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San Antonio Spurs: DeRozan-led Spurs could actually mean fewer long 2’s

By Scott Levine

DETROIT, MI - APRIL 09: DeMar DeRozan
DETROIT, MI - APRIL 09: DeMar DeRozan /
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DeMar DeRozan will still take a ton of long 2’s with the San Antonio Spurs, but will also generate more 3-pointers and layups for his new teammates

With the acquisition of DeMar DeRozan, the San Antonio Spurs continue to acquire players who buck the leaguewide trend of high volume 3-point shooting and layups.

DeRozan, Rudy Gay, and LaMarcus Aldridge are three of the most prominent sources of life support for the dying mid-range shot.

The Spurs biggest weakness last season without Kawhi Leonard was offensive efficiency. Per Cleaning the Glass, they shot the fifth smallest percentage of shots from 3, fourth smallest from inside the arc, and had the fourth lowest effective field goal percentage.

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Adding DeRozan to this seems like it would exacerbate the problem. He has not been a high volume basket-attacker or 3-point shooter at any point in his career, preferring to do the majority of his work in the mid-range.

However, he has become an effective distributor. He had his best assist percentage by far last season per Cleaning the Glass. His assist to usage ratio was 0.79, which was in the 85th percentile for wings.

His penetration and ability to find open shooters was a major reason why the Raptors were near the top of the league in both effective field goal percentage and 3-point attempt rate.

The Spurs do not have the level of shooting across the board that the Raptors did, but they have lineups that can unlock DeRozan’s ability to generate 3’s. The Spurs signed back Davis Bertans and picked up Marco Belinelli.

Patty Mills will be playable as a starting point guard if need be, as DeRozan can be the primary creator when both are playing. Derrick White may be ready to contribute after a strong summer league showing. Pau Gasol has thrived as a high post facilitator and shooter in recent years.

However, DeRozan will likely be on the floor with Gay and Aldridge at the end of the game. DeRozan will need to improve their efficiency for this experiment to work. We will see if Gay and Aldridge’s long-2 proclivity was more a function of who they are, or of not having a guy to create better shots for them last season.

Tony Parker was on the downswing by the time Gay joined. Gay has gradually improved his 3-point stroke. He shot more of them in Sacramento with Darren Collison driving and kicking him open. DeRozan could have a similar effect on Gay.

Aldridge has always been a hesitant 3-point shooter but could improve his efficiency by getting closer to the rim. Last season, Aldridge was only assisted on 56 percent of his shots within four feet per Cleaning the Glass.

DeMar DeRozan is a pick-and-roll savant who excels at finding the roll man under the hoop. According to Second Spectrum data provided by NBA.com, DeRozan finished in the 78th percentile in points per possession as a pick-and-roll ball handler on a whopping 9.3 opportunities per game last season. His former teammate Jonas Valanciunas was assisted on a solid 64 percent of his shots at the rim per Cleaning the Glass.

If this team makes the playoffs, the increased defensive pressure will likely cause the offense to stall out and for DeRozan to revert back to shooting bad shots and not creating for teammates. Teams have been able to gameplan and neutralize DeRozan for significant stretches in the playoffs, which is the main reason why Toronto made this trade.

Must Read: NBA: Why the Raptors, Spurs both fared well in the Leonard-DeRozan swap

However, based on the San Antonio Spurs’ priorities in dealing Kawhi, it looks like they are not trying to build a contender from the ground up, but rather stay competitive during the twilight of Gregg Popovich’s coaching career. DeRozan will help them stay in playoff contention by breathing life into the offense.

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