San Antonio Spurs: How Bryce Cotton Can Be An Impact Rookie
By Cody Daniel
San Antonio Spurs’ rookie Bryce Cotton doesn’t have the name that holds weight throughout the media, nor does he possess the style that leaves companies begging for his name to represent their product. But what Cotton does have is a style that is meant for Gregg Popovich’s system and his knack for transforming guys who normally wouldn’t be on their opponent’s game plan into key contributors in championship teams.
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Unfortunately for Cotton, from a playing time standpoint his first season in the NBA comes on a loaded and very well-coached Spurs’ squad looking towards a very realistic opportunity to make the NBA Finals for the third straight season, and more notably, hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy in back-to-back seasons.
His inaugural season will be one that will come as a complete responsibility shock to Cotton. He will have to adjust from being the go-to star player at Providence to assuming a seat near the very end of the Spurs’ bench.
But there is still a key job waiting for Cotton in 2014-15, even if it’s not the one that gets the glamour shot those players long for once they become a professional athlete.
His primary role to start the season is going to be cheering on the veterans while they build up leads and if he’s lucky, Cotton will be able to come in and get some cleanup minutes after guys like Patrick Mills and Cory Joseph see their fair share of time on the court.
As the season progresses and injuries become more likely, Cotton should see an increase in minutes with Popovich routinely resting the old guys and saving them for his annual playoff run. But as seen with last season, even the Millses and Josephs of the world need a break and this is where Cotton will earn his keep as a rookie.
Although we probably won’t get to see much of it until the season matures a bit and Cotton can prove he deserves some minutes, once he gets his shot, he will show off the explosive scoring and competitive nature that made him a college star.
Once given the opportunity, Cotton can come in as the tenth or eleventh man off the bench – which can and will happen because Pop does go that deep into his rotation – where he will prove to be a very valuable scoring option as the season continues.
Not valuable as in coming in and averaging anything close to his 21.8 points per game numbers from his college days, but valuable in the sense that he has the scoring ability and understanding of how to run the show as a facilitator to come in and help maintain whatever lead Tony Parker leaves him with.
If he plays up to his potential, he should see plenty of opportunities to give relief to the vets and prove to Popovich he deserves to be kept around for a while. Of course, Popovich doesn’t have a system where Cotton could become a starter, or even primary rotation asset as a rookie, but throughout the course of an 82-game season, along with the postseason, his role off the bench could be one that doesn’t show up in the stats sheets if the key backcourt contributors can be well rested due to his relief minutes.
Additionally, playing under one of the NBA’s elite point guards and being coached by a guy who many believe to be the best coach in the game right now could prove to help catapult Cotton’s career to new heights that would have been impossible elsewhere.