Grades: Spurs vs. Kings - July 31, 2020

[timvp]

https://www.spurstalk.com/grades-san...-july-31-2020/

*dusts off keyboard*

The Spurs are fun to watch again

[ducks]

Good

[BillMc]

Thanks for the grades OP. Good to have this back.

[spurraider21]

we've been joking that its going to take injuries to forbes and marco for pop's hand to be forced. turns out to be the case.

there will be some rough games and growing pains, but guys like keldon and lonnie need in-game experience to grow. white needs to be thrust into a bigger role to get aggressiveness out of him.

[Chinook]

I thought Murray validated Pop not playing him and White together more. They don't fit, and them and DeRozan (and LMA in normal times) mean no one else playing with them will get touches. The Spurs were better without him tonight, and going forward, I think it makes sense to bench Murray and play Johnson as the starting three. That'd give the team some needed front-court strength and allow Walker to at least get third-option touches.

[KobesAchilles]

This is the team that I envisioned us being before Pop screwed it up. The Spurs didn't have a change of gear in the team. They played slow iso ball in the starters and then slow iso ball in the bench for most of the year. Pop should've played all the vets together and then brought all the youth in as the second unit to make the team really up tempo. I think a MIlls, White, KJ, Lonnie, and Poetl second unit would've been very helpful to us. BUt of course, we never saw that unit once during the regular season.

Also KJ is a beast. Him, White, and Lonnie have a future on the team. Everyone else is fighting for a spot on the roster as far as I'm concerned

[Russ]

With Bryn Forbes out due to injury and Patty Mills apparently becoming an assistant coach, Quinndary Weatherspoon got real minutes.

Welcome back.

[Dejounte]

If I'm right about Keldon yelling at an established vet/ star to "pass the ball!" (DeMar) in last night's game.... We have ourselves a player with an intensity of past greats like Kobe and MJ... Who in their right mind would do that as a rookie? Dude has some balls...

[Russ]

If I'm right about Keldon yelling at an established vet/ star to "pass the ball!" (DeMar) in last night's game.... We have ourselves a player with an intensity of past greats like Kobe and MJ... Who in their right mind would do that as a rookie? Dude has some balls...

I was all for drafting Keldon at 19. Considering the stiff (perhaps) we got at 19, we were real lucky to get KJ on the rebound at 29.

[Play Boban]

I love how Poop always makes himself the center of attention. This time he stands when everyone else takes the knee. Hilarious!

[GAustex]

Wonder if poop not kneeling here had to do with olympics coaching gig?

[NASpurs]

Wonder if poop not kneeling here had to do with olympics coaching gig?

I think it has more to do with him being 70+. Goes down, never comes back up.

[superbigtime]

Very pleased.

[spurs10]

Thanks for the grades! I hope Beli is okay, but a sprain isn't going to heal overnight. Great grades!

[Dejounte]

If I'm right about Keldon yelling at an established vet/ star to "pass the ball!" (DeMar) in last night's game.... We have ourselves a player with an intensity of past greats like Kobe and MJ... Who in their right mind would do that as a rookie? Dude has some balls...

https://imgur.com/gallery/qvv5Jag

[SAGirl]

I thought Murray validated Pop not playing him and White together more. They don't fit, and them and DeRozan (and LMA in normal times) mean no one else playing with them will get touches. The Spurs were better without him tonight, and going forward, I think it makes sense to bench Murray and play Johnson as the starting three. That'd give the team some needed front-court strength and allow Walker to at least get third-option touches.

I agree. Hopefully he accepts that role bc otherwise he should be traded b4 he’s devalued.

[SAGirl]

This is the team that I envisioned us being before Pop screwed it up. The Spurs didn't have a change of gear in the team. They played slow iso ball in the starters and then slow iso ball in the bench for most of the year. Pop should've played all the vets together and then brought all the youth in as the second unit to make the team really up tempo. I think a MIlls, White, KJ, Lonnie, and Poetl second unit would've been very helpful to us. BUt of course, we never saw that unit once during the regular season.

Also KJ is a beast. Him, White, and Lonnie have a future on the team. Everyone else is fighting for a spot on the roster as far as I'm concerned

100% agree.

[MultiTroll]

Who knows how much of this is Pop doing some soul searching in his time away or Pop getting lucky with injuries or Pop going into a developmental mode

Pop and Us getting lucky.

Agree, regardless it was nice to see.
Please last thru the rest of the season.

[Chinook]

https://imgur.com/gallery/qvv5Jag

He's not talking to DeRozan. He's talking to the group (my guess because they weren't doing it well before then). Anyone who's gone to a Toros game this year knows he says stuff like this ("Help each other out." "Pass the ball." "Communicate on D.") all the time. ST is obsessed with narratives. Johnson is impressive in how well he seems to understand the game and his willingness to be a leader even with vets on the team. There's no need to bring DeRozan bashing here.

[Dejounte]

He's not talking to DeRozan. He's talking to the group (my guess because they weren't doing it well before then). Anyone who's gone to a Toros game this year knows he says stuff like this ("Help each other out." "Pass the ball." "Communicate on D.") all the time. ST is obsessed with narratives. Johnson is impressive in how well he seems to understand the game and his willingness to be a leader even with vets on the team. There's no need to bring DeRozan bashing here.

It's a fair point and I'm willing to accept I could be wrong. If anything, like you said, it's impressive he's willing to speak up like that.

[TimmehC]

I remember practically screaming at my monitor for Clarke, Little or KJ at 19. Glad we still got one, but we could've had two.

[phxspurfan]

Curious to see how Luka will fit with this squad. Also with LMA out the team looks so different, playing small ball a la Houston. Perhaps they’ll like what they see and find that’s the way of the future

[BackHome]

Well at least it will answer some questions that will hopefully help them figure out who to draft who to trade and who to let go.

[offset formation]

This is the team that I envisioned us being before Pop screwed it up. The Spurs didn't have a change of gear in the team. They played slow iso ball in the starters and then slow iso ball in the bench for most of the year. Pop should've played all the vets together and then brought all the youth in as the second unit to make the team really up tempo. I think a MIlls, White, KJ, Lonnie, and Poetl second unit would've been very helpful to us. BUt of course, we never saw that unit once during the regular season.

Also KJ is a beast. Him, White, and Lonnie have a future on the team. Everyone else is fighting for a spot on the roster as far as I'm concerned

Pace has increased, you're right. But that's a two way street. We are giving up over 120 pts per game if you take the small sample size of these guys playing together.

We can't outscore all our opponents. Kings didn't even have Bagley.

So while our scoring is up modestly, so too, our defensive efficiency is down over the regular squad. Long term that's not sustainable. It's the Rockets. Or the 90s Suns.

Defense wins championships.

[Dejounte]

Well at least it will answer some questions that will hopefully help them figure out who to draft who to trade and who to let go.

If Metu cant even get a single minute now... He is gone