As the San Antonio Spurs enter their 51st season, here’s a preview of what should be expected for the 2017-18 season.
In the 20 full seasons Gregg Popovich has been head coach of the San Antonio Spurs, he has never had a losing season. In fact, his worst record in those 20 years is 50-32, which is still a .610 season.
In 2017-18, the Western Conference has beefed up but the Spurs should be right near the top of the standings again.
Kawhi Leonard is again the leader of the team who got swept in the conference finals last year by the eventual champions, the Golden State Warriors. We will never know if the Spurs would have won that series if Leonard had not been injured by a stray foot.
So, as every team continues to measure itself against the Warriors, the Spurs will go into the season with the same quiet confidence they do every year. One thing is for sure, they will be elite on defense and this will turn stops into transition points.
Unfortunately, the comments by LaMarcus Aldridge prior to the start of the season about how unhappy he is in the Spurs system may upset the apple cart. According to ESPN‘s Michael C. Wright, a heart-to-heart with Pop seems to have cleared the air, but we will have to wait and see. Here is a look at their 2017-18 season preview.
2016-17 Vitals
61-21, 1st in Southwest Division, 2nd in Western Conference
105.3 PPG(14th)/98.1 PPG (2nd)
111.1 Offensive Rating (9th)/103.5 Defensive Rating (1st)
Team Leaders
Scoring: Kawhi Leonard. 25.5 PPG
Rebounding: Pau Gasol. 7.8 RPG
Assists: Tony Parker. 4.5 APG
Steals: Kawhi Leonard. 1.8 SPG
Blocks: LaMarcus Aldridge. 1.2 BPG
Honors
All-NBA First Team: Kawhi Leonard
NBA All-Defensive First Team: Kawhi Leonard
NBA All-Defensive Second Team: Danny Green
All-Star: Kawhi Leonard