Welcome to the Week in Overview: a Monday function that appears again on the week that was for the San Antonio Spurs, takes a have a look at the week forward, and extra. Get pleasure from!
Week 15: Spurs undergo a letdown week after grueling schedule lastly catches up with them.
Week 16: 104-116 L @ Miami Warmth; 111-127 L @ Orlando Magic; 103-123 L @ Brooklyn Nets
It was solely two weeks in the past that we have been praising the Spurs’ current enhancements. They’d been enjoying close to .500 ball for a number of weeks since making the rotation changes of beginning Tre Jones and shifting Victor Wembanyama to heart, and it actually felt like they’d turned a nook. Nevertheless, since then they’ve misplaced seven straight, wanting gassed and missing an additional gear within the fourth quarter whereas Wemby has seemingly hit the rookie wall as they sputter in the direction of the All-Star break.
These tendencies continued this week to open the Rodeo Street Journey in opposition to three middling Japanese Convention groups. In all three video games, the Spurs obtained out to gradual offensive begins, failed to achieve their scoring common of 112 factors per sport, and with out that additional gear, they might by no means catch again as much as their opponent. The sport in Miami was the perfect instance of this downside, as they have been inside a degree heading into the fourth quarter of a low scoring sport, however Miami was in a position to take their sport to a different degree due to Jimmy Butler turning it on, and the Spurs had no reply because the Warmth pulled away.
The following night time in Orlando, the Spurs by no means led and solely managed to maintain issues shut till halfway by the second quarter earlier than the Magic took over. Much like their first matchup, the Magic confirmed the Spurs the place their weaknesses lie, together with dimension as each Wagner brothers had huge video games, as did Jonathon Isaac — to not point out, by some means Wemby solely managed 1 rebound all the sport, which is able to possible by no means occur once more. Their journey to Brooklyn was extra of the identical, as outdoors of briefly main within the first quarter, the Spurs have been enjoying from behind all the sport, and outdoors of an 11-point burst from Wemby to convey the Spurs again inside 6 to open the third quarter, it as all Nets to finish one other winless week.
If there was one vibrant takeaway from the newest dropping streak, it’s that Devin Vassell has been capable of finding a degree of consistency on offense and brought on a management function. Earlier than the Nets sport, he had led the Spurs in scoring for seven straight video games whereas averaging 25 factors on 51% taking pictures, 38% from three. If he can proceed to place up numbers like that and the crew can work its method out of the present hunch — maybe after some a lot wanted relaxation from the All-Star break — issues will begin wanting higher once more.
Energy Rankings
John Schuhmann, NBA.com — 30 (final week: 28)
OffRtg: 109.3 (27) DefRtg: 118.1 (25) NetRtg: -8.9 (29) Tempo: 102.0 (5)
The Spurs’ newest dropping streak has hit seven video games and so they’ve trailed every of their final 4 by a minimum of 19 factors.
Three takeaways
1. The Spurs are one in every of 5 groups that rank within the backside 10 on each ends of the ground, however they proceed to have extra points on offense, the place they’ve scored simply 106.3 factors per 100 possessions over the dropping streak. Beginning forwards Julian Champagnie and Jeremy Sochan have mixed to shoot 38-for-100 (together with 7-for-43 from 3-point vary) over the seven video games.
2. The Spurs nonetheless rank because the league’s fourth most improved defensive crew, having allowed 1.5 fewer factors per 100 possessions than they did final season, although that’s extra about how unhealthy they have been (thirtieth) on that finish of the ground in ’22-23. In dropping their final two video games in Orlando and Brooklyn, they allowed two below-average offenses to every rating greater than 129 per 100.
3. The Spurs have been outscored by 40 factors (86-46) within the restricted space over these two video games, with solely three of Victor Wembanyama’s 28 complete pictures coming on the basket. For the season, 29% of his pictures on the street* have come within the restricted space, a fee which ranks seventieth amongst 188 gamers with a minimum of 150 complete subject purpose makes an attempt on the street.
* Utilizing simply street pictures right here to account for shot-charting discrepancies from enviornment to enviornment.
The Spurs will face one other below-average offense in Toronto on Monday. Then the Rodeo Journey comes again to Texas for his or her ultimate sport earlier than the All-Star break and their third of 4 conferences with the Mavs.
Brett Siegel, Clutch Factors — N/A (final week: 27)
N/A – coming quickly
Arising: Mon. 2/12 @ Toronto Raptors; Wed. 2/14 @ Dallas Mavericks
Prediction: 1-1 — At this level, it could truly be useful for the Spurs to let the Raptors win tonight as they want them to complete no worse than seventh to have the perfect likelihood at preserving their draft decide this summer time — so after all they’ll discover a method to blow it and win. Again to actuality, the Spurs gained’t have a solution to Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving and can lose heading into the All-Star break.
