Heading into the 2023-24 season, Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich made three issues very clear: the objective was to return to profitable (i.e. not “tanking”, though that by no means meant this workforce would flip right into a winner in a single day), the primary focus can be enhancing on protection, and Victor Wembanyama can be allowed to freelance for some time so the workforce might study who he’s earlier than they start really “teaching” him.
We at the moment are 11 video games in, with the Spurs sitting at 3-8 and spiraling downhill on a 6-game dropping streak, all whereas turning into solely the second workforce to ever to lose three video games by 30-plus so shortly, becoming a member of the 1990-91 Denver Nuggets, who completed that season with a 20-62 file (hat tip to J.R. Wilco for informing me of that little nugget — no pun supposed).
Exterior of an additional time win at house in opposition to the rising Houston Rockets and two wins in Phoenix that by the day are wanting extra miraculous than indicative of who this workforce actually is, the Spurs have struggled badly, dropping in each type conceivable, from wire-to-wire blowouts, gradual begins and blowing (a number of) double-digit leads. The workforce has proven combat, however they only can’t get out of their very own method and over the hump. Not one of the “experimentation” appears to be working thus far, and followers are beginning to lose endurance, so it begs the query: when is it time to start out altering issues up?
Let’s begin with the obvious challenge: level guard. The Spurs made the choice to solely have one true PG in Tre Jones on the workforce and selected to carry him off the bench whereas grooming second-year ahead Jeremy Sochan to steer the offense. There are arguments to be made in favor of this transfer — in principle it creates a tall beginning lineup that must be robust defensively, and it’ll permit Sochan, who already has a excessive ceiling, to develop his sport even additional — however right here’s the factor: it isn’t working thus far. Like, in any respect.
This shouldn’t be a knock on Sochan, who’s making an attempt his finest to study whereas being put underneath immense strain to carry out on each ends of the ground, however he’s nonetheless unfairly bearing the brunt of followers’ wrath, and with Jones lacking a few video games with a sore hamstring, the problem of depth on the place has solely been exasperated. It additionally doesn’t assist that of all of the Spurs’ two-man participant mixtures which have performed common minutes collectively, Jones is certainly one of half of every of the workforce’s prime 5 parings when it comes to internet score (the workforce’s level differential per 100 possessions), together with +19.3 with Wembanyama in 136 minutes. In the meantime, Sochan and Wemby are method down the checklist with a -24.5 internet score in 200 minutes collectively.
In fact, none of that is to say these two ought to by no means share the courtroom once more, however possibly the beginning lineup wants a shakeup. The common beginning lineup of these two plus Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson and Zach Collins at present has a internet score of -13.8 in 76 minutes collectively, however swap Sochan for Jones in an admittedly very small pattern measurement of 16 minutes, and the online score jumps to +29. Or, if we actually need to go overboard with small pattern sizes, substitute Collins with Jones, which strikes Wemby to heart, and so they’re a whopping +57 in 11 minutes collectively. The underside line is whereas many pattern sizes are nonetheless too small to say what does work, those which might be sufficiently big to start out getting previous pattern measurement and into development territory are clearly not working.
Talking of Wemby, let’s refer again to Pop’s level that he’s going to simply let him play for some time earlier than beginning to coach him up (which he has reiterated as lately as this week). To be clear, this doesn’t imply they’re utterly ignoring him or aren’t doing basic work with him, simply that they’re letting him do his factor on the courtroom and aren’t making him play inside a system (for now). After a powerful first 5 video games, it has been a wrestle for the rookie throughout a lot of the prolonged dropping streak.
As predicted, he’s getting pushed round a bit by the stronger gamers within the league, his exterior taking pictures is iffy, and consistency and determination making are a piece in progress. Then again, he has nonetheless confirmed to be a powerful finisher down low, and he tends to have higher video games when he will get himself established within the paint early. Whereas in principle being paired with a three-point taking pictures heart like Collins mustn’t trigger spacing points and permit Wemby to function down low, we’re nonetheless seeing a number of the alternative, with Collins establishing himself within the paint whereas Wemby floats out on the wings and shoots jumpers.
It’s most likely secure to say if Pop hasn’t began “teaching” Wemby within the definition we described but, it is perhaps time to start out, as a result of it’s turning into clear he wants some construction and path. To not point out, it’s not like he’s being inserted into a bunch of veterans who already know what to do for him, as was the case for Tim Duncan. As a substitute, the gamers round him are nonetheless younger and studying themselves simply as a lot as he’s. By no means thoughts if Wemby wants a “system” round him to thrive; his teammates want the steering to assist him thrive.
Experimentation is all about making an attempt new issues, and it virtually by no means works on the primary strive (in any other case it wouldn’t be an experiment). Nobody can fault Pop and the Spurs for making an attempt new issues at a time once they can (and will), however one other a part of experimenting is altering issues up when the primary try fails.
No matter that change is is anybody’s guess — most would agree it’s transferring Jones to the beginning lineup, however I’d stray from the plenty and say rather than Collins, not Sochan — but when the Spurs preserve sticking to the established order with out seeing new outcomes quickly, conspiracy theories will begin flying. (Some would possibly even say, a sure one thing that rhymes with “prank” is on, and after an entire 12 months of that AND getting precisely what they wished out of it in return, nobody needs to see it anymore.)
