SPURS GAME DAY! GAME 53: SPURS VS. 76ERS, 3-2-2023, 7PM (CT)

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Barlow-Roby nice two man game.

Terrific Stanley +1 before that.

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When the ball handler gets the D board, don't let him trot up the court uncontested. Shadow D full court.

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Malaki with the floater J then with a runner. So smooth and clean.

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Barlow our thinnest PF is scrambling all over the place for deflections, contests, fighting for rebounds. Love the effort.

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Blake drive and kick out to Malaki for the 3.

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Blake first step is a big blur.

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D board to TO is not a thing, gents.

Luckily they miss the 3.

Roby dunk. Nice!

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Nice high low to Barlow inside.

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4TH Q: SPURS 125 76ERS 137

So we had three starters out, three new ones in including a rookie, and we hustled hard versus a tough top tier opponent rolling along with a couple of franchise players.

We actually shot 58.4%, higher than our opponent, which is excellent especially versus a team that has the 6th best defensive rating; we scored almost 14 points over the PPG they allow, and our 125 points came on 32 assists, four more than our opponent.

Our 3s attempts have been declining month to month from the start of the season and we’re now 27th and our efficiency percentage has remained steady in the low to mid 30s which needs a bump; we’re 25th now at 34.3%. We were still below our 30.7 attempted 3s per game, and just below our efficiency, so this continues to be an issue. We made 7-21 for 33.3% but were down 18 points as they made 13-27 for 48.1%. So both O and D sides of the 3s are aspects we need to keep working on. Four of our 3s-taking starters had good chances, especially our back court of Malaki and JRich who combined for nine of 13 attempts. Pop played everyone we had available, and every bench player made at least one attempt from the arc. The starters were 5-13; bench players, 2-8.

As far as contesting arc shots, it’s a work in progress in terms of consistent, assertive, proper arms up running out at the shooting hip attempts. We at times did these jab steps in front of shooters leaving too much space, perhaps to avoid getting beaten by a fake and blow by drive, but we have help D behind us for that. At times we got over screens well but were called for fouls because we were in a shooter’s breathing space. It comes with the territory of superstar calls, frustrating as it is.

Speaking of fouls OOF, another big disparity: 14-15FTs for us to their 32-41FTs. Despite their missing a sizeable number, they made more than double our attempts. They rank 5th in FT attempt rate whereas we rank 29th and the results bore that out in this game. They rank 3rd in percentage of points from FT’s whereas we rank 29th and the results bore that out in this game as well.

Frankly, our opponent has two FT-garnering specialists so we must try to mitigate their chances as much as we can. For instance, making sure we don’t reach in to avoid a swing through even if these are no longer called as shooting fouls is something to be disciplined about. As to their behemoth C, we did well in post angles, as Sean pointed out, to force spins counter clockwise at which point we threw in timely doubles to sneak and try for strips or prevent easy passes. It’s easy to say be more physical, but really he’s one of, if not the biggest, player in the league. But our physicality needs to extend to assertive fights over screens, to drivers, to boxing out. In this game and in some others, we were perhaps too respectful. Looking at Barlow’s effort and effectiveness especially relative to his size, for example, is a good barometer for what we want to see.

In addition to 3s and FT’s disparity, our old bad TO pattern once again reared its head for a second consecutive game, and our 18TOs (11 from opponent steals) cost us 26 points; we were -9 on points off of them. We still tend to turn the ball over right after we force a TO and so focus and ball protection in those instances is something to clean up. We need to take better advantage of and reward ourselves for the good defensive plays we do make.

Keldon’s been getting a lot of flack in his play on both ends of late. He got cooked by bigger players at SF defense in this game. Thinking back to the bubble, I still marvel how we utilized him as small ball PF. But it’s only fair to give him his due when he does things well. Full credit to him, then, that on O Keldon did a much better job looking for his team mates. It stood out well that he made extra passes, that when caught in the key he didn’t keep barreling through multiple defenders but instead looked around actively and was more aware of his team mates, more patiently scanned his options, and passed it out to maintain possession. Trust and poise are big improvements. He finished with 18 on 5-11, 0-2 from 3, and team high 8-8FTs as well as 3 boards (1 on O), 3 assists, 1 steal. He was terrific with his more controlled physicality and imposing his will. AND he drove left! Pepper in more of that, please! He provides both a bulldog presence and mentality that energizes the team and we need that.

Keldon does need to work on moving off ball on D and O. It looks like it’s tough for him to get his body moving sideways, with arms out on D in particular, and with angles around multiple screens on O. He’s like a locomotive with a big initial push to get momentum; those first movements have to get a lot of thick bulk moving and it’s slower to start. Maybe more compact footwork and body motion could help. He practices boxing in the off-season and that footwork shows more on O when he drives or comes to get the ball. But he tends to be flat-footed at times or take more plodding steps on D so being ready to react with foot and leg stances will serve him well. I saw Lonnie doing sand shuffles and sprints in an off-season workout video. I wonder whether or how many guys do sand and water running. For all we know Keldon may do it as well. But I’ve also seen videos of Pop with more nimble footwork and quick leg movement so really there’s no reason for any of his players to not at least match the effort and execution.

It’s no surprise that our two rookies have a lot of room for defensive growth both in reads and responses. Sometimes it’s the giving up of shots too easily without bothering to contest, sometimes it’s ball watching and getting absolutely turned over by a cut or a blow by drive. I do like that after they get schooled on D they push right back to try to score, and I do like that we’re keeping them in while they – and we as a team – are going through the growing pains.

But on O Malaki was all kinds of poised and impressive. He once again reached a career high for a second consecutive game, leading us with 26 on 11-16, 2-5 from 3, 2-2FT’s as well as 2 boards, 2 assists, and 1 steal. Layups with adjustments like higher shots off the glass versus taller defenders, hesitations and drives to get defenders off balance, floaters, pull ups, catch and shoot attempts showed a variety of shot creation and decisiveness with the ball. He has a quick, compact shot that requires little movement which is advantageous and dangerous. Loved the drive and dish, too, good sign. If anything, looking for and involving team mates more is an important next evolving step.

Blake was a more solid 4-7, 1-1 from 3 for 9 points and 2 assists. Blur Blake with changes of speed and a lightening quick first step were fun to see. He’s got a high motor, is always aggressive, and provides an extra dimension to our game.

Jakob had a terrific outlook in the post-game interview about how we balance the big picture goals of the season with the results along the way. He’s always been even keeled, but he’s matured in terms of his own career and his role on the team as one of the vet leaders. It does seem as if he’s picking his spots defensively the last several games or so. He sags on Js in the paint rather than getting a hand up to contest and the lack of effort in terms of running out with a hand up at shooters is puzzling. He’s still a very good rim protector, great screener, passer, and roller, as well as O board cleaner. So maybe he’s being under-appreciated once again. But then again, he got the starting job over LMA, his game has grown, and if he’s going to be asking for what’s reported in UFA, frankly he has to be doing all those things.

And oh look he seemingly casually, unassumingly got another double double with 16 points on a stellar 8-11, team high 10 boards (team high 3 on O), and second highest 5 assists. For a guy who ranks 8th in usage among active regular rotation players, one who doesn’t spread the floor, and whose FT rate, though improving at 59.2%, still ranks third from the bottom on our team (yes there are two players with a worse FT%!) the double doubles he gets as well as the assists are crucial for both our two-way play as well as our movement to say nothing of his defensive importance.

All five starters scored in double figures, showing our movement and ball sharing foundations working even versus top teams already. JRich filled in for Devin and chipped in 10 on 4-9, 2-4 from 3, 1 rebound, and led us with 7 assists, and tied for team high2 steals. Vet presence has been a stabilizing force for us all season long and he’s been steady on and off the court. Diop filled in for Sochan and scored 13 on efficient 6-8, 1-2 from 3, 5 boards (2 on O), 1 assist, and 2 steals. His length was once again sneaky and disruptive on D. Someone who plays little to no minutes yet is ready whenever called upon without complaint and steps up admirably on both ends is valuable to have on a team.

Stanley led our bench in minutes and points with 13 on 5-7, 1-1 from 3, 2-2FTs, 2 boards (1 on O), bench high 4 assists, and 1 steal. Collins led the bench with 7 boards, (1 on O), and added 3 assists as well as 9 points on 2-6, 0-2 from 3, 1-2 from 2. He’s been doing a good job getting to the FT line for us and is 5th in attempts per game (2.1) for us which speaks to his assertiveness and making the most of his minutes (9th on the team at 20.3). He averages 73.9% so it’s something to improve. It’s one of the lowest averages of his career, well off his 80% career high last season. But he has a bigger role and is doing more overall for us so there’s still time and precedence for improvement.

Our bench as a whole stood out well even though it was outscored 67-40. Their effort brought a 23-point deficit down to 10 in the 4TH, forcing opposing starters back in.

If we were going down, we were going down swinging big, and that’s exactly the type of hustle and heart we want our young guys to experience and grow from.

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NOTEWORTHY ACHIEVEMENTS

Coming soon...

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POST-GAME INTERVIEWS

Coming soon...