With the way the San Antonio Spurs annihilated the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals this past season, teams are looking to emulate how they run their organization. Some things the Spurs do may seem a little outlandish but when they result in winning the franchise’s fifth championship, teams will start to take notice, if they haven’t already.
Gregg Popovich is widely regarded as the best coach in the game and as long as he’s coaching, you can pencil the Spurs in for a minimum of 50 wins a season, if not a more realistic 55. This may change with the Tim Duncan era most likely coming to an end in a season or two though. Popovich has a deep understanding of the little things in the game and after gaining the respect of the organization, he’s earned the right to be bold enough to implement his unorthodox ways.
They understand the value of the coveted “three and D” players that have become so valuable. One thing the Spurs do is work very hard to find that diamond in the rough that every other team seems to overlook. Danny Green is the epitome of this type of player and he was one of the most valuable players for the Spurs the past couple seasons.
The Spurs make sure that every player buys in to their system and plays defense. Popovich molded Green into a player that would play hard on the defensive end while also being an amazing shooter. Many people forget that Green had stints in the D-League and was almost out of the NBA before the Spurs resurrected his career. He broke the record for threes in an NBA Finals with a ridiculous 27 threes, shattering the record previously held by future Hall of Famer Ray Allen.
Stan Van Gundy has taken notice and wants to implement aspects of the Spurs’ system with the Pistons this upcoming season. Many teams will start to do the same thing as well.
It may sound ridiculous but Green is very similar to Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors and may not be much worse than the “other Splash brother.” The difference is their paths to stardom and that Thompson will demand a max contract soon, something Green won’t be able to do as the fourth or fifth option on a championship contender with established superstars. Thompson doesn’t do much besides shooting well and is a one-dimensional player benefitting from playing on a very good team, although he has become a very good defender. Per 36 minutes, Green and Thompson have comparable numbers.
| Player | From | To | G | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | 2P% | FT | FTA | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Danny Green | 2010 | 2014 | 242 | 4.9 | 11.1 | .441 | 2.7 | 6.5 | .421 | .468 | 1.3 | 1.6 | .806 | 4.7 | 2.2 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 13.8 |
| Klay Thompson | 2012 | 2014 | 229 | 6.7 | 15.5 | .435 | 2.6 | 6.5 | .410 | .453 | 1.7 | 2.1 | .827 | 3.5 | 2.4 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 17.8 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 10/20/2014.
Another thing the Spurs have done is hire Italian coach Ettore Messina and former WNBA player Becky Hammon as assistant coaches this past offseason, opening the door for other teams to broaden their search for intelligent basketball minds. The Spurs have embraced the European style of play and infused it into their team’s system. They’ve been among the league leaders in passes, assists and have a system that relies on ball movement and player movement which the Miami Heat had no answer for.
This past season, Popovich did something unprecedented in the NBA. He played all his players under 30 minutes per game and redefined what team basketball is. Instead of having a team with one or two players who carry the load and play 35 to 40 minutes a game, the Spurs added players like Boris Diaw, Patrick Mills, Danny Green, Marco Belinelli and others to hold down the fort while their aging stars took much needed days off and allowed them to play fewer minutes. Aron Baynes is also another player who may not play nearly as many minutes on other teams and absorbed many of Duncan’s minutes while allowing him to rest throughout the season.
Other teams have passed on many valuable pieces on the Spurs and it’s amazing to see how underrated players thrive in their system. Popovich constantly tinkers with lineups to see what works with players who might otherwise never see action on a contending team.
The Spurs think outside the box and and are willing to take risks many other teams wouldn’t take. It’ll be interesting to what they do this upcoming season.