Bonner averaging 4 more minutes per game this year. Will it continue in playoffs?

[objective]

Will Matt Bonner in fact end up playing more in the playoffs than we're used to?

I ask because he's actually playing more this year than last.

And that's with Splitter added to the team.

Bonner's minutes went up.

Last year Bonner played 17.9 in the regular season, and kept his time in the playoffs, 17.3.

This year he's playing 21.7. He's already played over 100 more minutes this season in 6 fewer games.

Will his minutes stay constant in the playoffs?

Or can his minutes go up?

Last season Blair in the regular season played a marginal amount more per game than Bonner, before getting his time nearly cut in half for the playoffs. This season, despite starting most of the year, he's now playing less than Bonner by the slimmest of margins.

It's even possible that Bonner could surpass his career high for postseason mpg, it's only 20 from 08-09.

[diego]

i seem to recall bonner having a couple of injuries last year and pop working him in slowly. I'm pretty sure that he would have been close to 20 last year had he stayed healthy.

regardless, he should be the 10th man in the rotation and playing much less. I think we all have this delusion where we think that come playoffs pop will play duncan and mcdyess significantly more, but I dont think you'll see more than 3-4 minute increase. at this point, the probability of pop giving splitter more than 4 mpg in the playoffs is close to 0. basically our only hope is blair playing the most inspired basketball of his life or bonner getting injured.

[Bruno]

Pop has done a great job at limiting Duncan and Dice minutes this year. He deserves a lot of props for that. The problem is that the minutes freed by limiting their minutes has been poorly used. Instead of developing Tiago, Pop has given more minutes to Bonner and Blair.

I expect to see Duncan and Dice to play significantly more in the playoffs. If Pop wants to continue giving 22mpg to Bonner, he will need to basically put both Blair and Splitter in the doghouse. It could very well happen but I damn hope it won't.

My perfect playoff rotation would be Blair and Duncan starting, Dice backing up Blair and Splitter backing up Duncan. It will never happen, Bonner will play a lot and best case scenario is Spurs being destroyed by Lakers in the playoffs.

[Dex]

Do people think Pop will all of a sudden stop being Pop?

Yes, it will continue in the playoffs.

[neboat]

Bonner will play ~25+ mins in the PO... When pop looks at bonner, he sees larry bird

[cherylsteele]

Short answer.....



Yes.
I fact Bonner may get even more minutes.

[Dex]

For the sake of argument, I imagine both Tim and Dice's minutes will rise in the playoffs. These will have to be shaved off of Bonner or Blair's, and Bonner currently has the bigger pool to pull from. So he might see slightly less minutes than he currently is.

That being said, I don't think he's necessarily going to be hurting for playing time.

[angelbelow]

Ideally no.. but we've seen stranger things...

[024]

bonner is an easy scapegoat but the blame lies on the management. they should have recognized the urgency of acquiring a serviceable big and pushed hard to get one by the trade deadline, even if it meant trading blair and/or hill/neal. people will say the spurs were doing so well that time etc., but the celtics had the balls to make a trade when they were doing well. the spurs should have done the same. realistically, the spurs are stuck with what they have. tiago isn't going to ride in on a white horse and start channeling wilt during the playoffs.

[DeadlyDynasty]

Bonner should be getting 25-28 minutes/game, tbh. His value is immeasurable. I trust Pop will give him the minutes he deserves