks with authority is icing on the cake.
People are way too impatient... Guy's turned 22 only 10 days ago. Ten years ago, he'd still be in college. You can't see him struggling and just write him off due to a few bad outings...
Lonnie's extension is next...
I hope (and actually expect) him not to blow up TOO much this season. Locking him up on a contract similar to DJ or maybe less would be a great deal. That way, with his potential there's a chance for him to exceed the value of that contract. Here's hoping he doesn't grow too much of an ego. Or maybe he'll force himself to become a restricted free agent.
They looked good for long stretches on offense, which is a plus. Hopefully they will get better on defense.
It's called a pick-n-pop.
Just irrational hate here. Aldridge is shooting so many three because they're telling him to. He's clearly not comfortable there. Acting like he's at fault for moving out the post makes no sense.And of course instead of mixing in 3's with his post game, his post game is now completely gone and he has subs uted it with 3's
Poeltl's inability to shoot makes him a bad fit for the starters, especially if that's going to include all of Murray, White and DeRozan. Aldridge is popping and shooting threes to give guys space, so they can't "pack the paint". With Poeltl, he can give some vertical spacing by rolling hard, but him not being able to choose whether he pops or rolls limits what a defense has to think about with him. That he's soft and hesitant means him rolling isn't much of a threat.Poeltl still isn't better than LMA but he is a much better fit for this team. His lack of scoring is way overblown because all of our guards are going to be putting up shots. We need a big who sets get screens and rolls to the rim and that is what Poeltl does.
There are reasons to want to move on from LMA and be content/excited for Poeltl, but how they play the screen game isn't one of them.
Last 4-5 years Spurs are drafting higher and more talented players which can be molded into 2 way players developmentally. With lower draft picks, Spurs realize that 3D is the limit.
The potentisl on Luka offensively is great, range, handles like a guard, can pass. Defensively though, he needs a lot more to earn minutes. And that barely 6’11 wingspan for his size, yikes
With what he is currently doing I think anything over the MLE would be an overpay and even that might be to much. Now if he starts to show confidence and get something going then it can be reevaulated but if you gave him the same as murray you would be overpaying him.
It's a 5-7 million difference between the MLE and DJ's contract
MLE = approx 10 million
DJ's contract = approx 16 mil
I don't think it's deal breaker to sign him to a contract similar to DJ, especially with the way contracts for players increase every year
This is all assuming Lonnie doesn't fall off the cliff production wise
Walker displaying playmaking capabilities is such a massive bonus. I'm as glad as everybody to see his confidence and how the game is slowing down/expanding for him. Another playmaker on the wing just increases the threat.
A very good start to the season. The only issue I had with the game, was the few lulls in the 2nd half, where the O got stagnant cause of solo ball. They kept letting Memphis hang around, until the 3pt barrage in the 4th. 3 straight possessions DMR did nothing, another time it was Mills, and another was Murray. Our D did step up bug when our O was messing up. So, other than that, we played a great game. I loved the way we shared the wealth and the energy and effort
6-7 mil does make a difference especially when the player is not worth it. If you look at the cap and white gets 1/6 DJm gets 1/6 lonnie gets 1/6 that is now half the cap gone and we still have 12 players to sign. Also when you start looking at KJ and Vassel that will make it harder to pay them without going into the tax. If lonnie starts improving then great. Last night was probably his 2nd best game he has ever played only beat by the houston game.
I mean, I agree with all that, I said what I said on the basis that Lonnie continues to improve...at least enough to be a core piece.
Not saying I disagree with you (we should be wary of locking ourselves up into roleplayers taking up a bunch of the cap), but when you think about it, Lonnie having the second best game of his career in the first game of the season after an off-season of working on his game (I'm counting the pandemic window as the actual off-season here), it's an encouraging sign, don't you think?
At the end of the day, signing players isn't a death sentence. If you need to make room for a FA (unlikely scenario for the Spurs, but could happen), you can just trade one of the contracts. The problem is when you give big contracts to players who don't play up to their contract, AND are an undesireable archetype for the league. An athletic, playmaking, shooting, 22-24 year old wing? Yeah, that's exactly on demand in the modern market. I wouldn't worry about any deal we sign Lonnie to (within reason), unless something happens to him or his body, tbh.
For sure. I expect the next season to be "his year". People (well, the ones claiming for him to be traded in the preseason threads) forget just how raw he was coming into the league, and how far he's come as a player. We'd all like him to be Houston Lonnie every night, but that's not realistic (yet?). I'm thinking he continues to build on his assist/playmaking role this season, whilst learning to pick his spots on offense and get solid on D, and then next season he comes in and puts it all together, to become our second best wing player (after Keldon, of course). The fact that next season would be when DD and LMA both leave the team, and create a touches/offensive vacuum, strengthens my theory.
I don't see him growing too much of an ego, tbh, not in the negative way at least. The guy's humble and has expressed nothing but gra ude at every turn, and is by all accounts a great teammate and person. Not like some secretive Nephew we're familiar with...
He said he worked on his offense in the offseason. He said the same last year. I assume he is what he is
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