San Antonio Spurs look to get younger following the Big 3

What happens when the franchise long referenced as the pillar of consistency loses its foundation? The San Antonio Spurs, discoverers of the Fountain of Youth, winners of five championships, and benefactors of some of the greatest draft luck of all time, may this season finally fall to the lower expectations cast upon them.

Year after year, pundits and analysts have proclaimed the fall of the Spurs, citing an aging core and lack of a true centerpiece as the reasons. And without fail, the Spurs spun those silly proclamations on their heads, responding with beautiful, two-way team basketball and an all for one, one for all style. Finally, those critics were quieted by back-to-back Finals appearances in 2013 and 2014, which gave way to Kawhi Leonard’s superstardom, the acquisition of a second star, and Coach Popovich’s promise to remain at the head of it all.

Yet after a disappointing second round loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder and the departure of the focal point of the franchise(the culture, the style, the city) in Tim Duncan, the Spurs face agonizing questions about their future. Chief among them is how to replace All-Star caliber, 19-year long production from both big man positions. A large part of that answer comes in the form of the All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge, who will absorb most of Duncan’s load on both ends. But if the back-to-back Marches to the Sea of the Golden State Warriors and Miami Heat dynasties have taught us anything, it’s that production and role always play second fiddle to skill and, well, math.

The Spurs have doubled down on the wrong end of the math problem, choosing analytically unfavorable shots from midrange and a heavier reliance on isolations. The defense was its usual, stifling self (first in defensive rating last season), and that historic defense led by DPOY Kawhi Leonard is a heck of a foundation to build atop. But the Thunder’s hyper-athleticism on both ends created a replicable recipe for beating this iteration of the San Antonio Spurs — crash the offensive glass, let your best defensive lineups swallow inefficient offense, and sprint around the court at all times. With an offseason to become better prepared to handle that game plan, the Spurs indeed doubled down on last season’s blueprint, acquiring Pau Gasol and David Lee as the primary replacements for Duncan’s late-career stylings.

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Hidden in this busy Spurs offseason, though, were two deals that have the possibility of antithetically prying modernity from Father Time’s clenched grasp on the organization. In a typically Spursy move in early July, the organization went out and got an under-the-radar young big on a nice deal. That man’s name is Dewayne Dedmon, and he will help solve the primary problem that Spurs faced throughout their season; finding players who can stay on the court against the league’s best small lineups (the Warriors’ Death Lineup being the most devastating).

He boasts outstanding advanced rebounding numbers (26 percent defensive rebounding rate), a rim-prowling field goal percentage in the high fifties, and tantalizing prorated numbers (+15 netRtg last year, 2.3 blocks per 36 minutes). San Antonio is making the smart bet that surrounding him with better defenders and playmakers than he saw in Orlando will be the right recipe for an explosion in his fourth season.

Less ballyhooed but perhaps more important was the signing of French forward Livio Jean-Charles, who the team drafted 28th overall in 2013, to a 2-year, $2.43 million deal. Jean-Charles was the top scorer at the talent-riddled 2013 Nike Hoop Summit, amassing 27 points with a flurry of tips, face-ups, and transition lay-ins. Going back and watching that performance now, it’s clear why the Spurs in particular targeted him (apart from the fact that he played professionally in France for Tony Parker’s ASVEL team). His intelligence is clear immediately, displaying a knack for verticality when protecting the rim, passing out of double teams, and moving around a half-court set on offense.

At Las Vegas Summer League last year, Jean-Charles displayed a more aggressive defensive game and a more mature physical build:

He has the potential to add a consistent mid-range jumper and face-up game at the NBA level, but neither skill appears at a passable level just yet. He fits into what the Spurs try to do on offense, sharing the ball, screening and moving well, and making open shots. When the offense pings his way, he’ll know what to do to keep its momentum going in the half-court.

Defensively, he has the most potential of any big San Antonio has had in years. He is quick on his feet and strong enough to stick with most guys in isolation, rotates with good timing to block shots or cover ground, and gets a hand on every rebound. He plays well when his team’s defense creates a transition look, running the court at the drop of a hat. Whether next to LaMarcus Aldridge or Pau Gasol as the power forward or as the primary big man in a smaller lineup, Jean-Charles will provide a lot of defensive value for the Spurs.

The definition of a “modern” NBA players can often be confusing. There is an assumption the designation means the same thing as when someone gets deemed “the next Draymond Green” around draft time. Livio Jean-Charles is certainly not as skilled, nor as versatile as Draymond Green or any player of that ilk. But the Spurs don’t need any sort of matchup beater like that; their system is what they rely on to capsize an opponent’s scheme and take advantage of mismatches.

Jean-Charles and his new teammate Dewayne Dedmon sitting at the heart of that system on both sides of the ball is an eight ball of athleticism not ingested by the San Antonio Spurs since they drafted Kawhi Leonard five years ago. Now, using draft picks on stashed players and guys that fail to move the needle like Kyle Anderson is a draft strategy that could come back to bite the Spurs as they transition into this new era. With Duncan finally retiring and Boris Diaw and Tiago Splitter being traded in consecutive offseasons, the onus is on these new additions to pull the Spurs back toward the head of the pack of new-wave basketball.

San Antonio Spurs look to future after Big 3

By Brendon Kleen | Aug 18, 2016

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