San Antonio Spurs
The past 12 months have possibly been the most calamitous in the history of the Spurs.
It began last summer, when LaMarcus Aldridge expressed his disappointment with his role within the offense to head coach Gregg Popovich, and subsequently demanded a trade elsewhere. Fortuitously for the Spurs, Aldridge remained with the team and was named an All-Star after once again becoming the centerpiece of the team due to the 73-game absence of Leonard.
Furthermore, in addition to the recent Leonard dramatics, six-time All-Star and four-time NBA champion Tony Parker decided to flee the Spurs on a two-year deal with the Charlotte Hornets. While Parker’s best is well and truly behind him, the loss of a 17-year stalwart to free agency, amidst the current fiasco surrounding Leonard, casts a cloud externally over the franchise.
Tony Parker had made no secret last season—his 17th with the Spurs—that he hoped to play three more years in San Antonio to reach 20 before retiring. Which makes his leaving for Charlotte all the sadder. It’s certainly not because of money.
— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) July 6, 2018
Luckily, the Spurs already have their point guard of the future. In addition to Aldridge’s fantastic year, last season also saw the emergence of young point guard Dejounte Murray.
Despite averaging just 21.5 minutes per game over the course of the season, Murray’s impact at the defensive end of the floor was so pronounced that he was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team.
LaMarcus Aldridge has been named to the league’s All-NBA Second Team.
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) May 24, 2018
Read → https://t.co/fPsqSzioby pic.twitter.com/A9VktSF7fM
At 6’5″, Murray ranked second among all point guards in defensive rebounding percentage with a 22.0 percent return. Overall, Murray had 12 games in which he recorded double figures in rebounds, and had 26 games in which he returned multiple steals, including a career-high seven in a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
In addition to this duo, the continued development of the likes of Davis Bertans and Bryn Forbes is going to be crucial if the Spurs are to rebound quickly in the event that Leonard is indeed playing elsewhere next season.