“Be disciplined to be disciplined to like and embrace the boring.”
Those words echoed throughout basketball cyberspace after the San Antonio Spurs dismantled the Dallas Mavericks on opening night. Flash
forward a few weeks, and it doesn’t seem like Mitch Johnson’s words have necessarily stuck with his young team.
The Spurs beat themselves on Wednesday night in a 118-116 loss to the shorthanded Los Angeles Lakers. It’s the second straight loss where they weren’t the aggressors, made silly mistakes, and looked nothing like the team that started the season 5-0.
There were times when San Antonio looked more like the team from two years ago that won 22 games, rather than a team that proclaimed they were ready to win in a playoff-esque celebration after their fifth straight victory. Maybe it’s youth. Perhaps it’s key players missing games with injuries. Maybe it’s hubris. Whatever it is, it won’t get the job done.
The silly mistakes piled up for the Spurs on Wednesday night. They made sloppy inbound passes that got swiped away. They committed turnovers before clearing the ball after a defensive rebound. They allowed offensive rebounds off free throws and long misses. They allowed players to split double teams under the basket. They committed a back-court violation (this one was tough to avoid, to be fair). They missed crucial free throws. They committed silly fouls before the ball even crossed half-court, falling for Marcus Smart’s foul-baiting.
It didn’t look like a very disciplined team. And yet, they still found a way to stay in the game against the Lakers. Imagine what the team could accomplish if they just minimized these avoidable mistakes. This is still a talented team, but it seems like they need a bit of a wake-up call and a few adjustments. Maybe a 0-2 West Coast road trip will be enough to make that happen.
Takeaways:
- How many fouls are enough? How does 66 sound to you? This wasn’t a very physical game, either. There were so many soft fouls called on both teams Wednesday night. San Antonio had three players foul out, and Los Angeles had three players with five fouls. The result was a free-throw fest disguised as a basketball game. The Spurs and Lakers combined to shoot 84 free throws. The Lakers made 34 and the Spurs made 31. San Antonio lost by 2.
- Victor Wembanyama has not adjusted to the new way defenses are guarding him. They are sending doubles before he even touches the ball, and playing very physically with him all night. He had his second sub-par game in a row, finishing with 19 points, 8 rebounds, and a block before fouling out in the fourth quarter. If Wembanyama really is a top-5 player in the league, he’s got to figure this out. Not only does he need to figure out how to overcome the challenge, but the coaching staff and his teammates need to find ways to put him in advantageous situations.
- Stephon Castle was the biggest turnover perpetrator on Wednesday. He had 6 of the Spurs’ 19 turnovers. He also had 8 assists and 16 points. He led the Spurs on the run that built them a 12-point lead in the third quarter. He’s still an awesome young player, but he’s been miscast as a lead guard. It felt as if the Spurs just had Dylan Harper to alleviate the ball-handling load; Wednesday’s result might have been different. Castle will thrive as a secondary creator who can crush teams on stampede cuts or weakside drives after the ball swings to him. We’ll likely get to see that in action somewhat soon when De’Aaron Fox returns.
- The Spurs have some glaring roster holes that should be filled when players return from injury. They need a steady hand as the lead initiator. Fox will provide that and give them another offensive engine to draw teams away from Wemby. Maybe even more desperately, they need a big man who can protect the rim when Wembanyama sits. Kelly Olynyk is a solid stretch big, but he’s never been a rim protector. Luke Kornet was practicing this week, so he should be back soon.
- Minus fouling out, Jeremy Sochan’s return was about as good as it could have been. He had 16 points and only missed one shot. His cutting, defense, and effort were needed on both ends. He knocked down a wide-open corner three, showing off his improved jump shot form. There were questions about how he’ll fit in with the team upon return. Wednesday night’s performance should quell some of those concerns.
