San Antonio Spurs Weekly: Rotation Updates And A Josh Howard Appearance

It’s been a long summer, but the Spurs will finally begin their road to redemption season finally starts again next week. On Wednesday, their opening tipoff will be against the Memphis Grizzlies in San Antonio, followed by the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center on Friday. The last two preseason games have gone fairly similar to what we’ve seen before the games took place.

Patty Mills has taken advantage of all the time he’s given to show his worth as a backup point guard. (NBA.com photo)

Spurs vs. Orlando Magic – Win (123-101)

If Patty Mills hasn’t won the backup point guard position with his play so far in the preseason, I’m not sure what else he has to do. In 23 minutes, Mills posted 22 points and five steals while his main competitor Cory Joseph only had four points and four assists in 25 minutes. The other standouts include Kawhi Leonard with 19 points and five rebounds and Marco Belinelli with 16 points.

Spurs vs. Houston Rockets – Loss (109-92)

Aron Baynes is also doing a good job of solidifying his spot as a fourth big man on the team, with 16 points and six rebounds against Houston. It was his first game against Dwight Howard since he was ejected in his last game as a Laker in the first round of the playoffs last season. Jeff Ayres had a decent outing with eight points and four rebounds, but clearly not enough to grab the spotlight before Baynes.

From San Antonio to Austin

After the Spurs waived all their training camp invitees in order to keep the 15 roster spot open, they signed forward Josh Howard on Friday for what seemed to be a tryout for the backup job to Kawhi Leonard. However, his next stop as a basketball player will be with the Austin Toros of the D-League.

His time as a Spur ended in less than 24 hours, but the Spurs will be monitoring his progress in Austin in case they see potential in him as a real backup small forward option. Last year, Howard averaged 6.7 points and 3.3 rebounds in 18.8 minutes per game, but could only do so in 11 games. He spent last season with the Minnesota Timberwolves, but suffered a torn ACL early into the year and has been going through rehabilitation ever since.

The Spurs Should Stick to Their Night Job

The new set of H-E-B commercials have been released, featuring Kawhi Leonard actually speaking and showing some emotion. They’re definitely worth the watch.

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