LaMarcus Aldridge sat out the pre-season game with back spasms, but we still had to watch the Spurs and Hawks play.
I typically dislike watching the Hawks and Spurs play in the regular season, because the teams run such similar systems and know each other’s sets and tendencies so well. It has the feel of an intrasquad scrimmage. Pit the teams against each other in the preseason? Oof.
With Aldridge getting his first taste of Pop’s precautionary nature and sitting out the game with back spasms…
“He didn’t want to do it,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “Well, welcome to the Spurs. Go sit.”
… there wasn’t a lot of excitement in this game from the Spurs end. So much of this preseason is about Aldridge orienting himself in the Spurs’s system and everybody else figuring out their spot around him.
Still, a basketball game was played, and observations were had:
–Parker looks very average, which is very bad. He doesn’t look hurt or laboring, but he seems to have lost some explosiveness. He’s not getting to the rim, he’s not blowing by defenders. There are times when he goes into his spin move (a sure sign he’s feeling well), but instead of getting around his defender, he is corralled. To make matters worse, his jump shot (a necessary aspect of his game if he is to stay relevant as he ages) looks off, too.
We can stack the front court as much as we want, but if we have an average PG, the team will only be so successful.
–Mills, on the other hand, continues to really impress this preseason. His energy is off the charts, and he seems to have rediscovered his rhythm in shooting and cutting. The second unit in general looks so much sharper than the first unit. Manu looks great, West is a natural, and even Anderson has a role with his vision and basketball intelligence.
San Antonio Spurs Kawhi Leonard steals from the ball from Atlanta Hawks Jeff Teague during the first first half of an NBA preseason basketball game Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2015, in Atlanta. (Curtis Compton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP) MARIETTA DAILY OUT; GWINNETT DAILY POST OUT; LOCAL TELEVISION OUT; WXIA-TV OUT; WGCL-TV OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT
–Kawhi is really forcing his offense and has even been running the offense this preseason. It seems to be by design. He is getting more and more comfortable playmaking and having the ball in his hand, being the one making the decisions and calling the plays. His vision is improving, as is his jumper. He can physically dominate any match-up and pretty much always get something good, if not great, from the offense. This is a learning curve, but a necessary step as Parker declines and the team becomes more and more about Kawhi and LaMarcus.
–Once again, Butler got the bulk of the important minutes off the bench for all players fighting for a roster spot. Jimmer played and really didn’t impress. My hunch is Pop will lean towards the vet in his final decision. There are also a couple of interesting big prospects on the preseason roster (first on that list is Youssou Ndoye, a mobile and active C), but I doubt any of them will make the team, though I wouldn’t be surprised to see a few of them end up in Austin.
–Some of the notable end-of-the-bench signings have yet to really make an impression. Both Jonathan Simmons and Ray McCallum could prove crucial during the regular season filling in minutes as the grind wears on the team. I imagine they are both still learning the system and finding their roles, but neither have stood out yet.
The Spurs now close out the preseason with 3 home games. Up next, Detroit on Sunday.
