San Antonio Spurs: It’s Derrick White’s time to step up

The San Antonio Spurs suffered a huge blow in the form of Dejounte Murray’s injury, and only Derrick White can help them recover.

San Antonio Spurs starting point guard Dejounte Murray injured himself in Sunday’s preseason match against the Houston Rockets, but Monday it was reported that his ACL was torn. There is no timetable for his return, but ACL tears often sideline players for an entire year, if not more.

While there is certainly much more to say about Murray’s injury and the impact on the team, this article will focus mostly on one thing: how Murray’s injury represents an opportunity for Derrick White.

It seems callous to say, but the Spurs need to adopt a “next man up” mentality. It’s a true shame to see a player get injured and you never wish it on anyone, but a closed door for one player always means an open one for another.

When Kawhi Leonard went down with an injury in the 2017 NBA Playoffs, the Spurs didn’t whine and complain. The rest of the team played their butts off, and Jonathon Simmons stepped in and played the best basketball of his career. This year, Derrick White could do the same filling in for Murray.

Prior to Murray’s injury, it was unclear how all the minutes would be distributed in the backcourt. With Murray out for at least the majority of the season (and Lonnie Walker IV out in the short-term as well), that issue has been solved, for better or worse.

White, DeMar DeRozan, Patty Mills, Marco Belinelli and Bryn Forbes are the five healthy remaining guards. Occasionally sliding one to the 3 will make it relatively easy to find time for all five. Conventional wisdom would probably suggest that Mills will take Murray’s spot in the starting lineup, but that’s not necessarily the case.

With DeRozan on the wing (and possibly Belinelli, if Gregg Popovich opts for small-ball), defense is a necessity. Murray would’ve provided that, and despite Mills’ activity, his size prevents him from being a very impactful defender.

White, on the other hand, has the size to be nearly as good of a defender as Murray. He could take the best offensive guard every night, and that sort of trial-by-fire could set him up well for the future.

Granted, he’s not a playmaker or shooter quite like Mills. However, he’s probably already better in that regard than Murray. Murray struggled with his outside shot as well as with creating for himself and others, but White already seems decent at both.

Starting White would allow for a sort of compromise between having an all-offense (Mills) or all all-defense (Murray) guard. He could fit perfectly next to DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge, and he could take on either a low or moderately high usage rate if the situation calls for it.

Even if White doesn’t start though, the extra playing time he’ll undoubtedly get will be invaluable for him. He’s paid his dues in the G League, and now’s his chance to prove himself. Frankly, the Spurs need him to be nearly as good as Murray if they have any hopes of making the playoffs in the loaded West.

If he does drastically improve, then when Murray eventually returns, they could form a terrific tag team. Murray still needs to develop his offense, but both players have the potential to be long-term starters at either guard spot.

For the San Antonio Spurs and their fans, it hurts to see a burgeoning young star like Dejounte Murray suffer such a serious injury. However, the silver lining is that it could end up being the break Derrick White needs to kickstart his career.