San Antonio Spurs: A Glimpse Into The Future

The San Antonio Spurs are about to begin the NBA Playoffs, but must now prepare for the future.

As the San Antonio Spurs prepare for their 19th straight postseason appearance, it’s not too early to look toward the future.

For starters, the Spurs have a new owner, of sorts. Julianna Hawn Holt assumed the chairperson and co-CEO mantle of Spurs Sports & Entertainment from her husband, Peter Holt, after 20 years of him manning the helm solo.

While the Holts both own the entity that controls the Spurs; the WNBA San Antonio Stars; NBA D-League affiliate Austin Spurs; USL San Antonio FC soccer team; as well as AHL San Antonio Rampage and the group’s philanthropic arm, Silver and Black Give Back, Mr. Holt was the ownership face for the past two decades.

When he stepped down, there were quick assurances that nothing would change with Mrs. Hawn Holt in charge, and that the Spurs’ legendary excellence would continue.

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Secondly, the years-old “will he or won’t he?” debate will swirl more furiously this summer around team captain and longtime franchise face Tim Duncan and his comrade-in-arms, Manu Ginobili.

While rumors of their playing demises have been greatly exaggerated, the reality is that they are both 39 (Duncan will turn 40 on April 25) and 38 (Ginobili will turn 39 this summer), respectively and while the spirits are willing, the flesh hasn’t gotten the memo (you can look no further than the braces that Duncan is now sporting  on both knees, as proof).

Thirdly, the ballooning salary cap for each team is due to kick in this summer, courtesy of the multi-billion dollar TV deal the NBA negotiated.

Teams will have a lot more money to spend, and the impending free agency class at the end of this season includes gems such as Kevin Durant, Pau Gasol, Chandler Parsons, Dwight Howard, and possibly LeBron James (on the very slim chance that he declines his player option and leaves Cleveland).

All of these events will impact the Spurs in ways that may greatly alter what the franchise has represented for the past 20 years.–but will the impact be positive or negative?

One of the main things to look for is the de-aging of the team. For the past few years, the Spurs have been the butt of league jokes for being “too old,” even when those old men were kicking everyone’s butts.

This was compounded by the additions of veterans David West (age 35), Andre Miller (40), and Kevin Martin (33) to the already-aging Spurs ranks over the course of the season.

(Sidebar: I can’t get enough of this Duncan block of Blake Griffin–while holding off DeAndre Jordan at the same time–during Game 5 of the 2015 first-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers. Old Man Power for the win! )

Despite the Old Guard continuing to get it done, the league continues to evolve. The Spurs’ hallmark style–their more deliberate, big-man dependent pacing–is increasingly at odds with the league’s smaller, faster style in an attempt to remain competitive with the Golden State Warriors and their “Death Squad” lineup.

This was painfully obvious during the three regular-season losses to the Warriors; despite the absence of key players during two of those games (Duncan in their first meeting, and both he and Boris Diaw in their last), the Spurs looked … well … old and confused against the razzle dazzle of Golden State.

The offseason is ripe for roster changes, as West, Miller and 10-year Spurs veteran Matt Bonner will join the retirement conversation. The Spurs are building their future core around reigning Defensive Player of the Year, newly minted All-Star  and new franchise face Kawhi Leonard, along with prized offseason acquisition LaMarcus Aldridge.

Along with Danny Green, they have been dubbed “The Next Three.”  Second-year player Kyle Anderson and rookie Jonathon Simmons are also playing key, younger parts of the New Spurs. Diaw, Green, and Patty Mills continue to provide three-point prowess, defense, and playmaking ability.

Leonard and Aldridge are nearing their primes as players, while Green, Mills, Diaw, and Martin are still young enough to make a significant impact. So is Tony Parker, one-third of the team’s Big Three, who can still take it to the rim when he gets going and remains a key part of the Spurs’ offense.

Boban Marjonovic, a Spurs fan favorite and formidable player in his own right, has gotten more comfortable as the season progressed and made significant strides in his playing ability; it remains to be seen if the Spurs can afford to keep him, as he is in line for a nice payday when the new salary cap begins.

The new team ownership and the impending retirement decisions of one-third of the Spurs roster–along with possible assistant coach vacancies–will have a direct impact on the direction in which the team will go. This will be evident in the upcoming NBA draft and will affect who the Spurs will draft (more on that in a future article).

Hawn Holt will no doubt want to put her personal imprint on the team, as she did the AT&T Center itself, so that will have a direct bearing on the team’s future makeup as well.

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Strap in, folks. It’s going to be an interesting summer.