Today, the brand new Spurs debuted in the new season, 123-97 victory over the Fish Belly Team Magic, although this unexpected victory made Thorn Honey happy, but the four problems facing the new Spurs this season are even more confusing.
First, who will be the team's top scorer
In the past few seasons, who is the team's top scorer is a completely uncontroversial question, with DeRozan present, he has always been the first scorer in the team, but after DeRozan left, the Spurs did not introduce the same level of stars accordingly, the team is full of a group of small devils, this problem is on the table.
In terms of seniority, this position should be Murray's, he is the most senior player in the current team, familiar with the Spurs' offensive and defensive tactics, and is currently one of the offensive initiators. But Murray's biggest problem is that the scores aren't explosive, and the offense relies heavily on breakthroughs and mid-range shots, much like DeRozan.
Today, Murray scored 15 points on 6-of-17 shooting, and the outside line was an embarrassing 4-of-0, so, with Murray's technical style, it seems a little difficult to get all 20 points per game.
In addition to Murray, guard White is also the most reliant on the Spurs backcourt, White is more spiritual than Murray, the ability to win is stronger than Murray, today he scored 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting, 3-of-4 from the outside, if White is healthy, he should be able to maintain a stable score.
Today's Spurs' leading scorer is Vasell, today he shot 8 of 12 and 3 of 4 from the outside, scoring a team-high 19 points, as one of the few high-level shows in the team, Vasell has a good talent, from this game, his progress is also obvious, if the playing time is enough, his score will not be low.
And the previous generation of "Village Lookout" Walker, today scored 17 points, but his shots and Murray tied for the first place in the team, are 17 times, but his outside shots are more, but not efficient, only 9 shots 3, next year will be his contract year, I think Walker, who is physically good, will definitely strive for more performance opportunities.
Overall, this year's Spurs' team top scorers should be in Murray, White, Vassell, Walker, most likely White and Vassell.
Second, how much will the Spurs' outside three-pointer improve
Just a few years ago, Popovich said that he didn't like three-pointers, and fans felt that this old man was joking with everyone, after all, there were four cannon kings in the team at that time, Mills, Bertans, Belinelli, and Fubbs, and the three-point firepower belonged to the upper middle and upper reaches of the league.
But last season, the four Cannon Kings were only Mills, and the rookie John Gengson and others who had been added to the team in recent years were not good at three points, and Vassell, who was introduced in 3D, was still a first-year newcomer, so the Spurs' three-pointer last season could only be described as unbearable. Last season, they were the only team in the NBA to average fewer than 10 three-pointers per game (9.9).
In the offseason, the Spurs brought in Pacers shooter McDermott, Brin Forbes also returned from Milwaukee, Vasell also grew rapidly, and White, after last season's forced training, seems to have a good three-point feel today. From the preseason, the Spurs averaged 35 three-point shots per game and hit 12 hits, a statistic that is close to the league average. It is not known whether the Spurs' three-pointer will become a conventional weapon for the team in the regular season.
Third, who will be the master of the Spurs' interior line
As the regular season was about to begin, the Spurs cut shamanic, a rare high-ranking show on the team, without warning. Now, the Spurs' legitimate interior line has Porter, Ubanks, And Langdale, and McDermott and Diop on the front line, and the height of the lineup has changed compared to last season.
Judging from the way the Spurs played in the past, the Spurs' requirements for interior players are still very high, requiring not only to defend, but also to be able to respond, to organize, and preferably to have offensive capabilities. Judging from today's situation, Portell should be able to secure the first place in the Spurs' interior line. His defensive and rebounding abilities have become very strong, grabbing 8 frontcourt boards in one game today, and his ability to respond has also improved, with 7 assists today. The only thing missing is that his self-directed offensive ability is still a short board, and today he has no free throws, and I don't know if his free throws have improved.
Yubanks is now also a veteran of the team, he and Porter, both height and foot speed have a gap, the only thing stronger than Portell is that Yubanks has a certain degree of independent offensive ability, a small hook hand is still very silky, and now Ubanks can now be said to be the Spurs' model worker, the ability to execute tactics has also been recognized by Bobo Nanqi and fans, should be able to sit in the position of substitute center.
Compared with Ubanks, Randall has an advantage in height and weight, but his biggest problem at present is to familiarize himself with the Spurs' tactics as soon as possible, and whether he is suitable for the Spurs or not, it will be a while later.
Spurs injury seat also has an interior Corinth, this handsome guy's height arm span is very good, and it is said that there is a good three-pointer, if you can come back, it is a good addition to the Spurs interior line, but it is said that this brother is a bit brittle, so I hope the Spurs team doctor will give it a force.
Can spurs defense become a powerful weapon again?
In the past three seasons, the Spurs' defensive support can only be regarded as average, and after two consecutive seasons of losing points per 100 rounds in the league's bottom ten, the Spurs' defense improved to 17th in the league last year. Of course, the Spurs' poor defense in the past two years has a lot to do with the lack of height of the whole team, and DeRozan and even Longs were pushed to the third position to participate in the defense.
This season, the Spurs have averaged taller, younger and faster on the court, so one of the spurs' goals in preseason is to improve their defense. Popovich is said to have given Murray and spurs a number of defenders autonomy and encouraged the fight for the ball. He doesn't mind players taking a risk when defending, fighting for a steal or a mistake to launch a quick attack.
Judging from today's game, the spurs' overall defense is very good, with a certain sense of aggression and layering, Peltel is still the inside gate, and Murray, White, Johnson and other people on the outside line have good individual defensive ability. If these youngsters can correctly execute the Spurs' defensive tactics, the Spurs' defense should be able to go up to the next level this season.
Fifth, who will be the Starting Lineup of the Spurs.
Today's game, the Spurs lined up a starting lineup composed of Murray, White, Johnson, McDermott, and Porter, and fans familiar with Popovich know that after the Spurs have undergone a major change, Popovich will definitely not determine the starting lineup in a short time.
Especially now, the "Archimedes" combination that leaves the Spurs almost includes the absolute main force and the main rotation in the team, which means that the Spurs not only have to determine their main lineup, but even who is the main rotation in the bench lineup must be further examined.
However, from the current point of view, the double-guard combination of Murray and White should appear in the starting lineup, and Porter's interior defensive ability is beyond doubt, it should also be retained in the starting lineup, and the two starting positions of small forward and big forward should appear among Thaddeus Young, McDermott, Johnson and others, and may not be determined until the middle of the season.
In the substitute lineup, Vassell, Walker, Forbes, Ubanks should enter the regular rotation lineup, Diop, Landdale and others, it is estimated that Popovich will have to investigate for a while.