What does Jacob Pelter's absence mean for the Spurs, and is he so important now?

The Spurs will be missing one of their best players in the next few games. While it's hard to find a hint of solace in Pelter's absence, it will be interesting to see if the other Spurs players can stand up for the team during this time.

The Spurs currently have a big problem on hand. Jacob Pelter, who is at the heart of the team's defense and increasingly threatening on the offensive end, arguably the Spurs' best player of the season, triggered the league's health and safety deal, and he is expected to miss multiple games as a result.

It is not difficult to see from the Spurs' games at the beginning of the season that Pelter's defense, passing, blocking and scoring inside are of self-evident importance to this team. By almost any technical stats, the 26-year-old center is playing the best season of his career. Peltel has become a lubricant in the Spurs' offensive system this year, which relies on a lot of no-ball runs, making him indispensable on both ends of the offensive and defensive ends.

While Doug McDermott is ready to return to the court, the absence of Pelter, a core player, has left the Spurs' roster incomplete and another test of the resilience of the young Spurs team. Let's take a look at what that means.

The Spurs need to be more creative on the court to make up for Pelter's absence

Spurs have three alternate centers to choose from, but no one can replace Peltel's comprehensive skill pack. Drew Ubanks can score and grab rebounds, but he's not a passer and doesn't have Peltel's intimidation on the inside. Thaddeus Young can find empty-cut teammates at the top of the arc like Peltel, but he's undersized, struggling against most centers in the league and struggling to grab rebounds. Jock Randale is still a mystery. He theoretically has better shooting ability than Peltel and is tall enough to make a difference on the inside, but we can't predict how well he will perform on the defensive end. None of the three seem to be able to solve Peltel's absence alone, so the Spurs may have to mix them up.

One option is for Young and Randell to play as a substitute at the same time, and to have them swap places in attack and defense. When the Spurs attack, Landdale can open up space on the court like a striker, while Young, as a center, can move the ball at the top of the arc like Peltel, and can also block or hand with teammates holding the ball, trying to create a local 4-on-3 situation, which can also maximize Yang's vision. On the defensive end, Young can defend the opposing big forward and Randale can take over the responsibility of defending the center. Having both of them on the floor at the same time would allow the Spurs to have enough size to protect the penalty area and control defensive rebounds at the main rest.

Keita Bates Diop can clearly get more playing time with his defensive and rebounding abilities. If Ubanks starts, the Spurs' starting lineup will include him and Dejuntai Murray, two above-average defensive rebounders, but they don't have a forward who can contribute in this regard, especially when McDermott, whose rebounding ability is absolutely below average, returns to the starting lineup. Kelden Johnson can contribute to the defensive end of the team during Pelter's absence, but he can only do his part. Teams can replace Derrick White with Diop during the rotation, so that the team as a whole will be taller, or Diop will replace McDermott, although it will affect the team's offense because Diop is not threatening on the outside and will not hold the ball, but if the opponent has a huge rebounding advantage in the first and third quarters and can easily score, such a substitution may be a good choice for a certain period of time.

If you think the possible fine-tuning on these lineups all look more like drinking and quenching thirst, it's because they really aren't a long-term solution. Simply trying to replace Peltel with another player is unlikely, so Popovich has a lot of work to do if he wants to make up for the absence of the starting center.

For these Spurs players, the necessary adjustments may not be a bad thing

If the Spurs have a lot of veterans in the squad this year and the goal is the playoffs anyway, Pelter's absence will be a big blow. This is not the case this year, however. The Spurs' current record suggests they may be one of the worst teams in the West this year, and that winning or losing isn't that important compared to the growth of young players. In this sense, Peltel's absence may also have a good side.

Without Pelter's tandem, the Spurs' offensive system may need some minor adjustments. Defenders are likely to take on more of the burden of organising the attack, which may help White out of the relative slump of the season. According to the statistics of the data website Synergy, White's usage rate has declined this season, and he has also appeared hesitant in the blocking and demolition, relying on the scoring of the blocking and the assists given to the downside teammates are not ranked high. Peltel hasn't been very good at this either. So during this time White can try to play more blocks with other big men, such as Ubanks, who, according to Synergy,000, is one of the best blockers in the league. White can also use this time to find his shots in the block, rather than feeding Pelter as much as head coach Greg Popovich asked for. So this change may help White find the aggressiveness of the ball-holding attack he has been missing.

Similarly, Kelden Johnson can improve his offense during this time. The Spurs' offense this season has mostly started from the top of the arc, either blocking or dominating the ball by Pelter, and Kyleden has a bit of a loss in such a system. Kelden is not a natural cut-and-shoot player, and since he doesn't threaten to hold the ball for three points, defenders can properly free him up to defend his breakout while Kelden is holding the ball. In the past, Kelden's eye-catching performances were largely his threats on the weak side, where he could attack the opposing moving defence when his own defenders (usually Demar DeRozan) were attracted to the defence. Kelden will score indirect balls on the move and then attack holes in the opposing defense created by teammates. Now Peltel's absence makes the Spurs need Murray and White to hold the ball more, which may make it easier for Kyleden to get the opportunity on the weak side as before. Once Peltel returns, the offensive system will return to normal, but hopefully this period will give Kelden enough confidence to deal with the changes.

Finally, Peltel's absence could give spurs a better understanding of their reserves of interior players. In his brief playing time against the opposing bench, it seemed that Ubanks could perform at his best. Now that he has more experience, we can see if he can handle the opposing starting line-up. Randale could get some regular playing time to prove that his shooting ability can be cashed in and whether his defensive ability is enough to get him into the rotation. As for Young, he's been in good shape lately, and if Yang continues to perform well against opponents taller than him, he can not only help spurs, but also increase the value of his trade.

It's unclear how long Pelter will be out, but his absence is likely to make the Spurs worse in a short period of time. Fortunately, this season's focus is on the future. There will be some difficult moments ahead, but as long as this team can learn something in this setback, the next few games will be well worth watching, even if we all miss the presence of Pelter.