Grades: Spurs @ Blazers - Oct. 20, 2018

[timvp]

Well, the San Antonio Spurs aren't going to go undefeated this season. The good guys fell to 1-1 with a 121-108 loss in Portland against the Trail Blazers. After both teams struggled to score in a first quarter that ended with the game tied at 22, the Blazers got their offense rolling and totaled 75 points in the middle two periods. The Spurs were never able to mount a serious run in the second half.

Despite the defeat, there were a few bright spots. The Spurs only turned it over six times, tallied 29 assists and once again dominated on the offensive glass. The defense was poor overall but give the Blazers credit -- they connected on a number of tough shots, shared the ball well and took full advantage of San Antonio's lack of defensive stopper on the perimeter.


LaMarcus Aldridge

LaMarcus Aldridge had his moments but simply didn't do enough. He was defended by smaller, weaker opponents most of the night but never really asserted himself. The Spurs needed him to be more physical on the offensive end, both with the ball and off the ball. To Aldridge's credit, his passing was impressive and he had moments of assertiveness in which he got whatever he wanted. On defense, Aldridge was mostly good in the paint but his willingness to help out on the perimeter was lacking for much of the night.
Grade: B-
Summary: While Aldridge was fine, the Spurs needed him to be more than fine.

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DeMar DeRozan

The Spurs are asking a lot of DeMar DeRozan early this season. Not only is he the go-to scorer, he's the go-to ball-handler when things get dicey, he's the only true playmaker and he's tasked to chase the other team's most dangerous swingman. Given the many responsibilities on his plate, DeRozan is doing remarkably well. His playmaking was particularly impressive against Portland. Not only can he break down a defense, he's also an outstanding passer with very good court vision. When DeRozan wasn't racking up one of his nine assists, he was looking to score via imaginary forays off the dribble or bullying smaller defenders in the post. If the he keeps playing at this level offensively, the Spurs will boast one of the better engines in the league. Defensively against the Blazers, DeRozan was decent. He had a few poor possessions individually on that end (specifically when trying to defend dribble penetration) but he was attentive to his team-defense responsibilities much more often than not.
Grade: A-
Summary: DeRozan is being asked to do a lot and he did just about all he could.

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Rudy Gay

Unfortunately, Rudy Gay looks injured. When he's trying to move his feet quickly, it's like he has a rock in his shoe. I haven't heard any official word regarding what ails Gay but I'm assuming it's the right heel bursitis that caused him to miss games last season and the final exhibition contest this season. Despite the limited mobility, Gay winced through the pain and had himself an okay game. He knocked down a pair of three-pointers and used his size and strength to get a number of good looks. Gay also rebounded well and threw his body around in the paint. Where his injury limits him the most is on defense. He can't stay in front of anyone and gets wiped out by screens.
Grade: B-
Summary: Gay is trying to tough it out but the Spurs might have to consider letting him heal.

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Bryn Forbes

Bryn Forbes had a rollercoaster of an affair but overall I thought it was a step in the right direction. Early, he was hesitant with his shot and was second-guessing wide open jumpers. He eventually found a rhythm in the third quarter, scoring 11 of his 17 points. His decision-making wasn't crisp but he didn't turn the ball over. His ball-handling looked better but that was mostly because Damian Lillard rarely showed interest on defense. All in all, if Forbes can knock down shots and limit mistakes on offense, the Spurs can't ask for much more. Defensively, while he had a couple of horrendous possessions, I thought he was relatively effective -- with "relatively" being the keyword. On a normal scale, his D would have been considered well below par. On this night? Forbes might have been the team's best perimeter defender.
Grade: B
Summary: Forbes made mistakes but did enough good things to balance it out.

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Jakob Poeltl

That was a step in the wrong direction. Jakob Poeltl fit on the court like a square peg in a round hole. Offensively, he just got in the way for the most part. The Austrian had a couple of good passes and set a couple of hard screens but was otherwise clogging the driving lanes. Defensively, his pick-and-roll defense was non-existent; he managed to get benched twice for failing to provide any help defense on the perimeter. I also thought he was too soft on the defensive glass. Poeltl is going to have to play with more ferocity if he wants to stay in the rotation. Let's hope that comes as he gets more familiar with his surroundings.
Grade: C-
Summary: Poeltl needs to figure out how to help.

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Patty Mills

In the first half, Patty Mills might have played his worst two quarters of basketball of his career. He was absolutely terrible. Defensively, he was so bad that I don't even know the adjectives to describe it. It was like he was stuck in mud. Players were blowing by him left and right and he acted like he was powerless to stop it. Offensively in the first half, Mills was also really, really bad. He wasn't moving the ball up the court with any kind of tempo and was just lazily going through the motions. Thankfully, Mills played better in the second half. His defense was still bad but he showed a little bit of heart on that end. On offense, he played with more purpose and was able to impact things positively at times. Overall, though, the Spurs need Mills to wake up and show consistent effort, at the very least. San Antonio needs him to be more than a well-paid cheerleader who dispenses corporate knowledge off the court. They need him on the court, too.
Grade: D
Summary: Mills improved after not looking like an NBA player in the first half.

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Davis Bertans

The bad: We know Davis Bertans doesn't grab many defensive boards but he needs to do a better job of boxing out than he did against the Blazers. The good: Most everything else. Bertans played a lot of small forward on defense and he looked capable. He moved his feet well and used his spindly appendages to break up a few plays. On offense, he demonstrated good shot selection, authored a few nice passes and generally made things easier for players around him. It's been a good start to the season for Bertans after a poor preseason.
Grade: A-
Summary: Bertans' play against Portland was a definite silver lining.

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Pau Gasol

I don't have much to complain about regarding Pau Gasol's play. He used his size and length well in the paint on both ends of the court. On offense, he helped out by spreading the court with his shooting and even drove down the lane for a dunk when the Blazers closed out too aggressively. My only qualm was he slowed the offense down too much at times by holding the ball for too long in the post. On D, he was another big who failed to properly rotate out on the perimeter.
Grade: B+
Summary: Gasol produced well and looks good to start the season.

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Marco Belinelli

Marco Belinelli's overaggressiveness is a feature, not a bug. Against Portland, that attribute did more harm than good. He took a number of questionable shots and made matters worse by blowing the pair of easy looks he had. I liked his passing and overall hustling but he didn't produce nearly enough this evening. His uneven play on offense carried over to defense where he was also wildly inconsistent.
Grade: C-
Summary: Belinelli was a ball of energetic mistakes.

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Dante Cunningham

For the second straight game to begin the season, Dante Cunningham was part of the regular rotation. I just don't see the fit, though. The Blazers were basically ignoring him on offense, which really hurt the spacing. On defense, Cunningham isn't quick enough to help out on the perimeter. So what, exactly, is the point of playing him? I don't understand -- there's just not enough skill or production to offset his lack of strengths. To his credit, Cunningham illustrated that he can dribble and pass a little bit. That's nice, I guess.
Grade: C-
Summary: He tries hard and he's physical but I don't see how Cunningham is supposed to help.

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Pop


Grade: C
Summary: Pop is coaching a short-handed squad but I didn't like a handful of his decisions. His leash with Mills, especially in the first half, was much too long. Pop has to do something when Mills is getting roasted on defense and is asleep at the wheel on offense. The coaching staff must also have plans for Cunningham that I simply don't understand because I don't see anything he's bringing to the table. On a happy note, it's great that Pop has allowed DeRozan the freedom to spread his wings on the offensive end. DeRozan has responded with really good play and his chemistry with Aldridge is already very impressive.

Looking ahead: This wasn't a pretty game but even championship Spurs teams of yesteryear struggled in Portland. Considering everything, this wasn't a bad performance. Now San Antonio heads to Los Angeles to take on a Lakers team thirsting for their first win of the season. That won't be an easy game, either, but it should be more winnable than tonight's game. A split on the two-game road trip would be an early season success story.

[TheGreatYacht]

Rudy Gay has to our 6th man if we even want a chance of making the playoffs. That 5 man unit of Gasol-Bertans-Cunningham-Belinelli-Mills has to be worst bench in the league (and I don't think it's close). There's no ball handlers in the lineup and Marco is going to be forced to chuck up terrible shots as a result of Gasol attempting and failing to create something out of the post. Moving him to the bench would also get Aldridge more involved in the offense. LMA looked like his 2017 self where you would often forget he was even on the court when Kawhi and Parker were doing their thing. He needs his touches if you want to maximize his effort on both sides.

[TimDunkem]

Cunningham's story is simple. He's a poor man's jack-of-all-trades, D- caliber type of player, willing to sign here for whatever he can, who also happens to fit into most lineups.

Yes, he ing sucks.

But he's also available!

[Hoops Czar]

"...this wasn't a bad performance."

I guess defense doesn't get taken into account anymore. If the Spurs allow the Lakers to shoot 54% from the floor and 47% from behind the arc, they'll get throttled.

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

"...this wasn't a bad performance."

I guess defense doesn't get taken into account anymore. If the Spurs allow the Lakers to shoot 54% from the floor and 47% from behind the arc, they'll get throttled.

What defense? Look at the scores since the season began. Nobody defends, or rather is allowed to defend, anymore.

[tbdog]

I'm not sure what is meant to be done with mills. We have no guards for him to be benched. Forbes is clearly the better player.

[TDMVPDPOY]

patty mills stealing 50mil or kawhi stealing 19m last year?.... lol tymills

[Hoops Czar]

What defense? Look at the scores since the season began. Nobody defends, or rather is allowed to defend, anymore.

True, but the scores are more indicative of the pace of play. The Spurs were hemorrhaging points all night and while they scored 108 points, they only shot 42% from the floor. They can't keep up with high octane offenses if they're going allow them to shoot a high %. Team's are going to score but the Spurs need to keep the opponent's efficiency low if they want any chance of winning games on the road.

[TDMVPDPOY]

spurs have no perimeter defense, they basically gave 3 players away in the offseason which made up the bulk of the spurs perimeter defense

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

True, but the scores are more indicative of the pace of play. The Spurs were hemorrhaging points all night and while they scored 108 points, they only shot 42% from the floor. They can't keep up with high octane offenses if they're going allow them to shoot a high %. Team's are going to score but the Spurs need to keep the opponent's efficiency low if they want any chance of winning games on the road.

This team is going to be bottom ten in perimeter defense this season regardless, simply because of the personnel. if they're going to win they'll do it with offense and like you said they didn't shoot well enough, that was a bigger problem than the expected poor defense.

[r0drig0lac]

Spurs have no slashers, and they have no human material to defend the perimeter and the pick and roll against good teams, but the worst is the lack of off-ball movement.
While none of the pgs (walker, murray, white) returns, we should try Demar as a point, with Bellinelli, Bertans, Gay and Aldridge, and only put Forbes or Mills on the court for a minimum amount of minutes possible

[Longlonglongtimelurk]

Thanks TimVP. I’m sure there’s plenty of longtime Spurstalk visitors/ lurkers that are stoked to have you back writing these grades.

[byrontx]

Truth.

[ceperez]

I honestly beginning to suspect PATFO's ability to evaluate talent.

What does Cunningham exactly do? He can't play SF (too slow) and can't play PF(too small). Has anyone seen him play elite defense?

[Thunder1]

Thanks TimVP. I’m sure there’s plenty of longtime Spurstalk visitors/ lurkers that are stoked to have you back writing these grades.

Yes, thanx so much..they're awfully appreciated..

[xtremesteven33]

Great to read these again.

[Spurs fever]

Good stuff

[TimDunkem]

I honestly beginning to suspect PATFO's ability to evaluate talent.

What does Cunningham exactly do? He can't play SF (too slow) and can't play PF(too small). Has anyone seen him play elite defense?

Except he can do those things. No. Not well. No. Not at a winning level, but he's available. I'm telling you, he was one of the few scrubs willing to sign here so they oblige him with minutes.

[FkLA]

I honestly beginning to suspect PATFO's ability to evaluate talent.

What does Cunningham exactly do? He can't play SF (too slow) and can't play PF(too small). Has anyone seen him play elite defense?

Cunningham will eventually be cut from the rotation, imo. Pop is loyal to guys that are ingrained within the Spurs culture like Patty or TP but he has no problem not playing new guys that turn out to be useless (see: Jeff Errors).

[acoelho1]

This team is not very exciting. Couldn’t even watch all of the game. Let’s hope Walker gets some burn when he’s back. Also, I rather miss the playoffs because with no Murray, we are not making any noise this year.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

This team is not very exciting. Couldn’t even watch all of the game. Let’s hope Walker gets some burn when he’s back. Also, I rather miss the playoffs because with no Murray, we are not making any noise this year.

They were brutal to watch last season as well

[emanueldavidginobili]

I also agree with PATFO ability to evaluate talent. There’s young athletic players on every single team that this team could use. And some how the spurs get stuck with players that no other team would really want. They still think who cares about Athletic ability let’s get hard working loyal obedient players. This Spurs team is by FAR the most unathletic team in the NBA. Forbes, Mills, Marco, Gasol, Poeltl. Even our scrubs aren’t athletic Cunningham, Pondexter and Eubanks. This team will continue to get dominated pushed around and blown by on defense. And it’s not even really a skill thing it’s just the lack of sheer athleticism. All these players that come and play against the Spurs know these guys are a joke on defense. This has to be the least intimidating team.

[BackHome]

I agree I liked that Forbes has 17 pts but when your PG has maybe 1 assist it's never a good thing.

Spurs have to get bigger and more athletic I love Mills but he has to go and also Forbes and Gasol after this season.

Have no ing clue why we have Cunnigham and Pointdexeter on this team........Unless we planning on Tanking?...YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.................. ...

[r0drig0lac]

I also agree with PATFO ability to evaluate talent. There’s young athletic players on every single team that this team could use. And some how the spurs get stuck with players that no other team would really want. They still think who cares about Athletic ability let’s get hard working loyal obient players. This Spurs team is by FAR the most unathletic team in the NBA. Forbes, Mills, Marco, Gasol, Poeltl. Even our scrubs aren’t athletic Cunningham, Pondexter and Eubanks. This team will continue to get dominated pushed around and blown by on defense. And it’s not even really a skill thing it’s just the lack of sheer athleticism. All these players that come and play against the Spurs know these guys are a joke on defense. This has to be the least intimidating team.

x10000

[objective]

Most grades are too forgiving for a team that was basically double digits down the whole second half