Spurs Season Preview 2021-2022 Episode 1 Show Notes The MiB TWiB

 Today-  Week 1, it all begins anew... The Man In Black This Week In Basketball Season Preview for the 2021-2022 San Antonio Spurs 

Going into the summer, there were many questions as to which direction Pop and The Front Office  [PATFO] was going to go. Were they going to stick with the re-tool option by keeping the vet trio of DeMar DeRozan, Rudy Gay, and Patty Mills around, or were they going to go Full Rebuild and embrace the youth movement? We got our answer when DeMar DeRozan was traded and both Patty Mills and Rudy Gay signed with other teams. Those 3 guys opted for championship aspirations elsewhere and then the Spurs used their Salary Cap space to get back some good pieces to build with while at the same time, retaining salary cap flexibility for next season.

If you have paid attention to Spurs Social Media then we shouldn't have to rehash the trades, signings, and waivers but, In Case You Missed It, the Spurs said, “Sayonara” to DeMar DeRozan, Rudy Gay, Patty Mills, Quinndary Weatherspoon, and Luka Samanic. Samanic was a surprise, late camp cut, and then signed with the Knicks G-League Team as a 2-Way Player. Yes, he was selected with Pick 19 in 2019 but remember, that same season, with the 29th pick, the team selected Keldon Johnson. I have shown in the past that there are lots of NBA GMs who have missed on picks in the lottery. So, in retrospect, Samanic not with the team, while being a disappointment, it is not a real loss.

In return, the team got sharp-shooting 3 Doug McDermott, Small Ball 4-5 Thaddeus Young, Big 4-5 Aussie Jock Landale, 3 & D 4-3 in Al-Farouq Aminu, and some late draft stock for the future. From this year’s NBA Draft they surprised us with the selection of Combo Guard Josh Primo [Pree-Mo] with the 12th pick, who wasn’t seen as a lottery pick by the bulk of the draft boards, except for the few who actually did the research. The Spurs also selected 2-3 Joe Weiskamp [Wees-Kamp] with the 41st Pick. Wieskamp got a 2-Way Deal with Austin along with final Spurs signee, Devontae Cacok who is a Big 4[Dev-on-tay K-Cok]

To get the Spurs to the NBA roster limit of 15 full-time players plus the 2-2Way Players, by opening day, Al-Farouq Aminu became the final cut and was officially waived.

Throughout the upcoming weeks, we will talk a lot about defined roles and positions. For now, let me lay out the Positions and keep it really simple. There will be some who are new to Basketball and we all know, Fundamentals are really important.
5=Center
3 or 4 =Forward
4, 5 = Forward. Center
2, 3 = Guard, Forward
2 =Shooting Guard
1 =Point Guard
2, 1 =Combo Guard

Here is the team roster at the beginning of the season.

Projected Starting 5
Name, Position, Height, Wingspan, Weight, and Age

At The 5 Jakob Poeltl 5 7-1 7-1 WS 250 lbs. Jakob is a Defensive Big who rim runs, sets screens, and crashes the boards. The team worked with him on extending his range out to 15 feet and he was spotted this summer taking 3’s from the corners.

At The 3, Doug McDermott 3,2 6-8 6-9.25 WS 220 lbs. There’s a reason they call him McBuckets. Doug is expected to shoot lots of 3’s and is surprisingly good when attacking the rim. He has always wanted to play for Pop and during media day, he expressed how happy he is to finally be playing for the Spurs.

At The 1, Dejounte Murray 1 6-4 7-0 WS 180 lbs. Dejounte is a defensive stud who has extended his range and does a good job of setting up his teammates. He wants to lead and now he gets his chance to do so.

At The 4, Keldon Johnson 4,3 6-6 6-9.25 WS 225 lbs. Keldon has worked on all aspects of his game this summer, including being a part of Team USA and winning the Gold Medal in Tokyo. He is expected to take a huge leap forward. Keldon’s enthusiasm is infectious and his effort makes him a crowd favorite.

And finally, at The 2, the last member of the Starting 5, Derrick White 2,1 6-5 6-8 WS 200 When you listen to NBA Radio, the analysts and fans make it seem like Derrick is the Spurs best chance at an All-Star. If healthy, he is the team’s most rounded player on both sides of the court and his range and passing make him a true Triple-Threat player.

Here are the Bench Players Name, Position, Height, Wingspan, Weight, and Age

Playing Backup 2,3 Lonnie Walker IV 2,3 6-6 6-4 6-10 WS 200 lbs. 6th Man Role -Lonnie is working with brand new PATFO member, the legend, Manu Ginobili. If Lonnie can finally gain consistency and draw fouls with his drives to the rim, he is going to eat and often. That Manu role requires a lot of smart decisions. As 6th Man, he will get lots of shots but he has to be able to pass and defend as well. It’s a big year for Lonnie since he and the team did not agree to an extension. Because of that, he’s a Restricted Free Agent. If everything works out, he will stay a Spur and get a significant raise.

Playing Backup 5 Drew Eubanks 5 6-10 6-11 WS 255 lbs. Drew has worked very hard to become a solid backup Center and is extending his range like Jakob.

Playing Backup 4,5 Thaddeus Young 4,5 6-8 6-11.5 WS 235 lbs. Thaddeus is a reliable and savvy vet who is very capable on both sides of the court. He may not finish the season with the team as there are rumors that have him as an attractive trade target. But as a Pro’s Pro, he will play the game the right way.

Playing Backup 2,1 Bryn Forbes 2,1 6-2 6-5 WS 205 lbs. Bryn is a designated 3 Point Ace who will come off the bench and get time on the court. His role is very similar to the one we have seen from Patty Mills for all those years. Having just won a title with the Bucks, Bryn came back to the Spurs to provide culture and carry on the mantle for Coffee Gang.

Playing Backup 3,2 Devin Vassell 2,3 6-7 6-10 WS 200 lbs. Devin is the highest draft pick the Spurs have had since Tim Duncan. A 3 and D perimeter defender, he will be coming off the bench and is expected to play more minutes this season. 

Playing Backup 4,5 Jock Landale 5,4 7-0 7-2 WS 255 lbs. Jock was a refreshing find. EuroLeague contracts with large buyouts have kept him out of the NBA since he graduated from St. Mary’s a few years back. He took a contract to play with his hometown Melbourne, Australia NBL team and became a Grand Final Champion and MVP. A bruising big with range out to the 3 point line and a sneaky array of post moves. Having won a Bronze Medal with Team AUS in Tokyo, Jock showed that he has a good mix of skills and talent. And the Spurs got him as a Free Agent Pickup. Chalk one up for the scouting team.

Playing Backup 5,4 Zach Collins 4,5 7-0 7-1 WS 250 lbs. Zach is a former Lottery pick Big who has been hearing the word potential since he left Gonzaga. When healthy, he has shown an ability to affect the game for his team on both sides of the court. He has range, he has size, but what he hasn’t had is consistent health. The Spurs are taking a chance on him and due to recovery from foot issues, he will not be ready to play until after the Holidays, according to Pop.

Playing Backup 1 Tre Jones 1 6-2 6-5 WS 185 lbs. Tre was given a chance to take on a larger role in Las Vegas Summer League. He showed he is ready to take on a bigger role. Let’s hope he gives us strong minutes while he is on the court.

Playing Backup 3,4 Keita Bates-Diop 3,4 6-8 7-3 WS 230 lbs. Keita has all the physical tools. The Spurs thought enough of his game to invest in more development of him. A roster slot came down to him, Luka Samanic, and Al Farouq-Aminu, and Keita won that final slot.

Playing Backup 2,1 Joshua Primo 2,1 6-6 6-9 WS 190 lbs. Josh was selected with the 12th pick. He was the youngest player in the draft. At Alabama, he was more of a designated shooter but in Pre-draft camp and at Summer League, he shows more as a Combo Guard and since he is so young, he is actually still growing some. While pundits hated the draft pick when selected, lots of them have come around having seen him actually play during summer league. He’s not expected to play a lot in San Antonio but should he show steadiness in his game, he may be leaving Austin sooner than later.

Playing Backup 3,2 Joe Wieskamp 2,3 (Two-Way) SG-SF 6-7 6-11 WS 205 lbs. Joe is a good shooter with great physical tools. He will be playing the bulk of his time in Austin and has lots to room to grow.

Playing Backup 4 Devontae Cacok 4 (Two-Way) 6-8 7-2 WS 240 lbs. Devontae was the last player the Spurs signed and last played for the Lakers G-League Team where he averaged 19 points and 12 rebounds per game as a Small Ball 4 with long arms.

That’s the current roster. So what about this group of players?

I have often said in the past that Pop likes players who have switchability. His teams have always had a Swiss Army Knife aspect to them and this team for the first time in a while, does not have an overreliance on one tool or player. For this team to move forward, the load has to be balanced. And it looks like PATFO made a conscious decision to do that. Looking at Pop's Gold Medal experience in Tokyo makes me look at this team as an Olympic Style Team but in the NBA. I can see lots of positional flexibility and see that as a strength. That style of play favors a Team Game that keeps every player engaged.

From a basketball perspective, I often see on message boards that the Spurs have too many guards or forwards or something like that. I don't see why some fans lock onto a position so hard. It's as if they don't see that players can swing between positions. To some, it seems that the concept of POSITIONLESS BASKETBALL is relatively new. However, some in the NBA have been talking about Positionless Basketball for quite some time. Pop has always marveled at how much ball movement was implemented in EuroLeague and as a tactician willing to steal from anywhere, Pop saw an opening.   

I recall back in 2014, Vivek Ranadive, the Kings owner saying he wanted to follow the Spurs blueprint and go towards a more positionless style of basketball like them. A link to that interview is provided in the show notes. https://www.espn.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/67010/qa-kings-owner-vivek-ranadive

So, it just goes to show that Pop is yet again, way ahead of the curve and has been continuously trendsetting, like always. Those who are perceptive and beyond casual should recognize that. Pop and RC have done a great job of bringing in expertise from all over the basketball globe. Bringing back Manu Ginobili only adds to that International expertise.

I am of the opinion that Pop will try to prove to the NBA that a disciplined team with defined roles, grit, and hustle can still compete even if they don't have any All-NBA players to bank foundation on. It might not be title worthy but perhaps, if Pop can show that the team has solid pieces, and is armed with maximum cap space,  who knows, that might be enough to attract and bring in a 2-Way Star Level player. Let’s hope for the best here since we all know, San Antonio has never been a premium Free Agent Destination.

Week 1 Wednesday to Tuesday, the Spurs schedule has 4 games.
Game 1 tonight is against The Orlando Magic at home within the confines of the ATT Center. We hope to do game night reviews for each game the next day unless the Spurs are playing back to back, if that happens, then we do game night reviews on that open day. Stick with us here and on our Social Media Sites for relevant Spurs information.

The Betting line for the Spurs Over-Under for Games Won is 28.5 I think that there’s enough talent on the court for me to say, bet the OVER. There will be some rough patches but this is what most Spurs fans wanted, a chance for the young guys to take over. It’s their time, let’s see what they can do. If they can grow together successfully, the chance is there for this season to culminate into what I believe, a Play-In Tournament Team with potential for further advancement. Go Spurs Go!