San Antonio Spurs: Predicting the team’s leader in every statistic
By Cal Durrett
San Antonio Spurs blocks leader: Jakob Poeltl
In addition to rebounding, Poeltl could also lead the team in blocks per game. Last season, Poeltl averaged 1.7 blocks, placing him seventh in the NBA and first on the Spurs in that category. I don’t expect that to change much next year, even if he doesn’t finish the season in silver and black.
After all, Collins isn’t nearly the defender that Poeltl is, so he most likely won’t approach averaging even 1.5 blocks per game. Meanwhile, Gorgui Dieng, the team’s third center option, could, but he isn’t nearly the offensive player that Collins is. That minimizes the chance of him leapfrogging Collins and leading the team in blocks. So it’s Poeltl. The Spurs struck out defensively last season but will have to rely on it to be competitive with a subpar offense.
While Murray was a key piece in the team’s defensive strategy, so was Poeltl, who anchored the Spurs’ defense. With players like Jones, Vassell, and rookie Jeremy Sochan ready to play big roles for the team next season, Poeltl will be as important as ever, and that could even lead to an uptick in blocks, potentially increasing his trade value. Ironically, that would mean that he gets dealt sooner.
San Antonio Spurs steals leader: Devin Vassell
Last season, Murray led both the Spurs and the league in steals, but I expect Devin Vassell to lead the team with him gone. Vassell is a ball hawk with great defensive instincts and will be tasked with guarding the other team’s best offensive wing. Guarding top scorers doesn’t necessarily lend itself to forcing turnovers at a high rate unless the defender is also top tier.
Vassell isn’t there yet, but he’s shown a knack for being able to effectively cover his man and also provide timely help defense, leading to steals and deflections as well as the occasional block. Last year, Vassell averaged 1.1 steals in 27.3 minutes per game, and accounting for a minute increase and improvement next season, Vassell could average around 1.5 steals
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Ultimately, despite having some intriguing young talent on the team, the Spurs aren’t expected to be very good next season. Still, they will need players like Johnson, Poeltl, Collins, Jones, and Vassell to step up to ensure that the Spurs remain competitive during a transition season.