For the Spurs to rise like the sleeping giant we know they can be, they’ll need to knock down more threes. They addressed that need this offseason by adding a couple of guys known to drain their fair share of deep daggers, but they’ll need Jeremy Sochan and Stephon Castle to step up in that department, too.
Pace and space will be the name of Spurs’ game next season
The former Baylor Bear and UConn Husky are two integral parts of San Antonio’s scheme defensively, but their offensive games are still developing. Castle is only going into his second year, and coming off of a Rookie of the Year campaign, so he’ll have every opportunity to shine. But when the expectations of the team rise, the reins tighten a bit, and 29% won’t get it done.
Sochan has already gone from a starter to coming off the bench. He’s a defensive menace; one of the best in the league. It’s hard to believe that he wouldn’t have remained in the starting lineup had he been able to knock down threes at the league average, but so far 31% is the highest the Polish Prince has hit so far.
The Spurs have lost some of their best three-point shooters from last season, but not all of those guys got major minutes. In fact, Chris Paul (38%) was the only one who did. Sandro Mamukelashvili (37%) and Malaki Branham (41%) shot the ball well, but those guys didn’t get on the floor very much.
Harrison Barnes was the only other player besides Branham who shot over 40% from three. Devin Vassell and Julian Champagnie shot 37%, and Victor Wembanyama shot 35%. Everyone else came in at 32% or under.
Unless another move is made, the Silver and Black are returning a large portion of the same team they took the floor with last season. Many of them didn’t shoot the ball very well, and youth can’t be the excuse when fans just watched OKC win a championship with one of the youngest rosters in NBA history, and did so with many of those young guys drilling threes at a high clip.
San Antonio’s team may be built differently than the reigning champs, but in the modern era, you’re not winning much if your team can’t make shots from the outside. Queue Castle and Sochan; they’ll be instrumental in helping to negate opposing teams from making it rain, but if they can’t make shots either, it’s a bit of a wash. That’s not what the Spurs are going for here.
With so many players on the roster now, they have options, and Coach Mitch Johnson is going to be doing everything in his power to win games. That includes reducing minutes here and there if someone else is getting the job done. If they can get themselves to about 35-36%, it changes a lot for this team.