Well barring a trade, 2021 and all that cap space was always going to be the impact year. Until then, we pick up guys who we think have some upside. I think we have done well overall in that department. Not directed at you, Phreak, but there's a weird attachment to Dedmon by some Spurs fans on social media, like he's the one that got away or something. He was here for one year! He told the Kings to play him more or trade him - um, ok.
I wanted Baynes for us as a potential FA target, but let's face it, both are journeymen Cs who can help teams that are more ready to compete. Far more so Baynes who already has a job, not least of which because of his attitude.
We've made the decision going forward to green light the younger group and give them bigger roles. I agree that Jakob had an up and down bubble, and he would, too. And his FT shooting woes are so strange, like I just don't understand how a pro is so bad at it (Chip must rub his temples with every attempt). But there's no doubt that he's very important for us defensively, and his on/off and per 100 metrics attest to it.
Also, despite the ups and downs in the bubble, here are some impactful numbers:
Running with a new-look, guard-heavy starting unit in the NBA bubble, Poeltl averaged 8.3 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks, and earned rave reviews for doing the dirty work necessary from the lone big man in a small-ball group.
https://www.expressnews.com/sports/spurs/article/For-Spurs-Jakob-Poeltl-San-Antonio-is-home-15752370.phpIt's easy to see a path towards a 10/10 player as a floor, with just an extra bucket (his efficiency out up to 16 feet is terrific) and a couple of rebounds more per game.
He also led us with 95 blocks this season, and I believe had the second most blocks in the bubble.
That, plus these stats bode well:
We have yet to see what Jakob's ceiling is without LMA getting the bulk of the C minutes, and with Jakob settling into a starter role more (learning to limit fouls, improving FTs, and I'd love to expand his passing game as well).
On top of that, I think all the vet guys we brought in have improved their games: LMA on D and 3, Rudy on D, DD with efficiency (career bests with us) and less ISO.
Plus, we've also shown we're not afraid to move on from guys who don't project to keep improving: Dedmon, Kyle Anderson (his starter numbers with Grizz are very close to his bench minutes with us, so not worth all the extra money for us), now Metu, Bryn, and Beli.
It's about team needs and context. We brought in Dante Cunningham who started for a quarter of the season for us in a win-now, and then we moved on. We brought in DD when we needed his scoring, vet presence and mentorship, and stability while the young guys were learning the foundations of Spurs basketball and now it's time to start making the transition to giving them bigger roles. We identified Cam and Keita as guys who fit the timeline of the younger group who will have more responsibility and who have some upside.
If either end up flourishing for us, great (and we targeted Keita at the draft, so we have some insight on how he fits). But neither hurt what we have going already and we are still set up well for 2021 and all its cap space possibilities.
This group of young guys with a year under their belt together I believe will be an attractive situation for the right player. And it's a testament to our development that they're coming along the right way together despite all the upheavals that came along the way.