San Antonio Spurs: 3 candidates for a breakout season in 2018-19

1. Jakob Poeltl

Last year, Jakob Poeltl was an integral part of the Toronto Raptors’ “Bench Mob,” which was one of the best backup units in the league. This year, the San Antonio Spurs might not keep him on the bench any longer.

Pau Gasol is 38 years old, and even though he started most games last year, he only played 23.5 minutes per game. That number should continue to go down (whether or not he moves to the bench), and Poeltl could be the primary beneficiary.

The other centers the Spurs have — Joffrey Lauvergne and Chimezie Metu — aren’t starting-caliber players. Rudy Gay could start and push Aldridge to the 5, but Pop isn’t a huge small-ball guy.

Gasol and Aldridge have never ft perfectly. They’re both good shooters from outside and in the post, but they’re slow and easily exposed on defense.

Poeltl is the exact opposite. He is fleet-footed enough to stick with guards on the perimeter and big enough to defend the post well. He’s not a true rim protector, but he’s way better than anyone else on the roster.

He could cover up for Aldridge’s mistakes on defense (as well as any by the perimeter players), and Aldridge can space the floor for him on offense. With a starter’s minutes, Jakob Poeltl can show the league that he belongs in a starting lineup.

In the 2016-17 season, Dewayne Dedmon had a breakout year with the San Antonio Spurs as a defense-first borderline starter who came out of nowhere. Jakob Poeltl is younger and more talented than Dedmon, so he should be able to break out in an even bigger way for the Spurs this year.