Team Name
San Antonio Spurs
Division
Southwest Division
Last Season
62-20 (1st in division)
Roster additions / losses
Additions
Kyle Anderson was the only notable addition of this offseason, as the Spurs opted to keep their core, bench, coaching staff, benchwarmers, and air conditioning units the same as last year. After going to consecutive NBA Finals and winning it all last year, who can blame them? Anderson is the prototypical Spur: a tall, versatile big man who can pass from anywhere on the floor. The Spurs stole him at the end of the first round of the draft last year, and he probably won’t make much of an impact this year.
Losses
Patty Mills is the only significant loss for the Spurs, and only in the sense that he will be out until at least January after undergoing shoulder surgery. Mills is still on the roster and could make an impact come playoff time once again, but for now he remains on the shelf. The Spurs did not lose any significant pieces to free agency or trades, so Mills remains the only real loss for the reigning NBA Champs.
Key Success Factors
1. Stave off father time again – The narrative has been the same for the San Antonio Spurs for what feels like forever now. Too old, approaching the cliff, breaking down, however you want to say it, it simply has not been true. The scary part for other teams is that not only have the old guard played consistently, they’ve given the young guns time to develop into borderline stars. If the likes of Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and Tim Duncan can turn back the clock one more time, this team is borderline unstoppable.
2. Get 82 games of Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard - Leonard emerged in the playoffs as a budding superstar. He held LeBron James in check and dominated offensively, knocking down seemingly everything and flying in for putback slams on a nightly basis. The Spurs need that Kawhi Leonard for the entire season. Last year he missed some time with injuries, but also only averaged 12.8 ppg on the year. Gregg Popovich likes to manage his stars’ minutes, and he will want to lean on Leonard to keep the train rolling on those nights without the ‘Big Three’.
3. Continue to score efficiently – If you watched the NBA Finals, you may have noticed the Spurs repeatedly getting whatever they wanted on offense. You also may have noticed that they did it against one of the stingiest defenses in recent memory. That was no coincidence. San Antonio plays beautiful team basketball, passing and cutting until they find an open shot, and then knocking that shot down. With their roster, there is no reason to think this won’t continue. The Spurs played the most efficient offense in NBA Finals history, at least since 1978 when the NBA started keeping track of turnovers. They were sixth in offensive efficiency during the regular season, and to return to glory they will have to do so again.
Fantasy Impact
Studs
Tony Parker – Parker may miss some games this year due to Popovich’s vaunted “sit everyone who matters at random times” strategy, but when he plays he is a fantasy stud and consistently underrated NBA MVP candidate. It is difficult to predict who will break out on this balanced scoring attack, but Parker averages over 15 ppg and 5 apg, and those were in a down year by his standards. Shooting 50% from the floor certainly helps, and Parker’s scoring, assists, and steals should increase this season with more weapons around him.
Tim Duncan – The Big Fundamental simply refuses to quit. Duncan actually played in more games than Parker, and even at the ripe young age of 38, averaged 15 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks. The future hall of famer is primed for another big year, and as long as he can stay on the floor he will continue to find ways to contribute both offensively and defensively. Not the first round pick he used to be, he is still worth a look in the earlier rounds of your fantasy draft.
Danny Green - Green may not be a stud in the traditional sense of the word, but the important caveat about fantasy basketball is that certain players dominate specific categories. Green and three pointers go together like PB&J. He averages two made threes per game, and that number only stands to increase with a more impactful role this season. He also contributes enough defensively and with assists and rebounds to be start-worthy beyond his shooting ability, and there isn’t a much more pure shooter than Green in the NBA.
Duds
Manu Ginobili - Ginobili once gave you 17 ppg, 5apg and 2 made threes per game, but a couple of years ago those numbers dropped to 12, 4.5 and 1.5 respectively, and have remained at that level. Ginobili’s role is more important to the team than for him to care about numbers, and his impact comes more in the intangibles nowadays. He will still give you double digit points and a decent performance on a nightly basis, but for where people think he should be drafted, he comes in overrated this year. Don’t reach for Ginobili, especially as he is coming off of a stress fracture, which could also hinder his performance this season.
Sleeper
Kawhi Leonard - It is hard to put a player who just won the Finals MVP as a sleeper, but that is really where he belongs in the fantasy world. Despite going crazy in the finals, Leonard only averaged 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists per game last year. This year, however, should tell a much different story. Leonard is a monster offensively and defensively, and can give you multiple steals, blocks, and threes on a nightly basis as well. Kawhi is coming into his own, and that will show on the court and in the box score this season.
2014 Season Predictions
MVP – Gregg Popovich
LVP – Matt Bonner
Finish – 2nd seed in the West, conference finals exit
This is as tough a call as I’ve had to make thus far, but I do not think the Spurs repeat this season. They play excellent, fundamental basketball and score the ball at will, but defensively they have too many lapses. In the finals, they survived by scoring on almost every possession, rendering their defense irrelevant. I think they will be exposed at that end this season, but will still be one of the toughest outs in the league. A conference finals exit seems reasonable, but I would not be surprised if they did repeat in 2015.