As The Spurs Turn

The passing of the torch is coming all too soon for the San Antonio Spurs–and in an interesting way.

The San Antonio Spurs kept their perfect home record intact with a win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night. While the team continues to execute The Spurs Way (e.g., team ball over hero ball), I’ve noticed an interesting pattern.

LaMarcus Aldridge plays better when Tim Duncan is not on the floor.

This may be a case of still deferring, albeit unconsciously, to the team’s captain, longtime franchise player, future Hall of Famer, and arguably one of the best power forwards to ever grace the NBA. Whatever the reason, Aldridge seems to struggle when Duncan is paired with him in the low post, despite moments of high-low brilliance like this:

He struggles to make shots. He looks confused on offense, and sometimes unsure of where he should be on the floor. The regular season is almost over; for all of head coach Gregg Popovich’s praise regarding Aldridge’s acclimation to the Spurs system, we should not be seeing this level of uncertainty at this point.

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I’m not alone in my observation. Aldridge and Duncan post a plus-5.6 rating when they are on the floor together. Not bad, but Aldridge/Kawhi Leonard is a plus-6.3 and Leonard/Duncan is a whopping plus-7.3.

During the recent game against the Thunder, there was even mention of a negative net rating when those two played together, but I can’t find the stat (if someone finds the tweet, holla at me).

Meanwhile, the Leonard/Aldridge pairing is getting better with each game (more or less):

This is not the first time that I’ve noticed that Aldridge plays freer when Duncan isn’t around. In the Spurs’ first game against the sub-.500 Orlando Magic, Duncan still sat out and Aldridge dropped 28 points.  In the last game before the All-Star break, Duncan was finally allowed to play in the second game of a back-to-back after missing eight games for right knee soreness.

This game, the second of the Spurs’ annual Rodeo Road Trip, was against the sub-.500 Orlando Magic. What followed was … interesting.

First, Tony Parker joined Manu Ginobili on the injured list. A rolled ankle sustained during the previous night’s game against the Miami Heat encouraged Popovich to give Parker the night off, despite his protests.

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Second, the Spurs completely let the Magic have their way in the paint. Both teams were shooting around 40 percent as they entered the fourth quarter and were otherwise even on turnovers, fouls, and bench points.

Third, Aldridge struggled early but managed to score 21 points in a win over the Magic while Duncan was lauded for his much-missed defensive and psychological presence.

Perhaps this was a result of the pre-All-Star break cruise control that Popovich alluded to. Or perhaps it lends to a bigger issue.

I have said it before: Duncan may be better serving the team in a quasi-coaching capacity. He is still a force to be reckoned with around the rim and that particular skill is still sorely needed as the playoffs approach. He still has that competitive fire and needs the game; it’s like oxygen to him. Not to mention, the Spurs aren’t paying him $5 million to ride the pine.

Yet and still, he remains in a self-admitted time of transition.

Going forward, though, his role may need to be transitioned more clearly. And it may need to transition off the court.

What I have seen since the Spurs-Magic game is not just player-specific. Whenever Duncan is  on the floor,the team tends to play in a manner that is tantamount to kids having to act right once their parent(s) get home. When he’s on the bench, players seem to get looser.

The Spurs were 8-0 with Duncan sitting and while his presence was sorely missed, one has to look at those stats and ponder some things.

Hear me: I am in no way advocating that it’s time for Duncan to hang ’em up. He still gets it done better than some players for whom he is literally old enough to be their father and without him, the Spurs face a much tougher to the Finals, let along snagging a sixth ring. He is still a joy to watch; to paraphrase the poet Nikki Giovanni: he’s so hip, even his errors are correct.

However, the alpha/beta dog dynamic between Aldridge and Duncan could cause more immediate problems over the next month. Aldridge needs to step up, as his teammates have implored him to do, no matter who’s on the floor.

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“From my perspective, I think they should be more aggressive, and make us adjust around them. I tell them, ‘Be aggressive, go make your move, and we’ll adjust to you guys’ games.’ But that’s just them.” — Danny Green, shooting guard, San Antonio Spurs

As reported by Sam Amick of USA Today Sports, Danny Green commented, “From my perspective, I think they should be more aggressive, and make us adjust around them. I tell them, ‘Be aggressive, go make your move, and we’ll adjust to you guys’ games.’ But that’s just them.”

Duncan is going to remain in the starting lineup and throughout each quarter as his health and resting schedule allows, and it is still his team in spirit until he says otherwise. Aldridge is going to have to assert himself if the Spurs are to continue to be a threat in the league.