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No. He's an increasingly effective center who now knows his role, which makes him a crucial element in a structured offense. But I wouldn't call him a leader. Only Tim, Tony, and Manu fill that role with any consistency.
There was a bit of an odd lineup on the floor in the 2nd quarter of the Spurs - Clippers game. Nando (1), Danny (2), Jack (3), Matt (4) and Tiago (5).
Danny Green entered the offense and as the Spurs went through their progression of screens and cuts, Bonner and Splitter set up in the high post and Danny hesitated for a split second. Tiago looked at the defense and directed Danny to pass to Matt. When Danny did as directed, the Tiago set up a nice screen eliminating both Lamar Odom and Grant Hill, so that Green could get a return pass for a wide open wing 3...which he nailed.
This was just one example of the progress that Tiago has made with the Spurs as one of the quiet leaders on the team. There have been many times this year where Tiago appeared to be a real strength or backbone for the Spurs, especially when one or more of the big 3 were sitting out. He knows the system well and I believe he, now, feels like an integral part of the fabric of the team. Not so his first 2 years...and for good reason.
What say you? Is Tiago Splitter a (quiet) leader, because of his experience and court savvy?
No. He's an increasingly effective center who now knows his role, which makes him a crucial element in a structured offense. But I wouldn't call him a leader. Only Tim, Tony, and Manu fill that role with any consistency.
I noticed that last night too. I also noticed that he's getting a feel for when his team is struggling and needs him to step up his game.
He's really becoming accustomed to being a staple of this offense. I think he might not be able to be THE leader with Tony in his prime, but he could be one of the team's go to players down the stretch. He's really improved that much, to the point where I think he's one of the best big men in the game, both offensively and defensively. It's awesome to see and he fits this system perfectly. Definitely going to keep an eye on how Tiago interacts with his teammates while sitting on the bench tonight @ Oracle.
Yeah. It's more subtle. It's a matter of the way he communicates now at both ends. It appears to be more non-verbal communication...but he hasn't always done that with this team. He's always been professional but he is certainly more confident.
Being the one with higher b-ball iq in this lineup, leading flows naturally. But when sharing the court with the Big Three and their big ego, he will suit in a minor rule. That's absolutely natural.
I'd say it's about time...think if pop had given him pt earlier in his career, how much farther along would he now be? With that said, I'm enjoying watching tiago play. I believe the teams playoff success relies on health and splitter..
Yeah, Splitter shows some leadership skills particularly when he's out there with a bench unit. He overrules the backup point guard on playcalls at times and he becomes vocal when the defense attempts a gimmick (zone, traps, etc.).
I know a lot of us were frustrating that Splitter didn't play more minutes earlier in his career but, the way it played out, Splitter has been able to take his time in growing into a leadership role. Now he's totally comfortable. Could Pop have hurried that transformation by playing him more in the past two season? Maybe ... but maybe not. Leadership growth and getting comfortable is usually something that just takes calendar time, especially when you're talking about non-stars.
Pop made a mistake with Splitter. He chose Bonner/Blair over him.
I didn't say he didn't. The question was whether Pop could have sped up Splitter reaching his inner basketball nirvana by giving him more playing time the last two seasons. I think it's possible but far from assured. Things like adjusting to the country, learning what makes his teammates tick, understanding what Pop wants from him and conforming to the NBA lifestyle probably aren't areas where earlier playing time would have substantially helped matters.
No.
Maybe Pop was playing eleventh-y dimension chess with Splitter's development, or maybe not. Seems to me that there's more evidence for "not," given that Splitter was a kind of an after-thought or even last resort until this year.
I know some people are wedded to their agendas, but that is simply not true.
I think the Spurs are full of players who could be leaders on other teams. They all have high BBIQs (even Blair is above average), and they know exactly how to run their system. It's great that Splitter helps orchestrate the offense in an unselfish way.
In other news: How did everyone feel about Green playing with the bench? I liked it, personally. If Green can make plays consistently, he and De Colo might be able to do a good enough job to allow Manu to start.
"question was whether Pop could have sped up Splitter"
Tiago already carried a heavy, perhaps, the heaviest load on his other teams. Pop screwed up, bad.
"This is the NBA, not your euroleague, kid." - Pop's military style of coaching.
I'm always almost always inclined to give Pop benefit of the doubt... but it was evident since game 3 of the Memphis series that Splitter needed a bigger role
they don't call him master splitter for nothing
He's definitely stepping into that role when he's playing with the bench unit. It's been great to observe actually. Makes me feel a lot more confident when Tony/Timmy/Manu are not on the court. It's been one of the joys of this season to watch Tiago flourish as a starter. MIP in my eyes (though I don't watch much NBA outside of the Spurs, so what do I know). As has been mentioned, the comfortableness, familiarity with the system, and knowing he's a big part of the team now that he's starting has really gotten him engaged this season. What stands out most to me, well think of it this way. You know those word collages, that pictorially aggregate the most frequently used words in an article or articles? Well, if you were to create one of those out of all the posts about Tiago on this forum written during his first two years, it would look something like:
play him moreSOFTinjury prone
But since he's been starting, you'd never use those words to describe him. He's revealed a level of toughness nobody thought he possessed prior to this season. That's a really impressive development. It's impressive on its own terms, but also because it was so unexpected imo
Tiago = Most Improved Player? MIP Do they still give that award lol?
thread derailed
edit: making him a starter was a smart move, he's another player when starting, even if he plays less minutes overall
Only thing he improved is minutes per game.
Have to disagree with timvp... Tiago should have been playing and starting from the outset. Every man and his dog knew Tiago was by far the second best big on the team and a top 5 player. Pop made a huge mistake. No way the Spurs get bullied and muscled in the first round by Memphis with Tiago alongside Tim playing 30 minutes a night.
I dont even want to thnk about what might have happened after that if he was playing the minutes he is now.
I think Tiago can at times be a silent leader. An example is the play mentioned by the OP. IMO, here are the reasons why for this particular occasion.
-Splitter is much older than Green and De Colo.
-Splitter is a first stringer compared to Bonner and Jackson.
-Even though this is Tiago's third season, he has a lot of experience playing professional ball in Europe.
-He's a frequent contributor to the team.
-He knows the play like the back of his hand.
-He feels comfortable with his teammates and knows that they won't take it the wrong way if he needs to direct them.
Splitter is a baller! Pop, please play him more!
It's not like Tiago was a young guy coming out of HS or college. He was a seasoned pro similar to Manu when he entered the league. Even when Manu got hurt in his rookie year, Pop gave him another opportunity and was a key contributor in the playoffs. I have little doubt that Tiago would have been able to do the same had he been afforded the same chances by Pop his rookie year.
Pop made a huge mistake with Splitter when he entered the league. Tough to spin it any other way tbh.
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