San Antonio Spurs packing more punch for next season than what meets the eye – NBA Feature (Second Part)
Contrary to what other teams are doing, Gregg Popovich has a strong player development programme installed deep into the roots of the San Antonio Spurs, and relies on that to develop players who are unknown and then use them to keep his team balanced and competitive. And over the past two seasons, we have seen the Spurs rely on little known role players who are doing more damage to the opposition than what the naked eye perceives.
Tiago Splitter, Danny Green, Gary Neal, Kawhi Leonard and DeJuan Blair are all young players in the Spurs organization, none having played more than 3 seasons in the NBA, but are among a rising pack of players that are holding the fort down for the Spurs and assisting the team core of Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili in achieving success. Although none of these players are All Star status by themselves at this point, together they form a strong second unit backing up the team core.
Splitter averaged 9.3 points and 5.2 rebounds for the Spurs last season with a field goal percentage of 61.8 percent, playing only 19 minutes per game. Gary Neal averaged 9.9 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists, going 43.6 percent from the field and 41.9 percent from three point range last season. Danny Green averaged 9.1 points and 3.5 rebounds last season while going 44.2 percent from the field and 43.6 percent from the distance. DeJuan Blair averaged 9.5 points and 5.5 rebounds, going 53.4 percent from the field last season. And lastly, Kawhi Leonard, who played in his rookie year last season, averaged 7.9 points and 5.1 rebounds in 24 minutes of action per game. He finished fourth in the NBA rookie of the year voting.
To give a better picture of what the Spurs role players are doing for their team, consider their stats combined. On average, these five players are contributing 45.7 points and 21.4 rebounds per game, while shooting in the high forty or early fifty percent from the field. If the Chicago Bulls bench unit was named “bench mob” last season for their effectiveness, the Spurs role players should be called the “assassins”. And the best part for the Spurs is that they all are young and new in the NBA, and have shown improvement each season which signals that they can become leading players in the league four to five years from now.
Next season, when the Spurs step onto the basketball court, do not count them out because they only have Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker while teams such as the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Brooklyn Nets and Miami Heat are oozing with talent. Remember to include the Spurs young guns in their list of arsenal, because they will be the game changer against the superstar filled teams and might just give them all a run for their money.
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