Derrick White's turn to erupt

[objective]

If Lonnie shows out in training camp, Lonnie would fit better w/ the starters.

On offense LMA, DeRozan, & Murray would be taking up most of the play making w the ball. LW would fit better off the ball, spotting up/attacking closeouts/crashing glass. His responsibilities wld be simplified.

On defense, LW is a better fit with the starters next to DeRozan -- since hes longer and has a higher ceiling as a perimeter wing defender than anyone on the roster.

Derrick White would be perfect in the Manu role off the bench getting 25-30 mpg -- since hes at his best with the ball in his hands in PnRs. Something the bench will desperately need with Patty getting minutes at PG. And it optimizes Derricks touches.

That's fair, but I think I've seen Pop's act with new players enough that even if Walker excels in camp, which is no given, I don't expect him to get a real chance in season regardless.

[Larry O]

I agree with OP's idea of what the opening night lineup might look like since this is Pop's fall-back security/safe lineup of vets mixed with corporate knowledge, if you will. But as Pop begins to tinker with the lineups, hopfully LW lV can prove himself (if he's not in the ATX), as a good defender who makes smart decisions, as per Pop's philosophy (his scoring abilities can progress with time, just as it was with Nephew. (At least LW IV appears to be more athletic than he was at this point). But along with Poeltl, who can also be instrumental in SAS's defense & pick in roll, I believe he would also be a great addition to the starting lineup as well, but again, both these guys will have to prove themselves to Pop, & gain his trust, which is always a key factor to him, too. GSG!!!

[cd021]

Don't want Gay to start. That's even more true now that Manu retired. I love White having a wide-open PnR unit too, but giving him Gay to take some of the pressure off him feels better.

I think Mills probably starts with Murray, DDR, LMA and Gasol and Gay is the get bucket guy with the bench unit alongside White, Beli, Gay, Bertans, and Poeltl

[Chinook]

Pau's a better shooter than Bertans and a comparable defender to Poeltl. It makes more sense to just start him, get his play-making and add another shooter. Poeltl is a PnR big, so giving him a wide-open second unit is a great way to get him acclimated to the team. I see him as a great pairing with White and Bertans as a result. On the other hand, Pau is really not a good solo big. He doesn't play well inside, doesn't really roll, doesn't rebound well enough.

Either

Murray, Mills, DeRozan, Aldridge, Gasol

Or even

Murray, DeRozan, Gay, Aldridge, Gasol

Former is the best on offense. Latter is the best on defense.

[Dex]

I really want to see that lineup. I just don't think Bertans has the speed and discipline on D to play the 3, especially as a starter.

Yeah, we are really in a bind defensively at the 3. Anybody we put there is either going to be undersized (Derozan, Beli) or slow (Gay, Bertans).

I like Bertans with that unit because of his length. Even though he is not a plus defender by any means, that is a big front court with Davis, LMA, and Jakob. Their length alone will cause some issues, especially if Murray can keep up his defensive play and Demar can at least manage to not be awful.

Gay slots in well at the starting 3, but I still think he would have more freedom and be more effective with the bench unit.

[SpursDynasty85]

White should and probably be our 6th man. If he is on fire he will be in the 4th quarter getting 2nd hand ball handling duties to DD. Hopefully DD plays more off the ball to allow Muuray and White to develop. I can see Belli starting to give us more size I. The starting line up and Mills fortifying our 2md unit with White so we can have a great bench.

[Chinook]

I think Mills probably starts with Murray, DDR, LMA and Gasol and Gay is the get bucket guy with the bench unit alongside White, Beli, Gay, Bertans, and Poeltl

Agree. That second unit reminds me of Neal/Ginobili/Jackson/Bonner/Splitter. Pretty sure that was the year Tiago led the league in FG%. I would really expect that to be the best bench in the league. I'd just be worried about the starters gelling.

[cd021]

That's fair, but I think I've seen Pop's act with new players enough that even if Walker excels in camp, which is no given, I don't expect him to get a real chance in season regardless.

I think Pop is fine with playing rookies,- so long as they go through a full training camp and preseason plus if there is a role that needs filling.

Kawhi filled the backup SF spot, and Blair ate up minutes at PF (pun intended ). Splitter, had he not been IU injured early on during his rookie year probably would've been a rotation player and the Spurs might've beaten Memphis that year.

Spurs still have good guard-wing depth, so Walker probably won't play much, unless of injury. He should still get a lot more minutes than White did, but that was still super odd for Pop to not play one of the more polished Spurs rookies , almost at all last season.

[Dex]

Pau's a better shooter than Bertans and a comparable defender to Poeltl. It makes more sense to just start him, get his play-making and add another shooter. Poeltl is a PnR big, so giving him a wide-open second unit is a great way to get him acclimated to the team. I see him as a great pairing with White and Bertans as a result. On the other hand, Pau is really not a good solo big. He doesn't play well inside, doesn't really roll, doesn't rebound well enough.

Either

Murray, Mills, DeRozan, Aldridge, Gasol

Or even

Murray, DeRozan, Gay, Aldridge, Gasol

Former is the best on offense. Latter is the best on defense.

I don't think I can agree with you here. Pau was highly efficient from three in 2016-2017 (.538), but only shot 1.6 a game. Last season, he attempted the exact same amount...but his percentage dropped all the way to .358. He can be a good shooter, but I still don't think he shoots enough to really give him much gravity.

Bertans, on the other hand, shot a better percentage last season (.373) on twice as many attempts (3.3) and in 9 fewer minutes per game.

I know that .373 isn't great for a guy who is supposed to be a designated sniper and doesn't do much else well (Pau definitely has him beat in passing, rebounding, and post offense)...but if we are purely talking shooting, Davis is going to get more attention on the perimeter than Pau. I think teams will live with Gasol standing 23 feet away from the basket.

[cd021]

Agree. That second unit reminds me of Neal/Ginobili/Jackson/Bonner/Splitter. Pretty sure that was the year Tiago led the league in FG%. I would really expect that to be the best bench in the league. I'd just be worried about the starters gelling.

For the starters, I think it will come down to whether Murray can shoot and whether DDR and LMA can both get theirs while sharing the floor.

Gasol and LMA should be able to anchor a decent defense unit with Murray assigned to the opposing PG and Mills and DDR doing their best not to get worked. Offense could be a struggle or it could be perfectly fine, but probably not in between.


That bench would have a bunch of shooting potential in White, Belinelli and Bertans with Poeltl as an athletic vertical spacer-who aggressively finishes at the rim and Gay as an post-iso threat.

[objective]

I think Pop is fine with playing rookies,- so long as they go through a full training camp and preseason plus if there is a role that needs filling.

Kawhi filled the backup SF spot, and Blair ate up minutes at PF (pun intended ). Splitter, had he not been IU injured early on during his rookie year probably would've been a rotation player and the Spurs might've beaten Memphis that year.

Spurs still have good guard-wing depth, so Walker probably won't play much, unless of injury. He should still get a lot more minutes than White did, but that was still super odd for Pop to not play one of the more polished Spurs rookies , almost at all last season.

Pop gives chances when he's out on the players blocking the way of rookies. Pop was out on Jefferson, who he had to waste some of his valuable summer time off on. Pop was so damn out on Jefferson that he had been benched in the plastic like playoffs by Pop that first year if I remember right.

Blair had an opening in 09/10. It was Duncan, Mcdyess, and Bonner as stretch. Room for a fourth big was there for Blair because Pop was never going to give Ian the time of day, Ratliff was almost retired, and Haislip was just as new but had one foot out the door to return to Europe.

Parker got a chance because Pop never wanted Antonio Daniels to be his point guard.

But with the Walker situation ... Pop actually likes Forbes and Marco. And he LOVES Mills. He's going to give all those guys chances unless injuries create the opportunity.

Splitter should have absolutely played his rookie year, it was the height of buffoonery that he didn't. So he missed participating in most of camp, he didn't actually leave the camp. He was the MVP of the ACB for crying out loud, he was smart enough to figure things out. But it, "wouldn't be fair to the team".

Hill was light years better than elderly Vaughn, but Pop really respected Vaughn. Hill was just a rookie who couldn't be trusted with a camera phone. So the playoffs weren't for George.

Maybe there's enough injuries that open room for Walker, but it's tough. It's entirely possible in 02/03 that if Steve Smith isn't hurt to start the season that one of Manu or Jackson doesn't get in the rotation that year. But Smith was on his last leg and almost out of the league, but Mills, Marco and Forbes aren't close to retiring.

[BatManu20]

Just hope he can stay on the floor tbh. Talented and high-IQ player for sure, but he seems a bit injury-prone in the the little we’ve seen of him.

[cd021]

Pop gives chances when he's out on the players blocking the way of rookies. Pop was out on Jefferson, who he had to waste some of his valuable summer time off on. Pop was so damn out on Jefferson that he had been benched in the plastic like playoffs by Pop that first year if I remember right.

Blair had an opening in 09/10. It was Duncan, Mcdyess, and Bonner as stretch. Room for a fourth big was there for Blair because Pop was never going to give Ian the time of day, Ratliff was almost retired, and Haislip was just as new but had one foot out the door to return to Europe.

Parker got a chance because Pop never wanted Antonio Daniels to be his point guard.

But with the Walker situation ... Pop actually likes Forbes and Marco. And he LOVES Mills. He's going to give all those guys chances unless injuries create the opportunity.

Splitter should have absolutely played his rookie year, it was the height of buffoonery that he didn't. So he missed participating in most of camp, he didn't actually leave the camp. He was the MVP of the ACB for crying out loud, he was smart enough to figure things out. But it, "wouldn't be fair to the team".

Hill was light years better than elderly Vaughn, but Pop really respected Vaughn. Hill was just a rookie who couldn't be trusted with a camera phone. So the playoffs weren't for George.

Maybe there's enough injuries that open room for Walker, but it's tough. It's entirely possible in 02/03 that if Steve Smith isn't hurt to start the season that one of Manu or Jackson doesn't get in the rotation that year. But Smith was on his last leg and almost out of the league, but Mills, Marco and Forbes aren't close to retiring.

All valid. I think Forbes will get another shot at the rotation, unfortunately, but it should be White's time after having to spend a season in the G League while an inferior player played 1500 minutes for the big club.

There is also the school of thought that PATFO likes Walker's raw game-he can shoot, handle, freak athlete with long arms, but want him to spend much of his rookie year with Austin to continue to develop his game.

[Chinook]

Just hope he can stay on the floor tbh. Talented and high-IQ player for sure, but he seems a bit injury-prone in the the little we’ve seen of him.

Another reason why I think the 15th spot is going to a PG.

[DAF86]

Manu's departure forces Pop, more than ever, to start with the traditional two bigmen lineup, imho.

Murray, Mills/Belli, DeRozan, Aldridge, Gasol

White, Mills/Belli, Gay, Bertans, Poetl

That's the only possible way to have a 10 man rotation of rotation level players.

[Truth4sale$]

White helps spread the floor if he is a starter, and the lack of a 3pt shooter has been the primary lineup criticism. He can hold his own on defense. But I get the argument that his playmaking ability will be needed with the bench. Because Forbes can't do it ad neither can Mills. Ok with throwing Walker IV in the deep end.

[Chinook]

Manu's departure forces Pop, more than ever, to start with the traditional two bigmen lineup, imho.

Murray, Mills/Belli, DeRozan, Aldridge, Gasol

White, Mills/Belli, Gay, Bertans, Poetl

That's the only possible way to have a 10 man rotation of rotation level players.

Yep. I think both the two-guard and PF spots are open to disruption by guys coming on or disappointing, but right now, those lineups give the team the best combination of talent and fit.

[KDKSpurs24]

Pop is gonna have some trouble putting together rotations because of all the different lineup possibilities but it’s not a bad thing at all.

[MaNu4Tres]

The only known certains are LaMarcus, DeRozan, and Murray starting.


Every else will likely change during the year.

[cd98]

Ugh...I like White, I do. I like what he showed in summer league. But I also liked what Anderson showed in summer league. But the NBA is not summer league and you can't feast on rookies and D-League hopefuls in the NBA. White, I hope he does well, but no telling if his game will translate to night in and night out success. Consistency is only for the best players, and I won't put him anywhere near that category until he proves it. Same can be said of Murray. If he plays well every 5 games, guess what, that's a trip to the lottery. This is going to be a disappointing season, especially if we are trusting in a first year in the system DeRozan to give us something on the level that we were getting from Kawhi.

[DJR210]

I'm super excited for Pontdexter!!

[dbestpro]

I agree, I fully expect Derrick White to surprise people. I truly believe he should start at the 2 and let DeRozan play Small Forward.

If everyone keeps saying that, how is it a surprise?

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

With Manu's departure we'll need some guys out there that can create shots for others. Gasol is a proven passer out of the post, hopefully DDR will be able to do that, and hopefully White. Belli is ok. It would be nice if DJ has improved in that area as well.

[TD 21]

The same way Gasol and Aldridge started and were the two primary C's, Gay and DeRozan can do so at SF. Gay can do what Gasol often did last season: sub out mid 1st/3rd, sub back in late 1st/3rd, then sub back out early 2nd/4th, with a decision on crunch time to be made during the game.

I'm not concerned with Pop playing the seniority game between Forbes and White. The latter is the only playmaker off the bench and arguably the best perimeter defender too, while Mills and Belinelli are better versions of the former.

If Lonnie shows out in training camp, Lonnie would fit better w/ the starters.

On offense LMA, DeRozan, & Murray would be taking up most of the play making w the ball. LW would fit better off the ball, spotting up/attacking closeouts/crashing glass. His responsibilities wld be simplified.

On defense, LW is a better fit with the starters next to DeRozan -- since hes longer and has a higher ceiling as a perimeter wing defender than anyone on the roster.

Derrick White would be perfect in the Manu role off the bench getting 25-30 mpg -- since hes at his best with the ball in his hands in PnRs. Something the bench will desperately need with Patty getting minutes at PG. And it optimizes Derricks touches.

I remember a highly intelligent poster saying much of this, just can't quite remember who it was . . .

I don't think I can agree with you here. Pau was highly efficient from three in 2016-2017 (.538), but only shot 1.6 a game. Last season, he attempted the exact same amount...but his percentage dropped all the way to .358. He can be a good shooter, but I still don't think he shoots enough to really give him much gravity.

Bertans, on the other hand, shot a better percentage last season (.373) on twice as many attempts (3.3) and in 9 fewer minutes per game.

I know that .373 isn't great for a guy who is supposed to be a designated sniper and doesn't do much else well (Pau definitely has him beat in passing, rebounding, and post offense)...but if we are purely talking shooting, Davis is going to get more attention on the perimeter than Pau. I think teams will live with Gasol standing 23 feet away from the basket.

Yeah, Bertans is a superior shooter than Gasol for 3 reasons: volume, quickness of release, versatility (off movement).

With a consistent role and alongside respectable play makers, I expect his % to reflect his ability this season.

[ohmwrecker]

I can’t believe Patty Mills is still on this team.