Spurs have 4 major problems to fix against the Knicks

The San Antonio Spurs being in the NBA Finals with such a young team is a major accomplishment. Not only are the Spurs in the finals, but they are also the favorites to beat a more experienced New York Knicks team. It's hard not to be impressed with the Spurs, especially after they beat the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder. 

Even still, it would be false to say that the Spurs have been perfect leading up to the finals. Here are some key areas of improvement needed for the Spurs to hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy. 

Manage the non-Victor Wembanyama minutes

If there's one flaw that's been noticeable all season long with the Spurs, it's the non-Victor Wembanyama minutes. Listen, when you have a star of this level, you are always going to be better with him on the court. Regardless, the difference is stark between the Wemby and non-Wemby minutes.

Per Cleaning the Glass, in the playoffs, San Antonio has a plus-16.4 net rating, a 118.1 offensive rating, and a 101.6 defensive rating. On the flip side, with him off the court, San Antonio has a plus-0.9 net rating, a 113 offensive rating, and a 113.9 defensive rating. 

The biggest problem is what Wemby being off the court does to the Spurs' defense. Luke Kornet is a solid rim protector, but isn't close to Wemby's level (nobody is). More damningly, though, he's strictly a drop coverage big man. The Thunder feasted during the Kornet/non-Wemby minutes, and it's fair to expect the Knicks to do the same, especially if Jalen Brunson is on the court.

If the Kornet minutes go as poorly as they did last round, the Spurs should consider utilizing more small lineups. It would be unconventional to have one of Devin Vassell, Julian Champagnie, or Keldon Johnson as the small-ball five. However, the switchability and floor spacing benefits could offer a legitimate solution to the Spurs' biggest long-term problem. 

The Spurs need more scoring from De'Aaron Fox

De'Aaron Fox hasn't been himself throughout the playoffs, and he was especially hampered by his ankle injury in the last round. The two-time All-Star averaged just 11.2 points on 36.4/22.7/71.4 shooting splits.

Fox has continued to be a stabilizing playmaking force and has played good defense. Simply put, though, the Spurs need more production from Fox as a self-creator. Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper can help fill this void. Nevertheless, there's no denying the Spurs' ceiling is much higher when Fox is at his best as a scorer. 

He needs to be more aggressive and decisive when looking for his shots. Fox will likely draw an easier matchup than Castle, which furthers the need for him to provide not just playmaking but scoring. It won't be impossible for the Spurs to win with the version of Fox we saw last round, but it would surely be an uphill battle. 

Convert at the rim more efficiently

The Spurs have been one of the best teams at the rim all season. That comes with the territory when you have Wemby and three elite slashing guards. While they shot 65.8 percent within five feet of the hoop in the regular season, in the conference finals, they shot just 57.7 percent from within five feet of the hoop. 

A small sample size? Possibly, but there's no denying that failing to convert on the easy looks would be costly against the Knicks. 

At the surface level, going from playing against the defensive duo of Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein to Karl-Anthony Towns should be an easy way for the Spurs to make this adjustment. Don't let his reputation fool you, though, KAT is playing some of the best defense of his career. Notably, opponents are shooting 56.3 percent against KAT within six feet of the basket in the playoffs.

Getting Wemby a heavier diet of inside shots would be an ideal way to solve this problem if the guard trio isn't converting on their drives. The aforementioned importance of Fox's scoring will also be key as he is shooting just 55.6 percent at the restricted area in the playoffs. 

Hit their corner 3-pointers

The Knicks' biggest advantage, though, is perhaps their explosive 3-point shooting. This is a particular advantage because the Spurs are an average 3-point shooting team at best. San Antonio has especially struggled with their corner 3-point shooting netting just 32 percent of their corner 3s in the playoffs, including 29.2 percent of these shots in the last round. 

There's no easier way to generate open 3s than in the corners, especially given how the Spurs guards love to attack the paint. 

Champagnie has been the Spurs' lone consistent corner threat, netting 41.7 percent of his corner triples in the playoffs. While Vassell has played great defense and had some big moments, his 31.7 percent shooting on corner 3s isn't going to cut it, especially as he is the Spurs' main spot-up shooter. Keldon Johnson is shooting 30.4 percent on these shots, and likewise, he needs to hit these open shots.

All in all, the Spurs will have plenty of open corner looks thanks to their ability to attack the basket, and they need to take advantage of this to match New York's firepower.

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