Take Five: Revamped Spurs Stumble in Season Opener

Early observations of the Silver and Black from the American Airlines Center.

The San Antonio Spurs opened their season with a mistake-riddled loss to the Dallas Mavericks, falling short of their longtime interstate rivals, 120-109. While they led at halftime, Victor Wembanyama and company fell apart after coming out of the locker room, showing their collective inexperience as Luka Doncic carried his club past the finish line with a flurry of flashy buckets and dimes.

Gregg Popovich stressed the importance of letting the good guys get their legs under them before passing judgment. But it’s still worth evaluating how the core players on this rendition of the roster performed in their first appearance of an 82-game slugfest that lies ahead. Without further ado, here are the five biggest takeaways from my seat in the press box at the American Airlines Center.

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1.) Victor Wembanyama (17 PTS, 9 REB, 4 TO, 5-of-18 FGM)

Despite extraterrestrial expectations from national media outlets and diehard hoops fans, Victor Wembanyama fell flat in the first outing of his sophomore season in the NBA. Should anyone rush to retract their predictions of leaguewide domination for the Frenchman? Of course not, though his conditioning undoubtedly looked on par for somebody who hadn't suited up for extended minutes since a scintillating Silver Medal run at the Paris Olympics this summer.

An ice-cold 5-of-18 performance from the field perfectly encapsulated a frustrating evening for the seven-footer. The Spurs offered Wembanyama the freedom to shoot himself into a rhythm, but he never found his groove until the game was out of reach. Between baffling overdribbling, puzzling heat checks early into the clock, and overly ambitious passes, he was his worst enemy. Wide-open looks careened off the rim, and most of his rare makes came with defenders draped over him.

Before anyone gets up in arms about me being too critical of the young center, he had his fair share of brilliant moments on the floor. While Wembanyama finished with one assist and four turnovers, he easily could've had more dimes if his teammates drained all of the uncontested looks he generated. And it would likely be wise to give him the benefit of the doubt after an exhausting offseason that included workouts with Jamal Crawford, rigorous strength training, and a trip to his homeland.

As usual, the box score fails to convey the complete story of his defensive impact. Was Wembanyama flawless on this end? No, and he could have been more locked into the subtle details that often determine the outcomes of these hypercompetitive Western Conference matchups. However, even on a somewhat sloppy night by his standards, the 20-year-old was a system unto himself, altering shots at the rim and forcing would-be drivers to think twice before setting foot in the paint.

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2.) Chris Paul (3 PTS, 7 REB, 8 AST, 1-of-6 FGM)

No one should hit the panic button yet, but Thursday night was a stark reminder that Chris Paul is no longer the top-flight offensive engine he once was at the pinnacle of his decorated career. He struggled to self-create clean looks for his patented midrange jumper, and his catch-and-shoot threes failed to find their mark. That isn't to say he can't help San Antonio, but fans should probably adjust their lofty projections for how the marquee free-agent signing might improve this roster.

The 39-year-old labored to generate separation off the dribble, and while he can still manipulate defenders with his eyes and change of pace, there were possibly one or two instances where the Mavericks collapsed on the paint to snuff out his drives. With little rim pressure from everyone else in the starting lineup not named Wembanyama, San Antonio was slow out of the gates. Nevertheless, his command and precision as a pick-and-roll playmaker had the Spurs more organized than a season ago.

Unfortunately, his mileage showed on the defensive end, where he occasionally looked like a traffic cone on the perimeter. Head Coach Jason Kidd has no issue hunting Paul, and the diminutive floor general allowed opponents to shoot 11-of-15 when labeled as the primary defender on the possession. Though he still has his smarts, strength, and eye-hand coordination, his dwindling footspeed adds another item to the checklist of issues to overcome in his uphill battle to avoid becoming a liability.

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3.) Jeremy Sochan (18 PTS, 6 REB, 4 TO, 6-of-11 FGM)

With that inevitable negative feedback out of the way, how about we shift to a handful of positive takeaways, starting with Jeremy Sochan? Rather than beginning the season in the unfamiliar role of running the show as a point guard, the 21-year-old got to kick off year three in his natural position. And what a world of difference that made for the outgoing power forward. Relieving him of the burden of orchestrating offense allowed him to get back to what he does best — defending and executing the basics.

Sochan held his defensive assignments to a collective 6-of-21 shooting from the floor, with Luka Doncic only mustering 13 points, one assist, and one turnover on a 5-of-15 in 36.8 partial possessions in the torture chamber with his Polish counterpart. Jeremy was physical at the point of attack, navigating screens, staying attached, and getting a high-hand contest on almost every shot from the perennial MVP candidate. Was Luka rusty after missing the preseason? Sure, but everyone is still rounding into form.

Moving to the other side of the ball, Sochan found a way to sneak through the cracks, sprinting ahead of the pack in transition, making timely cuts, sitting patiently in the dunker spot, and crashing the boards for an and-one slam. Letting the former lottery pick organically roam the court highlighted his tremendous knack for chasing space away from the primary action. Those traits have endeared Jeremy to the Spurs faithful, and he will have every chance to prove he belongs in the long-term plans.

Before we proceed to the next player, we must address the elephant in the room, the hitch. Unless you live under a rock, you've probably seen the video of Sochan working on his jumper with Jimmy Baron during the pregame shootaround in Dallas. Whether his shot was stationary or off the bounce, the Baylor alum had an evident herky-jerky motion before his release. That seeming regression raised alarm bells for some fans, but that sudden recoil was less pronounced during the game.

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4.) Julian Champagnie (18 PTS, 7 REB, 2 BLK, 4-of-8 3PM)

We asked this question last week, and we’ll ask it again. Has San Antonio discovered the second coming of Danny Green? When you watch Julian Champagnie, it’s almost impossible not to see the similarities between the sharpshooters. Unheralded college prospect? Check. Rose from the end of the depth chart to the starting lineup? Check. Specializes in perimeter defense and catch-and-shoot threes? Check. Coach Pop may not like player comps, but these guys share several physical and stylistic features.

At least for one night, Champagnie showed everyone that his extraordinary preseason marksmanship was no fluke. The third-year forward relocated to the corners and slots within the natural stream of the offense, played his part to perfection in half-court set pieces, and flashed some newfound shot-making off the bounce when presented with a mismatch on the perimeter against Dereck Lively II. While a one-game sample size is too small to read into, he has been building momentum since arriving in the 2-1-0.

Julian has a long way to go before he thrusts his name into the All-Defense discussion like the Green Ranger so often did during his tenure with the Spurs, but he was sound on that end for most of the season-opening matchup in Dallas. Chasing down Luka on the fastbreak for a strip block was the highlight of his evening. However, he was rock-solid with his closeouts, man-to-man positioning, and help responsibilities. Can we at least agree he should be a serviceable 3-and-D contributor at worst?

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5.) Stephon Castle (8 PTS, 3 REB, 5 AST, 3-of-7 FGM)

While no rookie will ever cultivate more excitement in their debut than Wembanyama did a year ago, there was still noticeable fanfare surrounding Stephon Castle following his phenomenal showings throughout Summer League and the preseason. The former UConn standout only received a smidge over 18 minutes off the bench. Yet Coach Pop made it abundantly clear in his pregame presser that he fully intends to challenge him every contest he spends as a staple of the ten-man rotation.

“I talked to Stephon Castle today and I told him you’re basically a sophomore in college,” Popovich said. “At some point in the game you’re gonna guard a possible MVP of the NBA.”

The longtime playcaller was true to his word, and Castle earned his first shot at Luka early in the second quarter, walling off a post-up and forcing a fadeaway jumper at the end of the shot clock. Despite Doncic getting the best of him as the frame unfolded, it was reassuring to see him succeed elsewhere. The 6-foot-6 guard switched seamlessly across every position, covering Kyrie Irving, P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford, and Naji Marshall for multiple possessions.

As for his offense, the youngster demonstrated a variety of fascinating skills amid the expected growing pains of being a teenager in the NBA. His grasp of pace, playing off two feet, and ability to distribute off a live dribble helped set him apart from his peers once garbage time commenced. Spurs fans got a short glimpse of his poise, motor, and powerful frame, but his one-handed crosscourt skip pass to Malaki Branham was truly the most impressive sequence of his premiere.

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