The Spurs parted ways with Derrick White, Bryn Forbes, Thaddeus Young, Drew Eubanks, Juancho Hernangomez, and Tomas Satoransky around the trade deadline last season, hinting that the organization might be steering in a new direction. But a blockbuster deal that shipped Dejounte Murray to the Atlanta Hawks for draft picks and Danilo Gallinari, a veteran they waived a week later, cemented a straightforward intention to start over with a clean slate this summer.
Even for those that fervently denied PATFO would ever think about hitting the reset button, the fact that signing Keldon Johnson to an extension has been their sole significant action since sending their All-Star guard across conferences speaks volumes. Considering they also sat on nearly $27M in cap space as the free agent market evaporated, it would take tremendous mental gymnastics to believe this roster is shooting for the playoffs rather than lottery balls.
This expeditious tumble in the power rankings while fielding the youngest squad in franchise history begs the question of what the Spurs should do with their veterans. Should San Antonio hold a fire sale for “older” players like Jakob Poeltl, Doug McDermott, and Josh Richardson? How valuable is retaining win-now assets when you have five teenagers and seven early-twenty-somethings that warrant substantial NBA minutes? Both of those answers reside in a gray area.
The Silver and Black would be foolish to hang up the phone if other teams call about the price tag for Poeltl, McDermott, or Richardson. Keeping that in mind, it would be practical to refrain from green-lighting any offers they receive well before the trade deadline unless said package is too lucrative for them to refuse.
Delaying what will likely become inevitable departures may sound a little counterintuitive. But the earlier-mentioned veterans can provide priceless services before they exit stage left that could benefit the development of San Antonio’s youngsters.
McDermott is the oldest and most expensive of the veteran trio, which is why he is the most expendable and challenging to trade. Regardless, the spacing he supplies with elite movement shooting and opportune cutting are skills no one else possesses on the roster. A crowded court is among the worst situations for an unseasoned ball-handler, and constant motion might open passing and driving lanes.
Joe Wieskamp said Doug McDermott has been a key mentor for him right now and he's modeling his game like Doug's, not just with the shooting, but also cutting off the ball.
— Paul Garcia (@PaulGarciaNBA) January 5, 2022
The 30-year-old combo forward was a mentor to a rookie Joe Wieskamp, sharing his knowledge on the ins and outs of savvy relocation and three-point marksmanship. And with legendary shooting coach Chip Engelland departing for the Oklahoma City Thunder, McDermott is arguably the best resource for burgeoning deadeyes to learn the finer points of maximizing their off-ball gravity.
As for Richardson, the six-five swingman was pleasantly productive as a sixth man and one of the more vocal leaders during a last-second play-in push from the Spurs a year ago. He never complained about consecutive DNPs and limited minutes upon arriving in the 2-1-0 and presented moral support to his inexperienced counterparts, most noticeably towards Josh Primo and Lonnie Walker IV.
A locker room full of first, second, and third-year players hungry to prove themselves can become disconnected and unruly. But having a steadying presence can go a long way toward keeping everything running smoothly. And given the Spurs almost always do right by their guys, nobody should be shocked if they reward Richardson for his patience by sending him to a destination where he can compete for a championship.
Perhaps no one will be more paramount to making this rebuild a palatable transition than Jakob Poeltl. Although he may not shoot 42% from beyond the arc like McDermott or possess the positional versatility of Richardson, his two-way contributions were heavily responsible for keeping the Spurs afloat in an extraordinarily competitive Western Conference.
Can't stop thinking about how Jakob Poeltl spiked Anthony Davis into the earth last night: pic.twitter.com/6NVWITADWp
— Noah Magaro-George (@N_Magaro) October 28, 2021
Whether unintentionally or by design, San Antonio funneled everything to the rim on the defensive end, asking their seven-footer to clean up all the messes made by their shoddy perimeter protection. Poeltl shouldered the burden of patrolling the paint, finishing the season with more blocks than Joel Embiid, more contested shots than Rudy Gobert, and a better DFG% than Kristaps Porzingis.
He also compared favorably to other Starting Anchor Bigs in the league according to the following BBall Index metrics:
- 100th percentile in Defensive Miles per 75 Possessions
- 98th percentile in Contested DREB%
- 97th percentile in Help Defense Activity
- 93rd percentile in Matchup Difficulty
- 93rd percentile in On-Ball Defense
- 86th percentile in Rim Protection
- 83rd percentile in Screener Rim Defense
- 80th percentile in Rim DFG% vs. Expected
Despite a limited scoring arsenal, Poelt found ways to make himself useful on offense. Masterful screening and sealing generated open driving lanes for ball-handlers who struggled to create advantages. Elite below-the-rim finishing coupled with proficient short-roll passing made him a threat as a playmaker when help defenders cut him off. And a reliable floater gave his teammates an outlet to bail them out when actions stagnated.
Jakob vision 👀 pic.twitter.com/gwW37f7xaQ
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) January 5, 2022
Here are some more BBall Index numbers that highlight how he stacks up against his fellow Starting Roll + Cut Bigs:
- 95th percentile in Screening Talent
- 95th percentile in Floater Talent
- 94th percentile in Offensive Rebounding Conversion Skill
- 94th percentile in O-LEBRON
- 92nd percentile in Scoring Gravity
- 89th percentile in Passing Creation Quality
- 88th percentile in Playmaking Talent
- 80th percentile in Finishing Talent
Despite resetting their timeline, it would be strange to visualize the Spurs “tanking” like Oklahoma City or Philadelphia. Head coach Gregg Popovich has never rolled over and accepted defeat, and he will probably trot out a lineup that gives his team the best chance to win. But the beauty in giving Poeltl, McDermott, and Richardson minutes, at least for a few months, is how they each foster development without siphoning touches from Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, Josh Primo, and Jeremy Sochan.
Patience yielded San Antonio surprisingly fruitful returns for Derrick White and Thaddeus Young, a pair of players having subpar seasons. And those transactions are evidence that fringe contenders and playoff hopefuls are frequently willing to overpay for rotation pieces, especially if they believe they might help separate themselves from the pack.
Purging the roster of older impact players for extra first-rounders is not all that unexpected for a rebuilding organization. But, showing some restraint could construct a sound foundation for the prospects who might lead San Antonio into their next era of meaningful basketball. Tacking on a handful of additional victories will cost PATFO a couple of lottery tickets. But with a somewhat evenly weighted system to determine the top pick, the Spurs can afford to ingrain winning habits while still losing plenty of games the “right way” in the process.
