What has been the biggest silver lining in this stretch without Wembanyama and Castle?
Marilyn Dubinski: Beyond the fact that they’re still winning games, it has to be De’Aaron Fox getting a chance to establish himself as the on-ball handler and leader (which he did not get to do much in his 17 games last season since he was starting next to Chris Paul). Of course, he will still need to work on building that same chemistry with Wemby and Castle when they return, but with his role now established, he should help take some of the burden off of their shoulders and maybe even open things up for Wemby more now that teams can’t just double and triple-team him with little consequence.
Devon Birdsong: I love to see Fox showing Spurs fans his value after some grumbling at the end of last season and the start of this one, but I’m actually going to go with the way that the team has been gelling lately. It’s a bit of a cliche, but you can’t buy or force chemistry, and while these players have always seemed like a good fit together, they’re finally starting to really play like it; relying on each other and each rising to the occasion when it calls for it. Adding Victor back will take a little adjustment, but his absence has forced this team to play cohesive basketball without being able to rely on him to bail them out, and I think that’s critical.
Jeje Gomez: The offense looking as good as it did for stretches was a pleasant surprise. Removing the two players with the highest usage could have resulted in the rest of the team having to step out of their comfort zone and take on bigger roles than they are suited for, but it didn’t happen. Fox and Vassell looked comfortable as the top scoring options, the bench stepped up, and a more equal opportunity offense was even fun to watch. With everyone healthy, the Spurs will go back to a Wemby-centric offense, which makes sense, but it’s good to know they can thrive while playing other styles.
J.R. Wilco: By far, the biggest silver lining is the team making it abundantly clear that they don’t need Wemby to score points. The defense is different, of course. We know that the Spurs D is not ready for prime time any game the once and future DPOY is in street clothes. But the way the team has put points on the board without their MVP has two main benefits. First, it takes pressure off Wemby to be All Everything at all times and on both sides of the court. Second, it means that when teams stack their entire defense to stop Wemby, the team doesn’t have to try to force feed him any more. The worst section of the season so far hasn’t been waiting for a French calf strain to heal, it was the games after Phoenix showed the league a blueprint for how to stymie San Antonio. Hopefully those days are past and, just like Golden State used to do when teams paid Curry too much attention, the Spurs will gladly play 4 on 3 when the opponent dedicates extra defenders to guard Victor’s airspace.
Who do you see losing minutes or having their role decrease the most once the Spurs are at full health?
Dubinski: Obviously Julian Champagnie and Luke Kornet will move back to the bench, so there will be some minutes reduction there, but the biggest change as a result will be the current bench unit. It seems like Kelly Olynyk has mostly been a “break glass in case of emergency” back-up even with Wemby out, but the biggest questions all seem to center around Jeremy Sochan, who has found most of his minutes at backup center with Kornet starting. As a Sochan stan, I’m getting more and more concerned about his potential future with the team if he can’t establish himself in the rotation as a back-up forward and play next to Kornet more. I’m getting nervous for him.
Birdsong: I think Sochan is most likely to suffer based on how his minutes have panned out this season. I just do not see how he’s going to be able to pry his way into more minutes without progressing offensively. That being said, the Spurs have three stud guards in Castle, Fox, and Harper, and they’re all going to be getting time on the court. I just don’t see Sochan getting minutes that could go to any of them unless it’s situational. He’s having such an odd season, and his fit is starting to become questionable. It’s a bit concerning.
Gomez: Sochan has been losing ground even with others out, so he could be completely out of the rotation when everyone is back. But among high-minute players, Devin Vassell might be affected the most. When he’s shared the court with Stephon Castle, he’s scored less, had a role player’s usage, and has even been less efficient. The team has done well with those two on the floor, so it’s not a major issue, but Vassell’s individual numbers might take a hit as he moves to a smaller role on both offense and defense.
Wilco: For me, there’s a three-headed answer to this question: Sochan, Olynyk, and Vassell. Jeremy, even though he’s hitting his threes, can’t seem to stay on the court. Kelly, even though he stretches the floor and keeps the ball movement whirring, seems to be at the bottom of Mitch’s rotation. And Devin just won’t keep seeing the number of touches he’s had while playing shorthanded.
The Spurs currently have the 16th-best defensive rating in the league. How much do you expect them to climb up the rankings when they get healthy?
Dubinski: I expect them to get back into the top 10 at worst. The mere presence of Wemby is a deterrent on its own, with teams not even attempting shots in the paint when he’s there. Still, the Wemby deterrent means more teams are looking for their three-point shooters, and the Spurs know they have to improve in defending in that area. Let Wemby do his job down low and don’t leave shooters to double-team or lose sight of your rotation. Ending the issue of open three-pointers against the Spurs will be the final step to take this team to contention.
Birdsong: I mean, the difference between #15 and #2 is pretty narrow, so they could still end the season in the top 5, but that perimeter has been pretty darn leaky so far. If they can’t find a way to get Sochan on the court, I think they’re going to have to make a move at the deadline to play up to their full defensive potential. Still, they’ll be a top 10 defense with Victor back in the fold. That power-forward role is something they’re going to have to shore up at the deadline or the offseason, though.
Gomez: They have the personnel to be a top five defense when everyone’s healthy. Just having Wemby around should be enough to get them close to it. The two issues are that they have been both unlucky in terms of opponent three-point shooting, but also terrible at defending the arc at times, and that they don’t have a second high-level point of attack defender if Sochan is out of the rotation. Both problems are solvable mostly through discipline, the first at the team level and the second with Castle not getting himself in foul trouble. If they can improve on those areas, they should be elite defensively.
Wilco: I see the Spurs in the top five when Vic plays. If the whole team is healthy, the sky’s the limit. San Antonio has far too many threats to wreak havoc on an offense while Wemby locks down the paint. As much as I’m excited for more insane offense out of #1, it’s really the return of a top tier defense that I’m most anticipating.