Whoever was concerned about the Spurs having “too much guard talent” can rest assured, it’s not a bad problem to have. Much ado was made about the Spurs giving De’Aaron Fox a max contract extension this summer, which was an expected move when they traded for him last February, but the Spurs lucking into the 2nd overall pick, which turned into Dylan Harper, in the draft had many rethinking that approach, as they already also had reigning Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle to consider.
This led some to believe that there may not be enough minutes to go around, and egos might get in the way for whoever had to come off the bench, but rest assured, this trio is all in on each other.
While it’s only a two-game sample size so far, these three have shown that they can take turns dominating. In their games against the Pelicans and Lakers, Fox has played the role of leader, picking his spots and knowing when the team needed him to step up in big moments while also recognizing when one of his fellow guards is hot. In New Orleans, that was Harper, and last night in Los Angeles, it was Castle, who dominated with 30 points on 10-14 shooting (3-6 from three), 10 rebounds and 6 assists. (He had his usual blemish of 4 turnovers, but the Spurs did such a good job of taking care of the ball with only 10 total that it didn’t hurt them too badly.)
Despite some complaints about the trio sharing similar strengths, especially driving to the basket, that was no problem against a defense as inept as the Lakers’ (naturally with the help of some immaculate screens from Luke Kornet, perhaps his greatest attribute).
And then, whenever things began to look a little dicey, Fox would step up and hit big shot after big shot to suck the energy right back from the Lakers, including during their last ditch effort in the closing minutes. Having someone who is unafraid of big moments and able to calm his teammates in the clutch is something the Spurs have lacked since at least DeMar DeRozan, if not Manu Ginobili. It is so nice not having to worry if the Spurs aren’t ahead by 20 with 7 minutes to go after they became notorious for blowing double-digit leads a couple of seasons ago.
Another big reason for the extremely successful night for the Spurs was the play of the bench. Along with Harper’s contribution of 13 points and 4 assists, Keldon Johnson and Julian Champagnie were both huge. Johnson — who has the added motivation of being able to buy a llama if the Spurs win the Cup — was huge in helping the Spurs pull ahead early with 13 of his 17 points in the first quarter, including 3-3 from three, and 8 rebounds. Champagnie stayed hot throughout, with 16 timely points on 6-8 shooting and 7 rebounds. Overall, the Spurs’ bench outscored the Lakers’ 48 to 31, 26 of which came from Marcus Smart after the Spurs had already built a sizable lead.
Finally, here are the full highlights. The Spurs will take on the daunting task of taking down a 24-1 Oklahoma City Thunder team in Saturday in Las Vegas for the Semifinals, and they might have Victor Wembanyama back (I won’t hold my breath, though). In the meantime, I’ll just enjoy this satisfying victory.