Moral victories are much better when an actual victory comes along with it. A day after blowing a 26-point lead to the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday afternoon, it looked like the San Antonio Spurs may be heading
for another blown 20+ point lead against the Toronto Raptors. The Silver and Black were able to pull it together thanks to some veteran shot-making in the fourth to extend their lead back up to 20 and come away with the team’s fourth-straight victory.
It’s not often you see a team correct its mistakes immediately after making them. Similar issues plagued the Spurs in their back-to-back contests. When both opponents ratcheted up the pressure, turnovers led to empty possessions and easy buckets for them on the other end. San Antonio was able to pull itself together, handle the pressure, and find the veteran wing Harrison Barnes for some clutch baskets down the stretch to win 121-103. The Spurs’ 4-0 start is their best since the 2017-2018 season.
It hasn’t been the prettiest four wins, but it’s hard to argue that the start of the season could go much better. The young team has faced adversity and stacked important wins in a loaded Western Conference. All of this has happened without their All-Star point guard, De’Aaron Fox, and a depleted bench. These are tough wins, but the real test is still to come. The Spurs have yet to square off against the league’s best. It’s nice that they can pull out wins against lesser NBA teams despite crucial mistakes late in games – the same couldn’t be said in the last two seasons.
Monday was a sign that the team is learning how to win, and actually winning. San Antonio needs most of their full roster back healthy. They desperately need a backup center like Luke Kornet or Kelly Olynyk to get back on the court, and Fox’s return should, in theory, sure up the late-game turnover issues. Those players should be back in the coming week or so. In the meantime, the Spurs will have to face another aggressive Eastern Conference foe in the Miami Heat on Thursday night.
Takeways:
- Stephon Castle is not a point guard. Not in the traditional sense of the word, anyway. That’s okay, he’s still an awesome player. I’ve always thought of Castle as more of a combo-guard, smaller wing who can handle the ball and get downhill. He is one of the few Spurs who can get to the basket almost any time he wants. That was evident in his 22-point performance on Monday. Those 5 turnovers were not great, and a lot of them came at a crucial time when the Raptors were surging. Castle’s ideal role is someone who can play as a rim-pressuring, cutting off-guard, or wing who guards the opponent’s primary scoring option. He’s done well enough stepping into the primary initiator position through the first four games, but I think he’ll find even more success when he’s able to play next to Fox.
- Welcome back, Mr. 100%. Barnes caught fire at a crucial time for the Spurs. He finished the game with 18 points and only one missed shot (okay, so not 100%, Sean Elliott.) The veteran wing got San Antonio back on track and flipped the momentum of the game completely in the fourth quarter. It’s the first game this season where the veteran’s presence was truly felt. That shooting ability and poise are exactly what the team needs from him.
- There is a reason Bismack Biyombo is the 4th big man on the roster. The drop off from Victor Wembanyama to Biyombo was even more stark than the past big man substitutions the Spurs have made. The Raptors picked on him in the pick-and-roll every chance they got on Monday night and found a lot of success doing so. Mitch Johnson went to a no-big lineup in the fourth quarter because it had gotten so bad. This is where having Kornet, Olynyk, or even Jeremy Sochan would help tremendously.
- It’s impossible to be unimpressed with Dylan Harper. He’s already so good, and he’s only 19 years old. His finishing ability and floor vision are already better than most of the roster. His jumper looks much better than it did in college. His defense is improving. He forced things a bit tonight, but that’s normal for a rookie. Once he gets more NBA experience, he’s going to be a scary player.
- Speaking of scary, Wembanyama continues to put up ho-hum monster numbers. He had 24 points and 15 rebounds, knocking down all 10 of his free throws and missing one total shot in the game. He was a whopping +35 on the night. It feels like Wembanyama can score whenever he wants to. The only way to stop him is to throw a double at him, which teams are doing earlier and earlier when he catches the ball. He’ll face a tough test on Thursday night when Bam Adebayo and Kel’lel Ware come to town.
