NBA: 8 trends to watch post-All-Star break
By Alex Saenz
The State of the San Antonio Spurs’ Bench
As has been widely discussed, the DeMar DeRozan/LaMarcus Aldridge combination has never quite seemed to coalesce in San Antonio. The Spurs have banked on their bench running opposing benches out of the gym to win ballgames these past two seasons. But what happens when this backbone begins to crumble?
We are seeing it right before our very eyes. Ever since winning in New Orleans on Zion Williamson’s debut, San Antonio has been mired in an 11-game swoon that has seen them drop from the eight-seed to the 10-seed and holding on for dear life in the Western Conference playoff race. The main culprit during the Rodeo Road Trip has been these vaunted bench units.
Prior to January 22, the Mills/White/Gay trio had a +11.6 Net Rating. Since then? -24.4 in 122 minutes. Derrick White is still a reluctant shooter from deep. Portland and Sacramento took advantage of Jakob Poeltl’s inexperience in defending out on the perimeter. Lonnie Walker IV has his moments of inconsistency and youthful mistakes. Rudy Gay is looking creakier than ever. The longer it takes the San Antonio Spurs’ bench to figure it out, the more remote the odds of them qualifying for a record 23rd consecutive playoff appearance become.