San Antonio Spurs: 3 reasons Marco Belinelli is a good addition

3. Size

One of the biggest issues for the San Antonio Spurs last season was their lack of size at the shooting guard position. In the second half of the season, Patty Mills, the team’s 6’0″ backup point guard, was their starting shooting guard.

This impacted the balance of the team, as he was undersized for a point guard in the NBA today, The problem was exposed to its fullest extent during the series the Spurs lost 4-1 to the Golden State Warriors. Mills was routinely matched up against the 6’7″ Klay Thompson or the 6’9″ Andre Iguodala.

There is just no way a team can hide this kind of size discrepancy. Mills was exposed repeatedly on defense, despite giving his all like he always does. If you substitute the smaller Mills for the 6’5″ Belinelli, then the Warriors would have found it harder to shoot against the taller defender.

This then allows Mills to come off the bench, continuing his long partnership with Manu Ginobili as sparks that can impact a game once they are inserted.

If the Spurs can keep Kawhi Leonard happy and in uniform for the year, Belinelli will be a key bench piece, adding depth and scoring punch off the bench.