San Antonio Spurs starting lineup: Ranking their projected starting five
No. 1 starter for the San Antonio Spurs: DeMar DeRozan
The only way that DeMar DeRozan does not start is if the Spurs were going to tank and I cannot see this coach and this organization doing that. Last season DeRozan averaged 22.1 points, 5.6 assists, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.0 steals in 34.1 minutes per game.
The offense ran through him which is a pleasure to watch as DeRozan has not gone to the perimeter for scoring like the rest of the league. He has stayed true to his game and coach Gregg Popovich has allowed him to do this.
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There is no reason to believe that DeRozan’s production will go down this season. In fact, it is a contract year with so many teams having cap space for the 2021-22 season thanks to Giannis Antetokounmpo signing his supermax deal with the Milwaukee Bucks.
This will the first contract negotiation that DeRozan has not been a member of the Toronto Raptors. He had a loyalty to them which was shattered due to being traded. This offseason DeRozan is going to be looking for the best deal for himself. His game is going to reflect that.
Starter No. 2: LaMarcus Aldridge
Since signing on with the Spurs, LaMarcus Aldridge appears to have picked up his game from his time with the Portland Trail Blazers and plugged it into the Spurs system. His averages have been uncannily similar.
His 19.8 points per game are 0.3 above his career number. His 8.2 rebounds per game are 0.1 per game less than his career number. His 2.0 assists per game are also his career average. The numbers are so close all across the board.
Last season Aldridge dipped om overall efficiency, going at under .500 from the floor for only the second time as a member of the Spurs franchise. While he still shot the ball at .493, this can be explained by the fact that he shot 3.0 attempts from deep. His career number from deep is 0.6 attempts per game.
While this shows that Aldridge is growing his game, he is going to 36 during his next contract so he needs to make this year count to show he is still a force.