Behind Enemy Lines: What Can the Rebuilding Spurs Learn From the Title Contending Suns?
Gaining an outside perspective on constructing around Victor Wembanyama with basketball journalist Stephen PridGeon-Garner.
The San Antonio Spurs fell to 15-56 this weekend after an end-to-end throttling at the hands of the Phoenix Suns. While their well-seasoned Western Conference opposition outperformed them in nearly every aspect of the game, their circuitous journey to title contention should be an optimistic reminder that any franchise can flip its fortunes in a heartbeat.
With the Silver and Black running back this matchup tonight and the opening chapter of the Victor Wembanyama experience coming to a close, it only felt right to reach out to a shooty hoops mastermind like Stephen PridGeon-Garner. Not only has he covered the Phoenix Suns since 2020, but he has witnessed a promising young core evolve into a powerhouse.
We exchanged thoughts on San Antonio, their personnel, and what this club can learn from an organization that has already gone through the stages of constructing a roster that can go toe-to-toe with anyone when healthy and firing on all cylinders. Hopefully, Spurs fans walk away from this Q&A with a new perspective on how Brian Wright can approach this rebuild.
Noah: Are there any lessons the Spurs can take away from how Phoenix has turned itself into a contender around Devin Booker over the years?
Stephen: Absolutely. Granted, their process will be expedited given the dynamic of Wembanyama, but no question. I think the biggest may be to cash in on their other home-grown assets as they see fit. In building around Wembanyama, if a piece that makes sense in terms of the Spurs team context, and fits around Wembanyama, pounce appropriately. It's what the Suns did with Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson, to acquire Kevin Durant.
Stephen: What are your general thoughts on San Antonio's direction after drafting Victor Wembanyama?
Noah: General Manager Brian Wright and the rest of the front office brain trust are far from infallible, but generally speaking, it is tough for me to look at this season as a failure. Should they have signed or traded for another serviceable playmaker to offer Victor Wembanyama stability when Tre Jones takes a seat? On the surface, that answer might seem like an obvious yes. However, everyone in the organization has expressed the importance of internal development and learning if any of these young players have a future alongside their generational cornerstone.
With that goal in mind, seeing the Spurs take a patient and experimental approach with names like Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan, Blake Wesley, and Malaki Branham has been understandable and palatable, especially knowing they have an abundance of future first-round draft picks and financial flexibility over the next half-decade or so. Even with Keldon Johnson and Zach Collins disappointing amid recent contract extensions, San Antonio should still have the wiggle room to move them without worrying about long-term repercussions.
Noah: There are several parallels between Wembanyama and Durant, but what are the transferable skills the former can add from emulating his superstar counterpart?
Stephen: Great question! A subtlety in Durant's scoring is often the ease at which he does so. Sometimes simply spotting up and allowing for his gravity to create ample driving lanes lets his teammates play four-on-four in space since defenders must respect his shooting prowess.
The ability to operate in an attention-grabbing manner, in spaces that'll optimize the talents around him in advantage creation. Having a steady diet of pick-and-roll, isolation, post-ups, and keeping defenses guessing as to when he's going for his or when he's using the gravity for his teammates.
Lastly, through the self-preservation lens, the zero dribble pull-ups Durant gets into off the post and in a triple threat. Throughout his career, Durant has scored while preserving energy for defense and late-game situations by simply doing his work early in positioning for an advantageous catch point. He then has the ability to rise over the top of opponents and score with minimal to no dribbles.
Catching on-court rest in any capacity is a major plus come playoffs, and it is a subtlety Durant has mastered.
Stephen: What has been your most intriguing non-Wembanyama point of interest for the Spurs?
Noah: The development of Devin Vassell as an efficient three-level scorer has been one of the brightest spots for an organization on track to register a franchise record for most losses in a season. The fourth-year swingman has tightened his handle, added a newfound change of pace to his drives, and leveraged his gravity into playmaking opportunities to set the table for Wembanyama.
He can drain stationary, movement, and off-the-dribble threes, slink backdoor with timely cuts, get to his favorite midrange spots in the pick-and-roll, and sink soft floaters when rim protectors are waiting inside the paint. With that said, the former Florida State standout has disappeared at times when aggressive defenders get physical with him or cramp his airspace, but the Spurs are probably the worst team in the league without him.
Devin might be better suited playing third fiddle to Victor and an All-Star sidekick, and finding a way to relieve the defensive attention he receives and scaling down his responsibilities could go a long way toward boosting his productivity.
Noah: From an unbiased outside perspective, what ceiling can you see Vassell reaching with the Spurs? And should he be a long-term staple of their core?
Stephen: It feels like the context has shifted for the better for Vassell. He's topped his previous single-game career-high of 29 points five separate times this season, with four of the five coming while Wembanyama was in the lineup. I think that is relevant to his individual growth pattern as he continues to increase his scoring totals by the year.
However, in improving the team context around Wembanyama, he does feel like a piece that may be parted with to find a more ready-made talent with the requisite experience needed to bump the Spurs to playoff status in their team-building process.
Vassell could very well outlast and remain with the Spurs as they transition into that phase, but I feel as though they can find that aforementioned upgrade by way of some of their home-grown capital. He aligns there.
Stephen: If you could choose any player for the Spurs to add this offseason, who would you pick and why?
Noah: Spurs fans familiar with my writing already know the name we're about to toss out, and Trae Young would be such an intriguing co-star for Wemby. Not only is he one of the most lethal scorers in the league, but his passing flare and ability to create clean looks for his teammates would make him a picture-perfect pick-and-roll partner for the towering Frenchman.
The one overarching concern is his defense, which is fair. Regardless, San Antonio has a once-in-a-lifetime defensive anchor with the physical tools to cover ground, alter shots, and erase mistakes. Teams would still figure out how to hunt Trae, but there is always a tradeoff in skills and shortcomings with any player.
Young may cost them a pretty penny, though it feels like they have leverage over Atlanta in a potential deal. The Silver and Black own four of their future first-rounders, and the Hawks will have a tough time rebuilding without those picks. Bottoming out means nothing if they can't add high-end talent through the draft lottery.
Noah: When you look at the current iteration of this roster, which of these players would have a shot at earning minutes on a playoff team like the Suns?
Stephen: Excluding Wembanyama (because the league is obviously in trouble, lol), it's Keldon Johnson for me.
At his size, the positional versatility to guard up or guard down would pop on a playoff stage defensively. He crashes the glass well, too, which is also relevant in the postseason.
Offensively, the ability to score from a standstill in catch-and-shoot opportunities off the advantages created by top-end talents is very friendly in that environment. However, when you have those types of talents, it's equally in balance to have players who can deck it and do so effectively, which he also has in spades. The playmaking is still a work in progress, though certainly improving, but he is solid at creating for himself in those scenarios. I would like to see him rediscover the efficiency he showed at his foundation in his rookie season.
Stephen: Examining Gregg Popovich, how would you grade his management of this roster and his influence on their direction?
Noah: Popovich is a living legend, but he is still human. Though his dedication to exploring the limits of what his players are capable of on both ends of the court has been admirable, he should have ended the Jeremy Sochan experiment and reinstated Tre Jones as the starting point guard much sooner than he did.
Some fans have tried to criticize him for not benching Zach Collins entirely and demoting Keldon Johnson to the second unit a season after leading the Spurs in scoring, though those decisions make sense. San Antonio needed to find touches for Wembanyama and Vassell, and Keldon was the clear candidate to help them accomplish that task while adding additional juice to their reserves. As for Collins, sticking him on the sidelines permanently would only hurt his value, a less-than-desirable outcome considering his extension kicks in this summer.
The 75-year-old has stuck to his longstanding principles of player movement, selfless passing, and quick decision-making, but the personnel hasn't been able to execute. Nevertheless, he has toed the line of holding players accountable and allowing them the freedom to learn through their mistakes with a less stern demeanor than in years past. Coach Pop feels like the right person to spearhead this transition period.
Noah: Are there any wrinkles you would like to see Popovich add to the offense to take advantage of what he has in Wembanyama?
Stephen: It feels like, in my viewing, Popovich has cycled through plenty regarding the direct usage of Wembanyama. I think the ultimate trump card will be using him as the five offensively because he forces your hand both in matchups for him and in the defensive capital spent to stop him in those contexts.
Because he's quite literally limitless, it's all about improving the context around him. Those ready-made players who can self-create but also make defenses pay for the attention conceded to all that is Wembanyama.
They should look for a point guard who won't necessarily take the ball out of his hands but make it easier for him workload-wise to get to his spots by engaging opposing centers to create easy looks for him in pick-and-roll or on handoffs. That's kind of my feeling near the top of the desired list around Wembanyama. One that can also space the floor with viability that'll generate urgent closeouts and shoot efficiently from deep.
I'd like to see them find a frontcourt running mate who provides value and doesn't compromise the Spurs on either side of the ball, one that can complement Wembanyama on both ends, his Aaron Gordon, if you will.
Then, generally, shooting. San Antonio is 11th in three-point attempts per game but last in efficiency at 34.6%. Finding more players who fill that need and improve their spacing will only make Wembanyama’s life easier. Take, for example, how Siakam looks with the shooting talents and spacing in Indiana versus the near closet-adjacent spaces he had to navigate while in Toronto.
Stephen: What do you think will be the toughest obstacle in San Antonio's process to return to playoff status?
Noah: Asset management might be the most challenging aspect of returning to the postseason picture. San Antonio owns the picks and cap space to be patient with their rebuild, but how long will Wembanyama be willing to wait for them to compete? While no one is suggesting he will demand a trade to greener pastures, the 20-year-old holds the power to pressure team executives into making win-now moves.
The weight of constructing a championship contender sooner rather than later could impact how the Spurs approach the draft and whether they cash in those chips in trades to acquire serviceable veterans or even a disgruntled All-Star to expedite their timeline. Popovich and company have never been in this situation before, and having a prospect with the potential to become the face of the league intensifies the outside noise.
Though you can draw some similarities between this franchise and the Thunder, there is no precise roadmap for comparable success since Oklahoma City has Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, legitimate role players, and the luxury of extensive first-round capital. The Silver and Black may have the resources to return to the pinnacle of the association, but can they utilize them properly?
A massive thank you to Stephen PridGeon-Garner for collaborating with The Vic-and-Roll! Please check out his LinkTree and YouTube channel to see all of his terrific NBA and WNBA content!