The Spurs, the only small-ball city dynasty in NBA history, are such a team that has been a huge success in the league. There are many reasons for the Spurs' success, excellent draft vision, they have selected Duncan, Ginobili, Parker players, both Yuanlang and low-ranking players. On the other hand, the head coach, Popovich and GDP combination have a good relationship, and there is a good team atmosphere. So after Duncan's retirement, what was Popovich's performance in leading the team? There is no harm without contrast.
Duncan entered the league in 1997, when the Spurs got Duncan through a pendulum. Duncan's strength needless to say, he is a super newcomer who debuted at the peak, and he was selected as the best first team + best second defense in the rookie season, and he is already one of the best players in the league. In the rookie season, Duncan led the Spurs to a magnificent record of 56 wins and 26 losses, and in the second year, he led the team directly to the first place in the league and won the championship.
Since then, the Spurs have maintained top team performances, and as Ginobili and Parker have grown, the GDP combination has become even more prestigious. In 1999, the two towers led the team to win the championship, and since then, the GDP combination has led the Spurs to win the championships in 2003, 05, 07 and 14 years, and has won five championships, making the Spurs a dynasty team. Until Duncan retired in 2016, the Spurs played in the playoffs for 19 consecutive seasons, winning the championship 5 times, the average win rate was more than 70%, in addition to the shrinking season, it was 50+ wins every year.
So in the eyes of many people, Popovich and Duncan are mutual achievements. But after Duncan retired, everything seemed to change. In the summer of 2016, Duncan announced his retirement, when he turned 38 and was indeed the age to retire. After Duncan retired, the Spurs' roster is still very strong, Leonard has grown into a supergiant, and the peak Aldridge, and the introduction of the big Gasol, plus Parker and Ginobili, the Spurs have achieved a 61-win record in 17 years, and the performance is still very impressive.
However, in 18 years, Leonard only played 9 games due to injury, and in the end, the Spurs only got a record of 47 wins and 35 losses, barely making the playoffs. Leonard has since fallen out with the team and is being traded to the Raptors. In 2019, the Spurs achieved a record of 48 wins and 34 losses, and they also stumbled into the playoffs, all of which were eliminated in the first round. In 20 years, the team finally achieved a record of 33 wins and 39 losses, ranking only 10th in the West. Last season, the Spurs finished with 32 wins and 39 losses, which is also the bottom of the West.
Since Duncan retired, the Spurs have only remained competitive for one year, and since then the record has been worse than a year. From the lineup point of view, it is not so bad, Leonard's trade in exchange for DeRozan, and the introduction of Gay, the overall strength is still a chance to chase the playoffs. However, after playing and getting worse and worse, Ard chose to leave the team, and DeRo left the Spurs in approval. Today's Spurs are a weak team in the league, and Popovich is not far from retirement. Compared with before and after Duncan's retirement, I have to say that the gap in record is too big. Perhaps it should be said that Duncan made Popovich.