The Spurs claimed on media day that their main goal is to improve on defense. Here’s how they can accomplish that.
It’s normal for teams to tout a newfound focus on defense during media day. In fact, it’s almost a cliche at this point because it happens so often. The Spurs were not the exception, with several players affirming their individual and collective commitment to defense for the upcoming season, claiming that the team could be “scary” on that end.
Words are cheap, but the Silver and Black need to follow up on their promise. In the Victor Wembanyama era, San Antonio finished in the bottom third in the league in defensive rating every single year. It’s possible to get to the playoffs while struggling to get stops, but it’s not usual. Looking past the short term, the Wemby Spurs should build their identity on the defensive end, and it just hasn’t happened.
If Mitch Johnson wants his first full year to be the one in which San Antonio starts to become a defensive juggernaut, he should prioritize the personnel and schemes that will help facilitate that transition. But finding the right balance between defense and offense won’t be easy.
Managing the suboptimal personnel well could be a challenge for Mitch Johnson
The Spurs have a straightforward problem: they don’t have enough perimeter defenders who can shoot. While Wembanyama and Luke Kornet should be able to anchor the defense inside while providing enough scoring, things get more complicated outside. The best defensive players at the point of attack are Jeremy Sochan and Stephon Castle, assuming reasonable progress on that end from the second-year guard. Both of them were downright ignored when they stood beyond the arc last season. Castle and, to an extent, Sochan can handle the ball, but they are not bona fide creators who can carry an offense as on-ball scorers, either in the way that, say, Ja Morant can.
The key will be figuring out how to stagger them to have a defender on the floor without the floor shrinking too much. Starting Sochan next to Wembanyama while bringing Castle off the bench seems like the easiest way to do it, as Wemby can stretch the floor while Sochan acts as a de facto center on offense and main perimeter defender on the other end. We’ve seen the Spurs do this. The group played too little together for this number to be anything more than a proof of concept, but the Silver and Black with the four-man combination of Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan, Harrison Barnes and Victor Wembanyama had a ludicrously low defensive rating of 98.2 last season, which would have ranked first in the league by a mile. Whether that number will hold with heavier minutes and with Fox around remains to be seen, but it could be worth trying.
The tricky part is to convince Castle to come off the bench. He’s the reigning Rookie of the Year, did well as a starter last season, and has several years left in his contract, while Sochan could enter the season on an expiring contract. Trying to start both and living with the consequences on offense if neither takes a leap as a shooter would fit the defense-first mantra, but it could simply create units that are too imbalanced. Splitting the two as much as possible could be the play, but if Castle makes a leap, it might be hard to pull off without severely reducing Sochan’s minutes. Solving that conundrum is the first step for the Spurs and Johnson.
The Spurs might need to abandon tradition and embrace aggressiveness
Beyond managing suboptimal personnel, Johnson might need to change the way the Spurs have traditionally played defense. San Antonio under Gregg Popovich largely focused on containing ball handlers, forcing bad shots, ideally from the midrange, and securing the board. They weren’t as averse to forcing turnovers and grabbing offensive boards as an ultra-conservative team like the Heat, but they normally prioritized solid fundamentals, avoided fouling, emphasized transition defense, and relied on a drop scheme that didn’t make opponent defenses particularly uncomfortable but was safe. It might be time to change that.
Having Wembanyama and Kornet, two great rim protectors, should free the perimeter defenders to take more risks. Fox has led the league in steals before, and he could be a terror in the passing lanes and pressuring ball handlers, knowing that there’s someone behind him who can cover for him. Devin Vassell upped his steal and block numbers late last season, and if his great anticipatory skills carry over, he could be a disruptor. With a mandate to be more aggressive, others could also up their intensity, even if, as a result, they foul more than they used to. The top two defenses in the league last season, the Thunder and Magic, ranked in the top five in opponent free-throw attempt rate, which shows that sometimes being extra physical pays off in the long run.
Finally, playing two traditional centers, something the Spurs did at times once Tim Duncan transitioned to the position, should be on the table again. Kornet is used to it after sharing the court with Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and even Neemias Queta for short stints in Boston. The spacing shouldn’t be too cramped, thanks to Wembanyama’s range when he’s on the floor with Kornet, but if opponents go small, putting a wing on Wembanyama, the big men should crash the offensive glass. The Rockets, which had a top-five defense last season, owned the paint when they used two center units and punished anyone who dared go small on them, leading the league in offensive rebounding. Houston had a fantastic defensive rating with the Steven Adams – Alperen Sengun duo and survived on offense because of how much they punished opponents in the glass.
The Spurs talked a lot about building an identity on defense on media day this season. It’s clearly something they want to do, and the commitment to getting stops goes a long way on its own. Good defense is not all about effort, but playing with energy is a must.
The big question is whether Johnson will be able to find the right lineups and the right tweaks to turn a roster that might not have the perfect pieces to become a dominant defensive team, especially on the perimeter. With enough conviction and ingenuity, the Spurs should at the very least make enough progress on that end to become competent, which would be a major step in the right direction.
Category: General Sports
