San Antonio Spurs: 2018-19 NBA season preview
By Luke Swiatek
Storyline 1: Can DeMar fill Kawhi’s shoes?
This is the storyline of the year. LaMarcus Aldridge is good, but the San Antonio Spurs will never really be “LaMarcus Aldridge’s team.” They could be DeRozan’s team, though.
DeRozan and Leonard are both wings with a propensity for isolations, but that’s pretty much where the similarities stop. When healthy, Leonard was more athletic, a better shooter and a vastly better defender than DeRozan.
Still, DeRozan has a very viable path to making himself the best player on the San Antonio Spurs and the new face of the franchise. He’ll have a backcourt partner in Dejounte Murray that can handle the tougher defensive assignment, so he shouldn’t have to worry too much on that end.
On the other end, he’ll have Gregg Popovich and Chip Engelland working with him to improve. DeRozan may never be a passer like Chris Paul or a shooter like Klay Thompson, that’s true.
But in Popovich’s system and with Engelland’s tutelage, he could become above-average at the former and decent at the latter.
DeRozan probably won’t be a Finals MVP this year, and he probably won’t win a Defensive Player of the Year award. However, he can still become the best player on one of the best teams in the West, and he could lead the city on another deep playoff run.