The Spurs defense in 2007-08 was very good. They were 3rd in the NBA in points allowed per game, at 90.6. They were 5th in the league in opponent FG%, at 44.43%. They were 3rd in opponent 3P% at 34%. All of this after a worrying stretch early in the season when they were in the 20s in some of these categories, notably opponent FG%. This being said, there's good reason to believe that the 2008-09 Spurs will be even better defensively. Let's break it down:
Jacque Vaughn replaced by George Hill:
I'm pretty sure that George Hill will take the minutes previously occupied by Jacque Vaughn. No doubt Vaughn is a good enough defender, or else he wouldn't be thrust into the backup PG role on the Spurs. George Hill is a rookie, and therefore an unknown quan y at this level. In college, he was often asked to defend the opposing team's best player. In the summer league, he showed very fast feet and solid defensive skills. The question is how Hill adjusts to this level of play. Only time will tell.
Verdict: Not enough information (Most likely possibility: Improvement or similar performance)
Michael Finley replaced by Roger Mason Jr.:
It's not decided whether Finley will be back on this roster. In fact, by all accounts, he probably will be. However, if the expectations on this board prove correct and Mason begins eating up a lot of the minutes previously occupied by Finley, we should expect defensive improvements at this position. Finley was not a very good defender the last couple years. Mason, on the other hand, made it into the league based on his defense, with his only great offensive year coming last year. The Spurs felt so confident in his defensive abilities that they tried to sign him last summer, before his offensive revolution. If Mason gets solid minutes in the SG slot, it improves our defense over Finley or Barry.
Verdict: Improvement
Brent Barry replaced by Ime Udoka:
This one is a stretch, because Ime isn't replacing Barry per se. However, with Barry gone and Finley expected to get limited minutes (if he returns), this should only increase Ime Udoka's minutes. He showed signs of being a very good fit in this organization last year; with increased minutes this year (including the possibility of getting a few extra minutes with Ginobili/Bowen needing a few more minutes of rest), Udoka should have the chance to show off his defensive skills this year. Also, don't forget that this is his second year in the organization, and this system's defense takes about a year to learn (see Kurt Thomas below).
Verdict: Improvement
Francisco Elson replaced by Kurt Thomas:
Thomas is a great defensive player. Elson is not. While Thomas joined the team in the latter half of the year, and certainly helped the 2nd half + playoffs, he didn't have enough time to fully learn the system. This year, Thomas will gain another year's experience in the Spurs proven defensive scheme, and will likely get additional minutes, particularly down the stretch.
Verdict: Improvement
Robert Horry replaced by Mahinmi/Bonner/Gist/Tolliver:
Horry didn't get a lot of minutes last year. Those he did get, he hustled on defense and was an underrated defender. Those minutes will be filled by virtual rookies on the experience scale. While it's not a huge amount of minutes, these rookies will play a big role in the Spurs defense down low.
Verdict: Not enough information (Likely: Downgrade, or similar if we're lucky)
All of this considered, is there any reason the Spurs defense shouldn't be better next year? The only reason I can think of is an aging Bruce Bowen, but he has shown to us time and time again that his age doesn't matter. I hope this is the case again this year.
Let me know what you think.
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