San Antonio Spurs: 2018-19 NBA season preview
By Luke Swiatek
Predictions
DeRozan should have the best season of his career this year for the San Antonio Spurs, Aldridge should still produce at a high level, and Murray should sniff All-Star contention if he continues to improve.
He probably won’t get in (and he’ll understand how Damian Lillard and Mike Conley feel), but he should still be a huge help to the team.
The role players will make a key difference, and playing small (and losing Leonard, Green and Anderson) should hurt the defense early on, but fewer minutes for Gasol and more for Poeltl should help reduce some of the concerns.
The Spurs won’t miss the playoffs — not on Pop’s watch. However, it’s also probably unlikely that they’ll suddenly turn back the clock and look like a championship contender. The most probable outcome is somewhere in the middle.
The Warriors and Rockets still look really good, and the Utah Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder are pretty frightening too. However, below them, there don’t seem to be a lot of true threats, and the San Antonio Spurs could outpace all of them with a 51-31 record for the 5-seed in the West.
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At that point, they should be able to win a first round playoff series before falling in seven hard-fought games in the Western Conference semifinals.