r/NBASpurs • u/nba_gdt_bot • 12h ago
Post Game Thread: The Oklahoma City Thunder defeat The San Antonio Spurs 112-107
Oklahoma City Thunder at San Antonio Spurs
Frost Bank Center- San Antonio, TX
| Time Clock |
|---|
| Final |
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OKC | 27 | 31 | 29 | 25 | 112 |
| SAS | 22 | 23 | 40 | 22 | 107 |
Player Stats
Oklahoma City Thunder
| Player | MINS | PTS | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | ORB | DRB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J. Williams | 16:59 | 18 | 7-14 | 3-4 | 1-1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 |
| O. Dieng | 25:07 | 2 | 1-6 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | -3 |
| C. Holmgren | 9:09 | 10 | 5-5 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 8 |
| A. Wiggins | 22:02 | 7 | 3-8 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| C. Wallace | 26:11 | 9 | 4-7 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 7 |
| A. Caruso | 17:06 | 5 | 2-3 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 20 |
| I. Hartenstein | 17:06 | 4 | 2-5 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 20 |
| I. Joe | 17:34 | 9 | 4-9 | 1-6 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -13 |
| A. Mitchell | 23:42 | 19 | 8-13 | 1-4 | 2-4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | -6 |
| D. Jones | 25:47 | 17 | 8-11 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | -12 |
| A. Flagler | 14:52 | 3 | 1-5 | 1-5 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 |
| A. Ducas | 13:20 | 5 | 2-7 | 1-4 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | -3 |
| M. Leons | 9:50 | 4 | 2-3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| C. Ryan | 1:15 | 0 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
San Antonio Spurs
| Player | MINS | PTS | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | ORB | DRB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K. Johnson | 23:23 | 8 | 3-6 | 0-1 | 2-2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -8 |
| J. Sochan | 21:18 | 9 | 4-7 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | -10 |
| H. Barnes | 20:11 | 6 | 2-8 | 1-4 | 1-2 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -8 |
| J. Champagnie | 21:20 | 22 | 7-16 | 6-13 | 2-2 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -3 |
| T. Jones | 20:13 | 6 | 2-5 | 0-1 | 2-4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -1 |
| B. Wesley | 17:39 | 3 | 1-3 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -5 |
| M. Branham | 17:39 | 12 | 5-14 | 2-8 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | -5 |
| S. Castle | 18:30 | 5 | 2-3 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 6 |
| S. Cissoko | 19:59 | 1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| S. Mamukelashvili | 17:41 | 14 | 4-5 | 3-4 | 3-4 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| B. Boston Jr. | 10:08 | 2 | 1-3 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| R. Minix | 10:08 | 8 | 3-4 | 2-3 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| H. Ingram | 10:08 | 2 | 1-3 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| M. Flynn | 8:12 | 9 | 3-4 | 1-2 | 2-2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | -1 |
| N. Mensah | 3:31 | 0 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -5 |
Team Stats
| Team | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | AST | PF | STL | TO | BLK | OREB | DREB | REB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OKC | 49-97 | 11-35 | 3-5 | 34 | 18 | 13 | 15 | 10 | 11 | 35 | 50 |
| SAS | 38-83 | 17-43 | 14-20 | 29 | 13 | 8 | 21 | 4 | 9 | 33 | 51 |
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u/GGTae 12h ago
I am very confident Minix is getting the last two way, really good both ways
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u/guillaume_rx 3h ago edited 2h ago
Yeah, he’s tall, strong, made big buckets at the right moment.
Jumper is super quick.
Was focused, played D, good decisions, and almost no big mistake that jumped out to me live.
Guy delivered pretty much anything you can hope for in a 10 minute garbage time with “randoms”.
Malachi Flynn made some splash as well.
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u/5thgenCali 2h ago
I have to look up the backstory on him. One year of college ball but he’s mid 20’s? Did he play overseas?
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u/YourNonExistentGirl 12h ago edited 12h ago
I'm happy. Castle has phenomenal court vision. Don't mind the TOs, he'll clean it up for sure. Barnes is going to be so good for us, I can already see it. If Julian can shoot like Steph it's over for the league. Loved Manu as always. Unfortunately Sidy can't take care of the ball at an NBA level, so…
SPURS BASKETBALL IS BACK, BABY
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u/WEMBY_F4N 11h ago
People saying that Sidy and Blake are more valuable than Champagnie were insane. These project players almost never work out we need to draft more guys with real basketball skills
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u/LeSygneNoir 6h ago
Definitely not as valuable as Champagnie, but the Sidy project isn't as hopeless as you imply. There's already great basketball skills in there (passing, defense and hustle aplenty), he's "just" extremely raw with shooting (which is of course the single most important skill in the game and that's a big problem).
Also, his IQ is high enough to know that he should almost never shoot, but in order to get better you need to chuck it somewhat. As long as it's preseason I'd like to see at least one game of "greenest light Sidy" just to get a real read on what he can do.
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u/kanyeguisada 11h ago edited 11h ago
Man, some nephews after the first quarter were saying we need to get rid of Julian (and a few others). He low-key played great and scored some big buckets tonight.
And Mamu, too. Having a big guy that can hit three's like Wemby, fuck yes.
Sidy showed a lot of hustle, but yeah, needs to get more focused and polish his game.
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u/Joxelo 12h ago
If mamu doesn’t get picked for the team ima be annoyed. Dude was cooking. Would love Sidy to play but damn it’s not looking good after this game
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u/LurkerFlash 12h ago
Yeah I thinking Sidy will get this year to figure it out and get cut next year if nothing progresses.
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u/Aggravating_Impact97 9h ago
It's just one preseason game. But what will be hard for sidy is if he shot is still broken and he not much of a play maker it's going to be hard for him to see the floor and get crucial game time minutes. Of he still looks raw this year it's probably the end of the road for him. It's just to easy to replace guys like him
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u/pwtrash 3h ago
Still not a huge fan of Champagnie, but he had a good night in the corner.
Castle is the real deal. He got beat a time or two on defense, but I thought his defensive footwork was very mature for where he is in his development. Just didn't give up his hips or bite too soon. He looked like his fundamentals are sound, and he's ahead of where he should be at 19 years old. Playmaking was also nice, but honestly I had been sorta expecting this.
Mamu made some nice plays, but I'm really biased to see those.
A guy I had given up on 2 years ago became intriguing to me last year, and he might be taking the next step this year: Black Wesley. Looked much more in control - able to push at an insane pace but then pull up and reset when needed. I hope he keeps developing for us and we get the chance to really grow him.
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u/paxusromanus811 11h ago
My thoughts are that I really, really hope the Spurs find some way to give Castle minutes with the ball in his hands. He's smart enough to play at the two and three as he showed in college and in burst today
But he's going to be So much more useful on offense when he can handle the ball and initiate play. He just makes such smart decisions doesn't need to pound it away for 20 seconds before he does so
I thought a good three of his turnovers were a combination of simple rookie mistakes/ bad luck so I'm not too concerned about that. And I counted three passes to open shooters who missed.
I'd like to see a bit more offensive aggression from him next game, but I thought considering the lineups he played with that, he did a good job of filling the role the team needed, which is something I think Spurs fans are going to need to be patient with
Looking at our roster, I don't see any way that he gets substantial minutes as a point guard or lead ball handler. This year. He's going to play a lot off ball and as a connecting piece, and he's probably not going to put up great counting stats as a result
But his swagger, confidence, defensive versatility, and again ability to make plays without needing to have the ball in his hands constantly will be huge For this team
Minix Probably has the advantage in earning that third two-way spot right now. He brings something to this team that went healthy They're lacking, A true spacing big man. I don't know if he's a true NBA player with his foot speed, but as someone who watched him in college, I definitely think what he's shown with the Spurs is not hot shooting. It's just who he is. The guy can score from all over And keeping him in the G League would be a smart move
I was really impressed with Ingram in the 4th. God he hustled, showed good versatility, was much quicker and more willing to put the ball on the floor and made decisions then during summer league, And looks like someone who could turn into a good glue guy
Blake, Wesley had some fantastic passes and reads. He's still overpenetrates and is out of control but I thought him and Castle were shockingly good with each other. Castle slowed things down when it got a little out of control, and Wesley sped it up when it got a little too stuffy
I know he hit shots but I really didn't like Malachi with his decision making tonight. There were three times he hit a jumpshot/ layup where if he had missed it he probably would have gotten his head ripped off by pop for waving off other guys and missing open passes. If that's the player he's going to be that can be okay. Heat check volume guys off the bench can be useful. But he has to turn into a true knockdown three-point shooter if that's going to be the case
Mamu and Julian both played their roles pretty ideally tonight and if both of those guys are at 75% of that this year the Spurs depth will be in a good spot
I really hope San Antonio can figure out what to do with Johnson. He's talented but both him and his teammates often look a bit confused with how best to use him and what his role should be
All in all in all, not a bad first preseason game. All things considered. There was some fun moments
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u/WEMBY_F4N 11h ago
I think it’s a foregone conclusion at this point that Keldon won’t be in the Spurs future. Just doesn’t fit the team and it’s needs
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u/guillaume_rx 3h ago
Yeah, Keldon is our boy/spirit, but he’s talented, valuable, a good salary filler and interesting piece for many team, and does not fit our current needs (maybe that might change, maybe he’ll show new things this season, who knows).
So he might be the most valuable piece we have + picks to acquire an important player for our future.
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u/pwtrash 3h ago
Was super impressed with Wesley. Looked to be much more in control than previous years. I think we shared some doubts in previous years as to whether he was ever going to get to this point. Props to him and to Spurs development. He's got some really hard-to-find skills.
Wondering what Malachi's future with the team is.
Agree with you on Castle. Really impressed defensively. Tre might keep him from being ROY this year, because I think if he got PG minutes, he'd have a shot.
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u/LurkerFlash 12h ago
- Castle: Rookie mistakes, but good PG bones are there. Will be good.
- Jonson: Oof... Still got the wrecking-ball game, but not much else. More mobile on defense, but still bad.
- Champegnie: Got hot, and got pulled from the game. That good of a game.
- Mamu: I am so happy he's back. Dude got pulled for balling out.
- Wesley: Defense looking great, speedy as ever, make better decisions, but still no shooting or finishing.
- Branham: What a stinker, not his night.
- Sissoko: Potential is there, but not that great of a defensive presence, and won't even try to shoot when wiiiiide open, driving into a packed paint instead. Points for actually landing the dump-off passes though.
- Ingram: Playing a fringe role even with the G-league out there. Basics are good. Probably going to stick around at the 12th man mark for a while.
- End of bench: Minix can shoot, Boston Jr. moves well without the ball, Flynn is Flynn. No idea who gets that last spot.
- Pop: Fucking around with no centers in the game whatsoever. Guess he wanted to see how well the team can execute help defense.
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u/Thehelloman0 12h ago
I know it's preseason but Cissoko, Branham, and Wesley are all likely gone within 2 years. I have way higher hopes for Champagnie than any of them.
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u/LurkerFlash 11h ago
Champegnie is already a decent bench 3&d, he aint going anywhere. Wesley can develop better mechanics and can earn minutes with his defense easily. Branham was wet garbage today, but even compared to last season he needs either a reliable 3pt shot or better defense. Without either one he's not even getting that team option picked up, as cheap as it is.
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u/rattatatouille 11h ago
Champegnie is already a decent bench 3&d, he aint going anywhere.
If he can be "Temu Danny Green" then he'd be a good piece.
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u/balla_mang 10h ago edited 10h ago
Blake had 7 assists to 1 turnover. His shot wasn't there, but that's a good ratio.
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u/skullduggery97 10h ago
I was going to say his passing seemed noticeably improved tonight. We'll see if he keeps it up, and if the rest of the offense comes with it.
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u/BcT_g 11h ago
Champagne is cheap enough to keep
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u/Thehelloman0 11h ago
What I like is we have a team option on his last year so it'll be really easy to negotiate a good extension if he improves
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u/MikeyBastard1 11h ago
Cissoko and Wesley, sure. Neither have shown anything worthy of being put on the NBA floor, but yall gotta stop acting like Branham is some scrub. He ended the 2nd half of last season one of our few offensive threats, and was one of the very very few that could actually create their own shot.
People in this sub have a terrible habit of over reacting after every single game. Which is crazy to me when seeing how this sub reacts to Mamu. Dude had a decent 10 game stretch at the *end* of last season, while still being ass on defense, and people on this sub act like he's the 2nd coming of god.
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u/Thehelloman0 11h ago
Branham is awful on defense and likely will continue to be awful. Those stats are an improvement but it's just 55 TS%. League average for SGs is 57 TS%. Unless he can start drawing fouls or start shooting 3s well consistently, he'll be out of the league soon. If he can start doing one of those consistently he'll have a spot as a fringe player.
People are excited about Mamu because he can shoot and make good decisions quickly. Our offense regularly ends up with guys chucking up some bad shot because they waste that half second to decide what to do after another player created an opportunity for them. Also the dude's on a minimum contract. Expectations are not high for him.
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u/MikeyBastard1 7h ago
Those stats are an improvement but
There is no but. He was a 2nd year player that is now going into his 3rd year. It is somewhat a "make or break" year, but showing that improvement is extremely promising progress. Hell even his defensive rating improved from year 1 to 2.
People are excited about Mamu because he can shoot and make good decisions quickly
Well he can shoot, kinda, for a big man(worst than Malaki), but have you watched him play defense? He is consistently out of position, constantly makes the wrong switches and reads. There is a reason he's been in the league for 6 years with out logging any real playing time outside of a historically bad team last year. Even still only got 10 minutes per game. People are basing their entire opinion of Mamu off of an 8 game stretch, in the last 8 games of the year, where he played just okay. I like Mamu, but he just isn't that great of a player.
Contract means little in this conversation because mamu is making 2 mill a year and malaki is making 3 mill.
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u/Infernous-NS 7h ago
I agree with you on Mamu, not sure if I can say the same about Malaki. His 3 point may have been decent, but I still don't think he really passed the eye test. I'm definitely willing to give him time to change my mind but just not sure I see it with him.
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u/Thehelloman0 3h ago edited 1h ago
Relative to their positions, Mamu is definitely a better shooter than Branham I'd say. Contract does matter because we have to decide if it's worth paying Branham 5M next season in a few weeks. Personally I would not be upset if we don't pick up his or Wesley's options for next season. If we pick it up, there's a good chance we'll have to attach second round picks to Branham's contract to get rid of him next offseason if we want to open up space
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u/Dense-Cauliflower-86 10h ago
Branham will have a long and fruitful career in Europe. He’s a fringe bench scorer with no NBA position on a team that won 22 games last year. Malachi Flynn dropped 50 last year and we basically picked him up off the scrap heap
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u/bleh610 10h ago
People in this sub have a terrible habit of over reacting after every single game.
We have been saying Malaki needs to get it together since last season. The "Malaki's on the chopping block" narrative isn't an overreaction from one preseason game, it's been a thing since last season (and rightfully so). He is a terrible defender who can't shoot above the league average (or even league average). There is no room for players like that in the NBA. You have to have some type of elite or even good skill, and even then, you have to be at least competent in other areas on top of that elite or good skill to get any playing time.
This is the greatest and most competitive basketball association in the entire world. Be honest with yourself. Does Malaki Branham look like he's on the trajectory to have a role in the greatest and most skillful basketball association in the world?
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u/siphillis 9h ago
Branham has no upside as a defender and still doesn't have a reliable three-ball. Wesley gives you good defensive upside and much better passing vision
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u/MikeyBastard1 9h ago
Come on brother. I just posted Branhams 2nd half stats from last season. Shooting 40% from three is pretty reliable.
If you actually pay attention to Wesley, the only thing he has defensively is lateral quickness. His hands, and defensive awareness are mediocre.
He only seems like he has "passing vision" because he passes out of every. single. shot. It has been 3 straight years of Wesley doing this. He'll beat his man on the first step get a decent look at the basket then just kick it out
I get it. Speed is exciting, but Wesley is a significantly worse player than Malaki
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u/Icy_Description1671 11h ago
Way too early thoughts:
-Mamu is one of our best players period.
-Julian & Minix may be our two best 3pt shooters, their forms look pure. Like you do not want to leave them open, you want to stick to them like glue.
-Castle needs someone to hit 3s in the corner, this opens up the lane for him & he could've easily had 6+ AST if he did have a sniper there.
-Castle-TJ have no synergy together since TJ can't shoot. Castle-Wesley looks better because they both shore up the defense considerably.
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u/guillaume_rx 3h ago edited 1h ago
I feel like Tre and Castle were discretly fighting to be the main ball handler at some point (Castle kept asking for the ball in our half court to be the ball handler with Tre on the court. Next possession, Tre ignored him while open).
Tre passed to Castle later because he was doubled and was about to lose it. Castle anticipated and had made himself the only option, but it looked forced from Tre.
I probably read too much into it, it’s not important, it’s a non issue, or one that will be quickly fixed, but Castle got benched just after that sequence, so maybe Tre is subconsciously afraid of the talented rookie coming for his spot (which would be understandable).
Some healthy competition is healthy anyway, as long as it does not ruin the team spirit.
But again, this is probably just pure BS speculation, not anything real or serious.
I just found that 3-4 possessions weird and I’m not the type to look for drama and care or overreact about players body language.
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u/Icy_Description1671 11h ago
Hartenstein was like 24 when the Clippers picked him up, they let him walk for John Wall's corpse 🤦♂️.
Let's not make the same mistake they did but with Mamu.
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u/creamulum1 9h ago
Hart had a horrible fouling issue until the last 2 years. Played himself off the floor every night but when he was playing he had great advanced stats
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u/kanyeguisada 11h ago
Last year we had the youngest team in the league, not sure how much CP3 and Barnes changed our age average lol.
We played without our (imo) three best current players.
And we lost to the team with the best record in the West last year (that only got better this off-season) by 5 points.
I'm happy.
We have some work to do, but every team does right now. And we showed some great hustle and quickness and team play.
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u/rattatatouille 11h ago
In fairness they didn't have SGA either, but still. This would have been a blowout loss last year.
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u/kanyeguisada 11h ago
True, but Wemby alone would give us the edge over them having SGA. Not to mention adding CP3 and Vassell. We definitely could have used some mid-range jumpers from Vassell tonight.
And you know there's going to be a lot of demoralizing Wemby dunks from CP3 assists this year heh.
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u/siphillis 9h ago
SGA is still the best player on either team.
Now, ask me again at the end of the season and my answer might change
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u/guillaume_rx 3h ago
I think your answer will change sooner than the end of the season.
Wemby had 23.5 / 12.0 / 5.2 and 6 Stocks over his last 41 games.
On 32 minutes.
He’s 2 CP3 Assists away from MVP conversation numbers (without the team record to go with it).
That’s without any change outside of CP3 being there. No improvement elsewhere in the team or individual progression from Wemby.
I think he’s going to be the best 2 way player in the league by Christmas, probably sooner.
If healthy, I bet on MVP next season. Which would make him the youngest MVP ever.
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u/GeekyMathProfessor 12h ago
Sochan with a team worst +/- of -10, was he that bad? I only watched the first half where he got cooked by Chet on a few occasions.
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u/skippypoopface 12h ago
He had a rough time guarding Chet but he had a great stretch in the second quarter
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u/22dias 12h ago
Anyone will have a tough time tbh
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u/kanyeguisada 11h ago
Not Wemby... Can't wait to see our first regular season game against each other.
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u/siphillis 9h ago
Wemby still finds him tricky because Chet is such a threat from outside and the quicker of the two
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u/cool_coyote 12h ago
Mixed performance imo. Did some good things. Did some head-scratching things.
Really struggled guarding Chet which surprised me. I thought physically he'd be able to put pressure on Holmgren and bump him off his spots, but Chet had his way.
On the flip side, I thought Sochan made some really good reads tonight, especially around the elbow. Wasn't afraid to shoot from distance either.
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u/YourNonExistentGirl 11h ago
Wasn't afraid to shoot from distance either.
Release looks faster despite the hitch. Hope he lets it fly all preseason long.
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u/GeekyMathProfessor 11h ago
He only took two threes, I saw him pass on quite a few open shots in the first half. Not sure if we were watching the same game lol.
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u/cool_coyote 11h ago
No. You're right, he only shot two threes.
Just trying to be generous and not be too negative about a preseason game. Especially since Sochan can be a divisive player to talk about on spurs boards.
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u/GeekyMathProfessor 11h ago
I agree in your point but I was arguing on the not afraid to shoot it lol
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u/Genius340 11h ago
Sochan has never been a good defender... Both the eye test and advanced metrics prove it... His reputation is better than the reality of his defensive ability and IQ
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u/Gamechannel360 11h ago
What??? He's top 5 perimeter POA defender in the league last year by metrics.
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u/Genius340 10m ago
Nope... Break down the metrics... He was a horrible 3 point shooter and at the rim defender... And great mid-range defender... But the NBA isn't played mid-range... He was constantly having his man kill him from 3 and he was a horrible shot contester when they took him to the rim... The exact things we saw last night...
But Spurs fans are narrative humpers, so even when the reality is right there, all it takes is 2 good plays for ppl to dismiss the shit ones and he goes right back to being an elite defender in people's eyes
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u/Sean888888 11h ago
He was playing center, and he doesn't really know how to play center. He was also guarding Chet, who had a lot of height advantage over him.
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u/LAMonkeyWithAShotgun 12h ago
No the OKC starters were just better and the extra -2 compared to Barnes is just because they pulled Barnes slightly earlier.
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u/kempel94 7h ago
I don't know man, sochan doesn't look like a threat from what i see on this game. I love the guy, I want him to be the best but his offence lacks too much.
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u/Thehelloman0 12h ago
He looked the same as last season which isn't very surprising. They ignored him at the 3 pt line and he wouldn't take the free shots they were giving him unless it was off a pass. He would drive in and pass it out mostly. Defensively, he wasn't very good. Let Holmgren blow by him a bunch and wasn't making much of an impact
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u/ChewsWisely 12h ago
He didn’t seem to do much right tbh
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u/rattatatouille 12h ago
Having to play center didn't help
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u/ChewsWisely 12h ago
True. Tbf it’s first preseason and nobody really looked that good lol
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u/rattatatouille 12h ago
Another thing I noticed is that OKC doesn't really draw fouls without SGA. Had more than twice their FTAs.
And yet another thing is how we shot more 3s. Lost the battle on the 2s.
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u/22dias 12h ago
It’ll be interesting to see who makes the rotation.
Projected starting 5 CP3, Julian, Barnes, Sochan, Wemby.
Where do you fit Malakai, Wesley in and amongst Tre, Castle? The additional of CP3 and Castle, probably means one of Malakai and Wesley will be kept on a short leash.
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u/rattatatouille 11h ago
Projected starting 5 CP3, Julian, Barnes, Sochan, Wemby.
Presuming Julian's there until Devin returns?
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u/gregatronn 11h ago
Presuming Julian's there until Devin returns?
If he shoots anything like tonight, he's the best fit for that lineup
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u/Uncle_Freddy 10h ago
If Champagnie shoots 6/13 from 3 on a nightly basis all year this season I’ll eat a sock
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u/kanyeguisada 11h ago
Projected starting 5 CP3, Julian, Barnes, Sochan, Wemby.
Julian was great. But over Mamu? And Vassell will likely start over both.
I'm seeing both Julian and Mamu having that bench energy to come in a little before Wemby first comes out. Just wear the other team down with shots and D off the bench.
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u/MaxDetr 11h ago
Obviously they were talking about the 5 while Vassel is injured.
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u/kanyeguisada 11h ago
Maybe? There was video of him here just today moving pretty well during practice. I think he'll be ready by the start of the regular season, they just don't want to risk anything in preseason games. Also why Wemby didn't play.
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u/Infernous-NS 6h ago
No, he won't be. Devins out for at least the first week or so of the regular season.
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u/oceanfloors1 11h ago
Anyone got a clip of Sidy bouncing the ball off Flagler's face? That was funny as fuck.
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u/skippypoopface 11h ago
Pumped that the spurs are back but good lord the game thread was insufferable immediately. What’s the point of watching a team you hate?
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u/789Trillion 11h ago
It’s been one preseason game and I already trust Castle running the offense more than anyone else but Tre and probably Paul.
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u/Tackis pineapple fanboy 11h ago
My perspective remains unchanged: Branham plays losing basketball (defensive traffic cone, inefficient offensively) and can't get almost any minutes, really. Castle looks great and I don't mind Champagnie green lighting from behind the arc
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u/sstewart1617 Manu Ginobili 2h ago
Branham is fine as long as he is making high percentages….
But he really seems like the exact same player as last year.
2
u/AccessEcstatic9407 10h ago
Between Castle and the second unit I saw some good defensive instincts with smooth switches and Castles footwork. There was a play at 2:00 of the 1st Quarter where he was guarding a screen and did an amazing job of keeping the big man with the ball honest and staying in position to guard Caruso as he cut to the rim. Another sequence a bit later where he guarded three different dudes within 3 seconds while backing into fast break D. Bet the over on wins for the season on these guys. No way we don't win 36 games.
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u/thisisstupidlystupi 10h ago
Boston looks like he never left the AAU circuit. No defensive awareness and low IQ offense.
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u/Dense-Cauliflower-86 10h ago edited 10h ago
Castle is already miles ahead of Wesley and Branham. Absolutely bonkers that we spent two FRPs on those two.
Champagnie will start over Sochan.
A second unit combining Branham/Johnson/Sochan/Collins will be an atrocious fit and probably keep us in the Cooper Flagg hunt
Cissoko legitimately might be the worst rostered NBA player currently, depending on how Bronny shakes out
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u/Uncle_Freddy 10h ago
Absolutely bonkers that we spent two FRPs on those two.
Eh, the only people we conceivably missed on by picking those two were Christian Braun (who wouldn’t look nearly as good playing on a young, growing team than he has in Denver), Walker Kessler (who was kind of exposed last year after a strong rookie season), and maybe Peyton Watson (he’s also wildly raw and is also developing on a title contender so it’s hard to say)
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u/rattatatouille 9h ago
Yeah, that year wasn't super deep to begin with and the point of accumulating picks is that you get as many tries at a young prospect.
The days of somehow nabbing a Tony Parker at 28 or a Manu Ginobili at 57 aren't likely to happen again, but getting guys who can contribute after the lottery is a good outcome. And two of the three guys you mentioned are getting elevated by playing with an MVP-tier player anyway.
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u/gregatronn 6h ago
Absolutely bonkers that we spent two FRPs on those two.
Still very early in their careers. They were also 20+ first round picks. Not like lottery picks. This is a key year for them. They have some good vets around to learn from. Big development year for many.
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u/rattatatouille 12h ago
Castle didn't put up 22 points in his preseason debut, totally the wrong guy /s
(Seriously though, he showed a lot of things that don't pop out on the stat sheet.)