How Rudy Gay makes sense on the San Antonio Spurs

The San Antonio Spurs agreed to sign Rudy Gay to a two-year deal on July 6. Here’s why it makes sense for both parties.

At first glance, Rudy Gay doesn’t exactly seem like the perfect player for the San Antonio Spurs system. He’s been know for years as a midrange shooter who doesn’t facilitate for teammates, doesn’t contribute on defense, and is tough to build around. There is a reason both the Memphis Grizzlies and Toronto Raptors improved their records dramatically after trading Gay.

There were obviously a handful of other factors that led to those teams picking it up after he left, but it’s been theorized that Rudy leaving at the very least didn’t hurt. Gay has only been to the playoffs once, with Memphis in 2012, and his inefficient play was amplified against more focused, intense defensive schemes.

While some of his reputation is deserved, some of it is a little unfair. For starters, before Memphis gained steam as the guaranteed playoff team it has been for the last six seasons, they were mired in a stretch of mediocrity. The team and the front office put a lot of pressure on Rudy to be the savior after he made the NBA All-Rookie team in 2006-07.

In 2013, the Raps weren’t expecting to become better when they traded Gay, and Masai Ujiri has admitted as much. They found great chemistry with the pieces they got for Gay, and Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan found another gear once handed the reins.

Now Rudy finds himself a part of arguably the most well-run organization in the NBA. He’ll have an all-time great coach working with him, not to mention a team coming off of a 61-win season. It’s the best situation he’s been in his whole career, and here are some ideas on how it might work.

Style

Gay has worked over the years to improve his three-point shot, and last year he shot a respectable 37.2 percent from downtown, on almost four attempts per game. Considering he only played in 30 games because of a torn Achilles tendon, it’s hard to take to much pride in that percentage.

More from NBA Free Agency

• 3 NBA teams who’ll be kicking themselves for not upgrading in free agency
• 4 Offseason acquisitions that could push their new NBA team over the top
• Instant Grades for the Lakers’ unprecedented Anthony Davis extension
• 4 NBA stars who demanded a trade that didn’t happen
• NBA Rumors: Chicago pursuing the best remaining free agent

Gay has been a 34.5 percent shooter from deep over his career, which makes him a below-average weapon out there. Maybe with the Spurs’ ball movement he’ll get some more open looks, and therefore shoot a better percentage. He has never shown a proclivity for spot-up shots, but perhaps the Spurs will be able to get him more comfortable with them.

What fans fail to realize is that outside of shooting, Rudy is actually a pretty efficient player. His turnover percentage was 12.8 percent, just about the league average (per Basketball-Reference.com).

Players often have a higher turnover rate if they have a high usage rate, which means that as players handle the ball more, they also hand it over to the other team more frequently. Gay has always been a high-usage player, so it’s impressive that his turnover rate is league average. Furthermore, that number will certainly go lower with the Spurs, as Popovich always gets his guys to stay within themselves, and not try to do too much.

The Kawhi Effect

One thing Rudy will be happy about is that he won’t be expected to carry the offense like he was in Memphis and subsequently, Toronto. That’s because he has this guy to carry the bulk of the load:

That’s Kawhi Leonard, who’s laughing because before getting hurt, he was averaging 27.7 points per game in the playoffs on 52.5 percent field goal shooting. Translation: he’s quite good. Gay has never had an offensive player of Kawhi’s caliber to play off of. If Pop can get Rudy moving without the ball on the baseline, and finishing primarily at the rim, he’ll be a real asset.

Players tend to thrive in the Spurs system, but Gay is an unnatural fit. I don’t want to say that Pop will have to shoehorn him into playing a certain way, but could you ever see Rudy Gay being a part of a system that spawned this video?

(That was only part 1 of 2 by the way, if you wanted to see more basketball magic.)

Granted, the Spurs don’t play exactly like that anymore, but their culture revolves around passing, playing smart basketball, and sacrificing a good shot for a great shot. When Gay was in Toronto, fans could predict with relative certainty when he was going to pull up from the free-throw line, or when he’d heave a pull-up three that had little chance of going in.

The best option for the Spurs might be to have Rudy play the 4 in small lineups, especially against teams like Golden State and Houston, who like to speed up the game. The Warriors ran circles around the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals, showing everyone that Pau Gasol and LaMarcus Aldridge might not make sense as a starting frontcourt in 2017.

Popovich has earned the benefit of the doubt with players who don’t easily fit the system he’s created, and many have found success. Jonathon Simmons and Pau Gasol are great examples from last season to remember, and Gay will find a role with the team. The question is going to be if Pop trusts him late in games, on both ends of the floor.

Salary Matters

Rudy Gay has made $118.6 million playing NBA basketball the past 11 seasons. Let that sink in for a second.

So Spurs fans who might be upset about the acquisition need to remember that, while contracts in the NBA have been getting exceedingly expensive, they actually underpaid for Gay. They got him on a two-year, $17 million deal, with the second year being a player option.

He’s exactly the type of player that has been getting big contracts since the inception of the league. He’s a big-name scorer, and an athletic guy who puts on a show from time to time. Teams love to overpay guys like that who put fans in the seats, but not necessarily wins in the standings.

Conclusion

It remains to be seen if Rudy will fit in on this team, and the Spurs are masters at tinkering their lineup combinations during the season in order to prepare for the playoffs. He’ll have to defend to get minutes on this team, and he’s always been inconsistent on that end.

Next: 2017 NBA free agency tracker - Grades for every deal so far

If Pop can get the most out of Gay, he’ll be a nice supporting piece that isn’t breaking the bank. He’s only 30 years old, and players can still make slight adjustments at that age. If that’s ever going to happen for Gay, it’s going to be with the Spurs.