San Antonio Spurs: 3 takeaways from 2018-19 season opener

3. The Spurs’ bench will still be dangerous

Even though Manu Ginobili has retired, the Spurs’ bench should still be a force most games. Having White and Walker out will hurt the team in the backcourt, forcing Pop to play Patty Mills and Marco Belinelli a little more than he may like, but he still has quality players off his bench.

The big name off the bench against Minnesota was Pau Gasol. While he may be past his prime since joining the Spurs, he can still have an impact on and off the court as he starts his 17th season in the league. Gasol played for 23 minutes but still led the team in assists with six and was tied for second in rebounds (seven) with Rudy Gay.

Belinelli played a good chunk of minutes too and was stellar in his shooting. He hit three of his six field goals, including two of his four 3-point attempts. David Bertans provided a good spark as well, nailing three of his four 3-point attempts.

San Antonio will mostly be the DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge show, but the Spurs have always had a productive bench unit to help them rest their stars. It’s a little older in 2018-19, but this group can still be dangerous and effective.