Rebuilding the Spurs

[G R E Y]

The 5 Year Plan - Year 3 (2024/25) - Part 4 - Post Draft

After the explosive decisions of the first round, the Spurs acted much as we have come to expect the Spurs to act in the second.

The took Juan Nunez with the 36th pick and stashed him. This is a player I actually predicted the Spurs would take as after this year, and some extra seasoning with another year in Europe, he may be ready for a backup PG role with at least Chris Paul and Blake Wesley unlikely to still be around.

With the 48th pick, they chose someone who will compete with Cissoko/Champagnie for the backup 3/4 role. If either of these decisions work out, the Spurs would have had a successful 2nd round.

The Spurs then went out and acquired Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes, a great move in my opinion. After a year, the Spurs now have a better idea of what is likely to fit around Wemby and the bring in some experience to help the Spurs through their late game woes which were largely caused by inexperience.

I do have some slight regrets saying goodby to Cedy and Barlow but the Spurs replaced Cedy with Harrison however, I still feel the team is currently too guard heavy and need a big PF which Barlow could have grown into is still needed. I expect they believe that Mamu will largely play the 4 in the coming season.

Yeah there's definitely something to the plethora of guards. In the bottoming out rebuild, we gave rookies tons of PT and room to grow through mistakes. But there was no pressure from competition for PT. Now there is. And that's good. Branham and Blake in particular will feel the heat. And should we make a trade, guards with some seasoning yet on rookie contracts have to be attractive. Something to strengthen the 4/5, I agree, and possibly 3 as well. Then the rest of the guards can shift up (depending on who we acquire).

Love the Boston Jr. pick up. Slinky, lithe talent. We need a true SF and he fits the bill so we'll see what we have and can develop there.

I like Dom but he just got pushed around way too much. And without an outside game, his fit with Wemby was clunky clogging up the paint unless he was doing clean up. That's the thing; lots of effort and he can outwork guys but he doesn't have a bulk advantage inside and he doesn't stretch the floor. It's a nice undrafted development story but I can see why we chose not to retain him.

I know we renounced Cedi, but is there no hope of bringing him back? He's 29, so that may be a factor but goodness was he ever great off ball, and at 6'7" he knew how to use it when driving or defending.

Feels like we don't have a vet tutor by example of that anymore and we need guys to adapt to lots of off ball movement. It's one thing to watch tape, another to have a guy there to talk to and guide through the nuance and mentality of such a role. Guys want to stand out, make things happen, and that's usually with the ball. Without it you often do a lot of running, sometimes even as a decoy, and don't get the ball or credit for the different type of work a team needs done to score.

[G R E Y]

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[Rustyman]

Recognition is great but I want this to happen after the Spurs achieve something. For me, I would want Vassell to be ranked higher and Sochan to be recognised for 2nd team All Defense. Would also be something if Castle was 1st team rookie although I don't know if he will get enough minutes to do so.

[G R E Y]

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[G R E Y]

Recognition is great but I want this to happen after the Spurs achieve something. For me, I would want Vassell to be ranked higher and Sochan to be recognised for 2nd team All Defense. Would also be something if Castle was 1st team rookie although I don't know if he will get enough minutes to do so.

Dev had a rough time of it what with the rotating PG duties alongside which he had to play. First it was the failed point Sochan experiment for 20 games, then it was some assortment of Blake and Branham before we finally settled into Tre again.

We switched three starters (and some positionally ie/Sochan and Wemby) throughout the season and these experiments, while gaining trial-by-fire experience for the players and giving insights to the coaches, caused mistakes through adjustments and learning on the fly.

Tre, Keldon, and Collins each were in then out of the starting group. Sochan and Wemby moved positions.

With stability of not only a clear starting five from the get go - I expect CP3, Dev, Barnes, Sochan, Wemby - and with such an experienced pair at the much needed improvement at 1 and 3, all players at their more.natural positions and not having to cover for as many **** ups will do wonders for us.

I expect us to get back to at least .500 starting this season going forward.

[Rustyman]

Dev had a rough time of it what with the rotating PG duties alongside which he had to play. First it was the failed point Sochan experiment for 20 games, then it was some assortment of Blake and Branham before we finally settled into Tre again.

We switched three starters (and some positionally ie/Sochan and Wemby) throughout the season and these experiments, while gaining trial-by-fire experience for the players and giving I sights to the coaches, caused mistakes through adjustments and learning on the fly.

Tre, Keldon, and Collins each were in then out of the starting group. Sochan and Wemby moved positions.

With stability of not only a clear starting five from the get go - I expect CP3, Dev, Barnes, Sochan, Wemby - and with such an experienced pair at the much needed improvement at 1 and 3, all players at their more.natural positions and not having to cover for as many **** ups will do wonders for us.

I expect us to get back to at least .500 starting this season going forward.

I certainly hope so! I think anything less than a .500 record would be a disappointment.

[Rustyman]

Okay, now that the Spurs have completed their first 5 games, we can make some initial assessments:

Victor Wembanyama (Grade C)
The reason why I grade Wemby as a C is that he has just been average compared to my expectations of him for the season. Let me be clear, my expectations are 25 points per game on 47/35/80 splits this season with 13 rebounds, 3.5 blocks, 3 steals and 3 turnovers per game.

In my view, Wemby came into this season severely underdone. I understand why this was done and you can see this with other stars who had to carry the load for their teams in the Olympics and had to go through another pre-tournament camp prior to the Games. You can see the same impact on Luka, Joker, etc. This means that these guys have to be eased into the season and early on their teams might underperform but this is necessary to ensure they still have something in the tank come the end of the season.

Wemby should be taking a minimum of 20 shots per game, when he does not, there is no one else with Vassell out who can pick up the load. However, I don't like the 3 chucking. Wemby should be taken something like 12 2pointers and 8 3pointers per game. The balance should remain in favor of the 2point shot. I hope to see an improvement in Wemby's efficiency in the next 5 games.

[Rustyman]

Jeremy Sochan (Grade A)
Sochan is doing exactly what I expect of him in this first 5 game sample. My expectations for him are 15 points per game on 48/32/70 splits with 9 rebounds a game and he is pretty close to this projection. Above all, I want consistency out of Jeremy and availability. He has to stay on the court and play great defense. If he does that, he will be worth the $35m/year he will be asking for as his extension. He also has an edge which this Spurs team needs as sometimes there are too many good boys on the team.

Chris Paul (Grade B)
Another guy who is underdone coming into the season but he has no Olympics excuse to back him up. He seems rusty. Whether this is because it is a new team or not or he is simply out of shape, he needs to get better. The turnovers are a big disappointment for a guy who has always been such a pro. Also, he needs to shoot. He cannot simply be a distributor. He is a 39 percent career 3 point shooter and he needs to be taking 5-6 per game to keep defenses honest. As he is going to give up points on the defensive end, he needs to be a net positive by scoring and assisting. Paul was brought on the Spurs to be a facilitator and organizer and I expect to see him average 8 assists a game in just under 30 minutes a game.

[Rustyman]

Harrison Barnes (Grade C+)
Barnes has been very inconsistent which is counter to his entire career. He needs to deliver what he was brought in for which is 12-14 points per game, 6-7 rebounds per game and the ability to keep the team in control when Paul is on the bench. He is there to show Sochan/Julian/Sidy what it is to be a pro.

Keldon Johnson (Grade B-)
Keldon is another one who has begun the season very inconsistently. His role is simple, a microwave wing off the bench who can deliver 15 points/5 rebounds in 22-25 minutes a game. His 3-ball needs to improve for people for him to be able to drive effectively. Keldon is never going to be a facilitator, he simply has too much tunnel vision but he needs to develop some better court awareness to understand what his role is when he is on the floor.

Stephon Castle (Grade B)
Pop has surprised me by playing Castle as much as he has. 20+ minutes for a rookie on the Spurs is almost unheard of if your name is not Duncan, David or Wemby. He obviously has shown enough so that Pop trusts him. However, he will be a crap shooter for at least the first half of the season. Most rookies are. However, he has to shine on defence, be a secondary facilitator and hit his open shots and if he does that, Tre Jones has a very weak hold on that backup guard position.

[G R E Y]

Okay, now that the Spurs have completed their first 5 games, we can make some initial assessments:

Victor Wembanyama (Grade C)
The reason why I grade Wemby as a C is that he has just been average compared to my expectations of him for the season. Let me be clear, my expectations are 25 points per game on 47/35/80 splits this season with 13 rebounds, 3.5 blocks, 3 steals and 3 turnovers per game.

In my view, Wemby came into this season severely underdone. I understand why this was done and you can see this with other stars who had to carry the load for their teams in the Olympics and had to go through another pre-tournament camp prior to the Games. You can see the same impact on Luka, Joker, etc. This means that these guys have to be eased into the season and early on their teams might underperform but this is necessary to ensure they still have something in the tank come the end of the season.

Wemby should be taking a minimum of 20 shots per game, when he does not, there is no one else with Vassell out who can pick up the load. However, I don't like the 3 chucking. Wemby should be taken something like 12 2pointers and 8 3pointers per game. The balance should remain in favor of the 2point shot. I hope to see an improvement in Wemby's efficiency in the next 5 games.

Feels like this part is sort of an early season experiment or test. Wemby is stronger but not so much he can bang inside all day. His outside-in strategy lures defenses out and allows him more room on perimeter than inside and he creates better for teammates from there. Of course that is predicated on his being a threat from the arc to begin with, otherwise the strategy is counterproductive.

So I don't mind going against the grain here so long as the 3s efficiency improves and on nights where it's poor then adjust and take better shots elsewhere.

Where I do want Wemby to improve is simplifying. He is so talented he must try to spread his wings and test what he can do but he also spoke of focusing on fundamentals. And so the fancy stuff has to be balanced with the most basic economical moves that have the best chance of going in to help the team. Both have to be there. There's a tendency to over dribble and fancify at times. And I LOVE the stretching of limits of his talent, but it reminds me at times of Federer who would stubbornly double down on his favourite shot even when it wasn't working. Just simplifying and doing the more boring but effective thing, and equally important, recognizing the need and making the adjustment, are all part of Wemby's development. An infinite bag of tricks with a rock solid foundation of fundamentals. Fundamentals are sexy. Best of both worlds.

[imagump1313]

Harrison Barnes (Grade C+)
Barnes has been very inconsistent which is counter to his entire career. He needs to deliver what he was brought in for which is 12-14 points per game, 6-7 rebounds per game and the ability to keep the team in control when Paul is on the bench. He is there to show Sochan/Julian/Sidy what it is to be a pro.

Keldon Johnson (Grade B-)
Keldon is another one who has begun the season very inconsistently. His role is simple, a microwave wing off the bench who can deliver 15 points/5 rebounds in 22-25 minutes a game. His 3-ball needs to improve for people for him to be able to drive effectively. Keldon is never going to be a facilitator, he simply has too much tunnel vision but he needs to develop some better court awareness to understand what his role is when he is on the floor.

Stephon Castle (Grade B)
Pop has surprised me by playing Castle as much as he has. 20+ minutes for a rookie on the Spurs is almost unheard of if your name is not Duncan, David or Wemby. He obviously has shown enough so that Pop trusts him. However, he will be a crap shooter for at least the first half of the season. Most rookies are. However, he has to shine on defence, be a secondary facilitator and hit his open shots and if he does that, Tre Jones has a very weak hold on that backup guard position.

I think your grades are pretty accurate!

Barnes is still trying to fit in IMO. He's an older guy in a new city playing with a bunch of kids. The Barnes of old is long gone if you ask me and whatever we get out of him is a bonus. He has a lot of miles on those legs. Im still interested in seeing what happens with him and his consecutive game streak here with Pop sitting players.

Johnson is basically what he is at this point and he's playing like it. With Vassell out we are still asking a bit too much out of him I think. The turnovers are just a part of how he plays, kind of like Manu being Manu. You accepted the bad with the good hoping there would be more good than bad.

I'm still not sure what everyone sees in Castle. I dont think he is a point guard at all. He isnt a good passer and his handles are garbage if you ask me. I dont hate him, I just dont understand all the praise. I think the NBA has just lowered the bar soo much with rookies that even if they show the slightest hint of being not terrible, people think they will be a star. He does have good size and is very athletic though.

[imagump1313]

Jeremy Sochan (Grade A)
Sochan is doing exactly what I expect of him in this first 5 game sample. My expectations for him are 15 points per game on 48/32/70 splits with 9 rebounds a game and he is pretty close to this projection. Above all, I want consistency out of Jeremy and availability. He has to stay on the court and play great defense. If he does that, he will be worth the $35m/year he will be asking for as his extension. He also has an edge which this Spurs team needs as sometimes there are too many good boys on the team.

Chris Paul (Grade B)
Another guy who is underdone coming into the season but he has no Olympics excuse to back him up. He seems rusty. Whether this is because it is a new team or not or he is simply out of shape, he needs to get better. The turnovers are a big disappointment for a guy who has always been such a pro. Also, he needs to shoot. He cannot simply be a distributor. He is a 39 percent career 3 point shooter and he needs to be taking 5-6 per game to keep defenses honest. As he is going to give up points on the defensive end, he needs to be a net positive by scoring and assisting. Paul was brought on the Spurs to be a facilitator and organizer and I expect to see him average 8 assists a game in just under 30 minutes a game.

These grades are also very accurate!

The farther Sochan gets away from PG the better. Just let him do what he does best. Roam around on offense and defense and make chaos. Dont run any plays for him, dont do anything structured with him. Just let him freelance around and good things will happen.

Paul's grade is spot on as well but there is something going on with him that I cant quite put my finger on. Like I've said here a few times, I've never liked him but I did think he could make a positive impact if he came here and just played ball and not be his drama queen self and make it all about him. Soo far he's done ok with that. But he just doesn't seem to be engaged IMO. Like he's just going through the motions. Like Barnes, he is an older guy playing with a bunch of kids so maybe its just that but at times to me it just doesnt look like he wants to be here. Maybe because he's trying not to make it about him IDK...

[imagump1313]

Okay, now that the Spurs have completed their first 5 games, we can make some initial assessments:

Victor Wembanyama (Grade C)
The reason why I grade Wemby as a C is that he has just been average compared to my expectations of him for the season. Let me be clear, my expectations are 25 points per game on 47/35/80 splits this season with 13 rebounds, 3.5 blocks, 3 steals and 3 turnovers per game.

In my view, Wemby came into this season severely underdone. I understand why this was done and you can see this with other stars who had to carry the load for their teams in the Olympics and had to go through another pre-tournament camp prior to the Games. You can see the same impact on Luka, Joker, etc. This means that these guys have to be eased into the season and early on their teams might underperform but this is necessary to ensure they still have something in the tank come the end of the season.

Wemby should be taking a minimum of 20 shots per game, when he does not, there is no one else with Vassell out who can pick up the load. However, I don't like the 3 chucking. Wemby should be taken something like 12 2pointers and 8 3pointers per game. The balance should remain in favor of the 2point shot. I hope to see an improvement in Wemby's efficiency in the next 5 games.

I agree he needs to play more inside. His jump shot is impossible to stop so every three he takes is basically uncontested so I dont want him to just play inside either. He needs to be more consistent beyond the arc though. Mix it up a little more. I dont mind that he wanders the perimeter at times, just not soo much. He also seems to take too many offensive possessions off and just sit at the top of the key. He has to be more aggressive than that.

[mikejames23]

Roster needs some work... at the end of the day we have to compete with hard western teams. Zion/Ingram, Green/Sengun, Booker/Durant, Fox/Sabonis, etc....

We have been through Gasol, Aldridge, Derozan, et c. but we finally found a franchise player in Wemby. Ok, what to do now? Just looking through our roster....

Jeremy Sochan - Has potential to be a stable starter, already looking like it. Pours in some good night, some bad. Started with 17/8 and 1 STL, is bound to cool down after a while.

Keldon Johnson - A fun scorer type of guy, Keldon even poured a 22/5 type of year once. Useful off the bench.

Stephon Castle - Coaching staff needs to capitalize on this guy, has some potential. Doesn't look ready to contribute immediately, but still showcases some lotto pick talent.

Julian Champagnie - Starting for some time, likes the 3 pointer, well he should keep it.

The Vets...

Chris Paul - Top 25 all timer, def. a huge PG to have, but he's so old now. I wonder if the vet. presence helps our roster.
Harrison Barnes - Former NBA champion, spent a lot of time in SAC, I wonder if his skills declined. Good for a 12/7 type of starter role.

The rest - Zach Collins, Sandro (I ialways love one of these on the roster), Tre Jones, Devin Vassell, Malaki...

Ok, well how does that compete with the rest of the West? Well, we're still in trouble. Harrison Barnes and Chris Paul is a start, but why not nab some Markkanen off the market? Well, anyway... we need to make progress to make Wemby happy. I trust the Spurs FO to play some chess moves, we need a good strategy out in the wild wild west.

[G R E Y]

Roster needs some work... at the end of the day we have to compete with hard western teams. Zion/Ingram, Green/Sengun, Booker/Durant, Fox/Sabonis, etc....

We have been through Gasol, Aldridge, Derozan, et c. but we finally found a franchise player in Wemby. Ok, what to do now? Just looking through our roster....

Jeremy Sochan - Has potential to be a stable starter, already looking like it. Pours in some good night, some bad. Started with 17/8 and 1 STL, is bound to cool down after a while.

Keldon Johnson - A fun scorer type of guy, Keldon even poured a 22/5 type of year once. Useful off the bench.

Stephon Castle - Coaching staff needs to capitalize on this guy, has some potential. Doesn't look ready to contribute immediately, but still showcases some lotto pick talent.

Julian Champagnie - Starting for some time, likes the 3 pointer, well he should keep it.

The Vets...

Chris Paul - Top 25 all timer, def. a huge PG to have, but he's so old now. I wonder if the vet. presence helps our roster.
Harrison Barnes - Former NBA champion, spent a lot of time in SAC, I wonder if his skills declined. Good for a 12/7 type of starter role.

The rest - Zach Collins, Sandro (I ialways love one of these on the roster), Tre Jones, Devin Vassell, Malaki...

Ok, well how does that compete with the rest of the West? Well, we're still in trouble. Harrison Barnes and Chris Paul is a start, but why not nab some Markkanen off the market? Well, anyway... we need to make progress to make Wemby happy. I trust the Spurs FO to play some chess moves, we need a good strategy out in the wild wild west.

For sure our roster needs work. It's a balance between internal growth which guys like Sochan have shown more of and Blake and Branham less of (both losing minutes to Castle who is already part of the top 8 rotation) and seeing what we need over time.

Last season it was glaringly apparent we needed to beef up the 1 and 3 and FO did that deftly with two vet acquisitions. Of course neither is a long term solution but their experience and steady presence are valuable to a young group.

All roads lead to and from Wemby. So whoever does not fit does not stay. Sochan has adjusted well to being better roaming off ball and being very opportunistic.

We know Dev and Tre fit with Wemby well, too.

I would not put Dev in the 'other' category as he is our second best player. Maybe some see that as a case for talent upgrade, but it's also a case for internal development. He's leaped Johnson as a scorer and I didn't think he'd develop enough of a scoring bag to do that.

Castle can handle 1 2 or 3 though I do not see him as a long term SF solution. That, I believe, is what this upcoming draft is for.

So in addition to patient talent infusion, we have also gotten bigger. Barnes, JC, Castle, Sidy, Mamu, Basset in addition to Sochan and Keldon are just chunkier guys who know how to willingly use their size.

Bit by bit the roster is shaping out to more talented, bigger, two-way/more versatile players and we have the assets to strike should an opportunity arise...

[Rustyman]

And that is the point. The roster needs to be built step by step. Lets be clear, no big free agents are coming to San Antonio. Not even to play with Wemby.

The path to growth is (1) Internal development (2) Drafting (3) Trades to bring in complementary pieces.

I am almost sure that when the Spurs go deep into the playoffs, Wemby/Sochan/Devin will be the 3 key pieces of the rotation. All of these guys require internal development. So now the question should be, which players fit around those 3.

[G R E Y]

And that is the point. The roster needs to be built step by step. Lets be clear, no big free agents are coming to San Antonio. Not even to play with Wemby.

The path to growth is (1) Internal development (2) Drafting (3) Trades to bring in complementary pieces.

I am almost sure that when the Spurs go deep into the playoffs, Wemby/Sochan/Devin will be the 3 key pieces of the rotation. All of these guys require internal development. So now the question should be, which players fit around those 3.

Well it would be a nice surprise but we'll see. SA is a perfectly great place to live and Wemby's gravity is unprecedented, transcendent even, and he's just scratching the surface.

We are already known as a stable organization, excellent in development. We have a stockpile of assets, good cap management, not sexy, but it's the kinds of things that keep winning sustainable. So if a star is about winning...

It's great how Sochan is making himself a more integral part of our core with his unique style of play. We have a long way to go, Castle shooting efficiency for one, oof lol, and moving off from chaff separated from wheat, which I think what a lot of this season will answer.

[Jamaaliver]

It's time to put a legitimate succession plan in place at Head Coach.

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[G R E Y]

It's time to put a legitimate succession plan in place at Head Coach.

Read on Twitter

Already posted in the news thread. Also, Pop has missed like six games in the last five years. Also, I'm sure nothing has been left to chance as current continuity is showing. That said, once again, get well soon and back leading the team where you belong!

[Rustyman]

Okay, the Spurs are 15 games into the season and time for another update.

Team Grade: B. Almost at .500, have already reached it once this year but the objective is to stay over .500 the entire season.

Victor Wembanyama (Grade: B)
Still shooting too many 3's but I now understand why with the knee injury and being out of shape after returning from the Olympics. I am going to repeat this, but my target for Wemby this season is 25 points per game on 47/35/80 splits this season with 13 rebounds, 3.5 blocks, 3 steals and 3 turnovers per game. He is currently averaging 22.7 points on 47/34/87 splits after 13 games. He is also under performing in rebounding and assists. After a horrible start, he exploded in a few games however, I am looking for more consistency from Wemby. Just hope the knee injury is not a lingering issue.

Jeremy Sochan (Grade: Incomplete)
Was performing great before the injury and if he had sustained that, I would have given him an A, however, as the cliche goes, "Availability is the best Ability".

Devon Vassell (Grade: C)
His 4 games off the bench have not been anything to shout about but he seems to look okay, just rusty. As with Wemby, I just hope holding him out of games at the moment is a precaution and not indicative of anything ongoing.