Season 49, Game 61
San Antonio 94, New Orleans 86
52-9, 2nd in the West
Do the Spurs have a PG problem?
I’m not asking because Pop called a timeout 71 seconds into the game and parked Parker’s butt on the bench. That’s classic Pop, and every player knows that in any given game he can be on the short end of Pop’s leash.
I’m asking because Mills might actually be a better fit for this team.
Parker has had his moments this season, and Parker at his best is still better than Mills at his best. But Parker has had a lot of off nights this season, and his off nights make it seem like he is a half-step removed from washing out of the league entirely.
Photo Credit: NBA.com
It’s more than relative age and health, though. I wonder if Patty’s game just fits better with the team right now. For the past few years, it’s been accepted that Patty was a great back-up PG because Manu was really the PG on the second unit, and Patty could do what he does best: shoot open 3s and wreak havoc defensively with his activity and energy. Meanwhile, Parker was the steady hand guiding the starters, his cutting and penetration the cornerstone of most every action in the playbook.
With the emergence of Kawhi and the addition of LaMarcus, though, I wonder if Patty fits better in both units. The offense now revolves around those two, and each of their games is predicated in isolation and in the blocks. Yes, Kawhi is (almost miraculously) a knockdown 3-point shooter. But we all know he is best working his man over in the low block. Aldridge also functions best starting his offense in the post.
The rest of the offense still features movement and plenty of action, but the team really is a low-post team. Inside out.
You know what works really well with an inside-out offense? A PG who can shoot the lights out but still has the quickness to get to the rim off ball movement and secondary action.
I watch Parker, and it feels like the first few minutes of each game are wasted as he runs the offense, the ball sticks in his hands, and Kawhi and LaMarcus become after thoughts. After about 4 minutes, we start feeding the ball to Kawhi, and the game starts.
And there’s this: Patty checked into the game with the Spurs trailing 76-81 with just under 5 minutes left. (He checked in during Aldridge FTs, so the score was 78-81 by the time action resumed.) Over the remainder of the game, the Spurs offense came alive, the defense locked down, and the Spurs finished on an 18-5 run, putting the hammer down. It’s hard to isolate one variable in basketball, with every factor interacting with each other. Too much noise, not enough signal. But just watching the game intuitively, everything seems a little better with Patty on the floor.
For what it’s worth, Patty finished a team-high (tied with Duncan and Leonard) +14. Parker? -6.
Putting the PG conversation aside, what we should really talk about is the Kawhi and LaMarcus duo. Very quietly, those two are really learning how to play with each other and off of each other, and have become quite the pair closing games. Aldridge often helps to keep the team afloat in the early to mid stages of the 4th quarter in close games, his 18-foot jump shot as reliable and easy to get as anything in the league. More and more, though, he is mixing things up, driving to the rim, seeking out contact, and finding his game within the Spurs system. I love it. He had 14 points on 6-7 shooting…in the 4th quarter.
Then there’s Kawhi. Beautiful, beautiful Kawhi. He really was the closer tonight, putting the finishing touches on the Pelicans in the final 3 minutes. He hit the dagger 3 off of an offensive rebound (which he collected himself) that could have been right out of Curry’s playbook. But the most impressive play was the one before: he drove the lane from the wing, cutting towards the rim. As the defense collapsed, he kicked the ball out to a wide open Patty for as uncontested a 3 as you’ll see. Swish, ball game.
The growth of Kawhi’s vision doesn’t get as much airplay, but it is as important as every other step his game has taken over the last few years. We know he can get his shot any time he wants. Once defenses game plan against that, the next step is getting wide open shots for everybody else whenever you want. Kawhi is almost there.
Which is really scary for the rest of the league. Especially with the likes of Danny, Patty, Manu, David, and LaMarcus waiting for wide open shots.
The Spurs return home to face the Kings on Saturday night.
Go Spurs Go.
