SPURS GAME DAY! GAME 34: SPURS VS. BUCKS, 4-1-2024, 6:30PM (CT)

[G R E Y]

Every time this lady ref refs one of our games, Pop's yelling explaining basketball to her LMAO

[G R E Y]

ANOTHER LATE rebound recovery giving second chances.

[G R E Y]

DEVIN WITH THE PHYSICAL DRIVE, BODY CONTROL, AND FINISH AT THE RIM!

YES!!!

THIS IS THE DEVIN WE WANT TO SEE!!!!!

[G R E Y]

D3VIN!

[G R E Y]

Man we MUST break through the glass ceiling and get the lead. Then keep it.

[G R E Y]

3RD Q: SPURS 93 BUCKS 93

BREAKING: SPURS WON A 3RD Q!

34-29.

Feels good, man, especially after a slower start that Pop needed to burn a timeout on.

And with Dom being chopped at by Blake and having to leave the court and Mamu getting burned on D in his place.

It was inadvertent by Blake, but then almost everything on O is.

Wemby is Wembying!

Devin is SHOWING UP!

Protect the rim, protect the ball, rebound, play hard for and with one another.

GSG!!!

[G R E Y]

KELDON WITH THE 3!

KELDON WITH THE REVERSE DUNK ON THEIR C!

[G R E Y]

Julian - The dunk is not your play. The 3 is your play. Do THAT. Make 3s. Thanks.

[G R E Y]

Cedi D steal to O transition foul earned!

[G R E Y]

I just don't understand Sochan's thinking in the flow of the game - he FAKES the C that gave him trouble, has an opening RIGHT at the basket, and kicks it OUT instead for a Cedi 3 miss.

Just make the RIGHT, SMART play.

[G R E Y]

Devin with the miss and O board putback dunk!

[G R E Y]

Yeah, Sochan. YOU'RE the one we want taking a late game shot. Brilliant. *sigh*

[G R E Y]

W3MBY! After a crucial block!

[G R E Y]

Sochan. Again. *sigh*

GET THE BALL TO WEMBY.

[imagump1313]

Jones three is probably not the most successful shot in that situation.......

[G R E Y]

Sochan two key shots missed.

Tre Jones CRUCIAL missed shot.

****.

[imagump1313]

Sochan two key shots missed.

Tre Jones CRUCIAL missed shot.

****.

Jones is always short on threes. He needs to shoot more perpendicular to the floor and with more arc.

Where is our shooting coach?

[G R E Y]

Sochan two key shots missed.

Tre Jones CRUCIAL missed shot.

****.

Jones is always short on threes. He needs to shoot more perpendicular to the floor and with more arc.

Where is our shooting coach?

I mean, it's working out for Sochan overall. He's improved over 22% from the arc this season.

But Tre is not only short - on the shortest arc distance from the corner on that one, or from just about anywhere else any other time - he's BENT. As in his body is bowed with his elbow tucked into his body and so not only is his body imbalanced, his whole release is, too. From the foundations - up, the whole energy from feet up to proper balance to proper release is way off kilter. Feel bad for him, you can see how gutted he was, but hopefully this will be the wakeup call to **** fix that janky shot.

[imagump1313]

Sochan two key shots missed.

Tre Jones CRUCIAL missed shot.

****.

Jones is always short on threes. He needs to shoot more perpendicular to the floor and with more arc.

Where is our shooting coach?

I mean, it's working out for Sochan overall. He's improved over 22% from the arc this season.

But Tre is not only short - on the shortest arc distance from the corner on that one, or from just about anywhere else any other time - he's BENT. As in his body is bowed with his elbow tucked into his body and so not only is his body imbalanced, his whole release is, too. From the foundations - up, the whole energy from feet up to proper balance to proper release is way off kilter. Feel bad for him, you can see how gutted he was, but hopefully this will be the wakeup call to **** fix that janky shot.

Its a pretty easy fix. His release point needs to be above his head. Right now his release point is in front of his forehead leaning at the basket.

I know not everyone can be a great shooter but doing just that and working on it would help him out.

[G R E Y]

This is one of those games.

We just got to see, with angst and anticipation, the fullest glimpse yet of not only the limitless potential, but also how very close that future actually is.

This was Wemby's best two-way first to last quarter game. And in restricted minutes (26) he put up very strong stats (27 points on 10-18, 2-8 from 3, 5-6FTs, 9 boards with 3 on O, 1 assist, 1 steal, 5 blocks, 5TOs) that don't begin to explain how he showed plays we've not seen put together before, how he impacted the game on both ends versus a contender, how he is putting up career numbers in the first third of his NBA career.

And it's all also why he makes teammates look even worse in terms of talent and BBIQ. Sorry if that sounds rude, I don't mean it in a 'get rid of everyone' way but in a way that reminds everyone from PATFO to teammates to the league and anyone who will watch highlights that after this season, and even during it (more on this a bit later) we just play the right way and slot in those who can't or won't.

After the game, Pop had a very short post-game interview of sorts, standing up, all hyped up, like WTF did I just see - like all of us. He ended it with, "See you at the bar" and I can't help but wonder if the plan to surround Wemby with top tier talent has room for adjustment.

We value development, commitment to playing the right way, to competitiveness, to D-out, team-first play.

For all the cries about Sochan looking off Wemby earlier in the season, he's now making plays like this:

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And yes, Wemby's cut is incredible:

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He still took some shots I thought should have instead been set ups for others, and one of late game shots was one of them. I appreciate that he has the fighting spirit to take clutch shots but the guts to makes ratio is still too far apart. He had a poor shooting night (9 on 3-11, 1-5 from 3, 2-2FTs) and the shot selection didn't help either. There's the shots you're given and have to make, and the shots you're baited into by defenses and have to make them pay, and the shots you manufacture to maximize your strengths. To that end, taking nearly half of his shots from the arc is a choice. Not sure whether these were all of the good to great created variety or whether there were better chances for others (at least two were), but working to set up our best 3s shooters on a given night is option 1, especially in close games. Taking only three attempts in the restricted area is also a choice. He still has to get far better at finishing with different angles off the glass at the rim, especially versus bigger players. If our guards have the ability to learn this, he can as well. I love that he went up against the ornery Portis again, bodying up, getting under yet another opponent's skin, being his pesky self with steady man D that he takes pride in. He did once again get caught by faster guards (it happens) but didn't stay with them and didn't contest with hands up (shouldn't happen), so film material.

Sochan is a conundrum of a player. I wonder how we'd be playing him if hypothetically he were selected out of the lotto. Being the 9th pick comes with some challenges for the team in terms of role. Like would he be starting if he were chosen later? Maybe we're not at the point of needing to make a decision yet, but everything is now 'fit around Wemby' centric even as we develop everyone and have the same standards for everyone. Part of why we don't need to make a decision yet is because Sochan is so inexperienced with some flashes of very nice play and some flashes of absolute rawness that we don't yet know who he will be. And even if he improves every season, he would have to really exceed expectations to keep that starting PF spot next to Wemby. So as the 9th pick will he be comfortable accepting other roles as Keldon has been coming off the bench? It's a two-way street that will have to get worked out, and games like this expedite this process.

Teammates have to be thinking like I imagine PATFO is, sitting at that bar, sipping and shaking their heads in disbelief and joy, but also leaning in to talk all things present and future. Teammates are realizing that they either fit sooner rather than later or they get what they can from our development program and hope for the best either here or elsewhere.

If it sounds like there's a lot more if/then takes in this post, it's because this game really feels like a delineation point going forward. It's both a continuation and the ushering of a new level; both a coming together better and a separation of wheat from chaff.

And so it's plays like these that we absolutely can't have:

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Not only did Julian hesitate on a 3 on another play to fake and drive only to get blocked by their C, but on this play Julian found the open lane well - right play - but he got tunnel vision and missed a trailing cutter in Wemby who had the even more open play because Julian drew defenders to him. And it's not the first time.

It's also not the first time Julian has recorded 0 points. We went from too many possessions taken up by Keldon at the expense of the Devin-Wemby two-man game we want to develop more, to a 3&D prototype who barely gets the ball and barely contributes on O. It's two ends of the pendulum of what we want there. We're basically 4 on 5 on O there with not really maximizing his strength of 3s, but then when we get him a couple of chances and he misses... well..., and when he's missing Wemby on these types of passes, it's a detriment. He's a big body and stays with drivers enough to get us moving to adjust on D, but of course he's not even a starting level 3 now, let alone when we upgrade overall talent.

These minutes are good for his development who, like Branham, is getting reps versus starters. When he goes against non-starters in theory the raised games will be an advantage. But neither is there at the starter level. He makes non-clutch shots when games are out of hand, and Branham is a pure scorer but a D liability. There's a reason Julian played 21 minutes, good for seventh highest on the team. We got a combined 9 points 1-7 from 3 from our starting 3 and 4 positions.

So with Branham out, Tre got his first start of the season, and Blake got the back-up PG minutes. Tre was tied for team high (with Devin) with 35 minutes played and after a rocky start (and finish with that final 3, oof, what a bookend) he was a solidifying force throughout the game. Devin was glowing about his potential to start before the game, and despite limitations (he and Wemby each shoot under 27% from 3; Tre's height get exploited on D despite his good effort) Tre was just the right kind of coalescing force. He finished with 18 on 7-13, 0-2 from 3, 4-4FTs, 5 boards (2 on O), team high 6 assists, 1 steal, 3TOs.

The argument has been that we have a known commodity in Tre as starter given he did it all of last season and want to see how others look next to Wemby. From point-Sochan to point Branham, it's had the results we've seen. It's interesting that even without Julian scoring and without Tre making 3s and without Doug or Zach available, we still scored 125 points, much better than the last couple of games, and an improvement on our 26th ranked 111.2PPG.

With no thanks to Blake who also stood out with good D effort but missing Wemby on an obvious trailing transition pass to instead get blocked by the C at the rim - that was his lone shot attempt, and he only played 15 minutes - we're running out of options on the roster at point but to put Tre in the position given what a stabilizing, coalescing force he is, putting others into better scoring positions.

I'd love it if we called Sidy up and let him either slot into the starting 3 or the backup 1. His D and passing are intriguing, and he's more assertive in taking shots now, too. What'll likely happen is Branham returning he'll get slotted ahead of Blake somewhere, unless Blake forces the issues and does what a PG should, which is actually making right reads and passes instead of trying to make a name for himself. Well that's how it comes across. At the very least, he's not making the best fundamental right play as a PG and it's been a whole season plus into the second one to ... make a pass to a trailer, in this instance. We need him to make the right best fundamental plays as a PG.

Contrast these 15 minutes to Dom's, who scored 3-3 for 6 points, 1 board, 4 assists (!), 1 steal, 2 blocks. Great hustle, footwork, spacing, help D, upright stance and not biting on fakes. Rim protection, off-ball movement, getting to right spots on P&Rs. Commentators were giving him props for the solid play before Blake inadvertently took him out with an arm to the neck (inadvertent pretty much sums up too much of Blake's play, sorry). He's forcing his way to more minutes with solid two-way, fundamentals. Love his game and how he's stepped up.

Cedi led the team with +10 and in 28 minutes he stepped up with 13 on 4-7, 3-6 from 3, 2-3FTs for 13 points, 2 boards, bench high 5 assists, team high 3 steals. Great movement, terrific involvement of others, energy creator with drives, excelling in his 3s role.

It's been Wemby, Devin, and Keldon as our main scoring trio and even though Keldon has been moved to the bench, he still asserts himself the same way, with great physical drives, thunderous dunks, continuing to provide the energy and experience we need. He struggled mightily with efficiency, making only 5-17, 2-8 from 3, 2-2FTs for bench high 14 points, team high 10 boards (2 on O), 1 assist. He kept pushing through despite his struggles to score and was a big factor in our comeback. I love his coming off the bench, and although it has to sting, he hasn't complained at all, and is an important factor for us as the longest-serving Spur (wow) who is unique in his consistent competitiveness.

Which brings us to Devin, who looked very much more like what we've been expecting game in, game out. That he had this type of game versus a far more seasoned opponent, on a big stage, making clutch shots, beautiful drives for +1s, physical, engaged, crafty, making smart decisions, terrific on D and off-ball, was the all around two-way player we've envisioned. Team high 34 points on 14-21, 6-9 from 3, 6 boards (1 on O), 4 assists, 1 steal. He made 4-5 in the restricted area. And outside of his 3s, he operated in the paint and at the elbows and FT line of it, a much better shot selection profile, a much more dedicated effort to seek better shots, making great reads to use screens, turn down screens, finding and creating shooting spaces and driving lanes, and great body use to push his way through, protect the ball, and use right angles at the rim. Incredible performance.

More of the synergy with Wemby we're hoping to see. More of the assertive play we're expecting. More of the competitive spirit and showing of the broad game he has to give.

We made two more 3s, got to the line well and made the same number of FTs, had teh same number of rebounds but two more O boards (10-8), had more assists (31), more steals (10-5), more blocks (8-5), fewer TOs (14-10), took three more FGAs. Juuuust a decision or shot or stop or call short. But we hung in there and put on a great show for a great crowd, cut a double digit deficit to get a lead, and but for this or that, it could have gone either way.

What this game did do was delineate clearly the time before and after it. The Birthday Game. We'll be looking back at this one as the turning point. For the decisions PATFO makes to better surround Wemby, for the decisions teammates make in playing with him, for how Wemby plays. Watch. Out.

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