Starter No. 5: Dejounte Murray
While Dejounte Murray is undoubtedly the future of the Spurs franchise, he has not taken on the mantle of franchise leader, yet. While he was the youngest player to be named to an NBA All-Defensive team in his second season, the problem was that Murray got injured during the next preseason
This had this impact of setting his development back but he came out strong last season. While he only averaged 10.9 points per game, his efficiency improved across the board. If he can continue this improvement this season then the 2021-22 season could be something special.
Starter No. 4: Jakob Poeltl
While Poeltl sometimes struggled to make the rotation last season, the Spurs need his unique talents. He is the best offensive rebounder on the team and with the Spurs losing one of their better 3-point shooters last season in Bryn Forbes, they are going to need all the second-chance points available.
Add to this he is a difficult matchup given that he is 7’1″ and an inside presence in a league looking to have every player, including centers, shoot the 3-ball. He is also a solid rim protector on a team that had a poor defensive record last season.
Starter No. 5: Derrick White
With the loss of Bryn Forbes, there is an opening in the starting lineup. The Spurs have two potential options, Derrick White and Lonnie Walker. Of the two White is the more NBA-ready player, but I must put in a caveat that coach Popovich has a history of starting players to help them develop.
However, in the last two seasons, White has started 75 of 135 games that he has played so Popovich clearly currently prefers him to any other option on the team. While he is only about to enter his fourth NBA season, White is close to 26 years old which seems to be a benefit for fitting into the Spurs system.