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Posted

Nobody seems willing to start the season thread, so fuck it. I'll gladly change the title if somebody comes up with something a bit more snappy, but I'm starting to get pretty excited for this team.

There are many reasons for optimism:

  • Wemby is going to be a monster. Look how much stronger he's gotten. Two years ago he was letting guys half his size barely lean on him and push him out to the three point line. Now he's straight up bullying dudes. Very much looking forward to Dillon Brooks trying to check him this year.

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This is some Giannis shit, but at 7'5" with logo range and almost never misses from the free throw line. Plus he's added a ton to his bag in the post and he's always had great touch. He's still going to turn it over too much and have some awkward moments, but his shot selection looks better, granted in a very small sample size. He doesn't seem to be settling as much. Just a slight uptick in efficiency from him will make a huge difference. Add in that he's got a ton more talent around him to take some pressure off and barring injury, I will be stunned if he isn't one of the three best players in the world by the all star break. What are you supposed to do with this guy at either end of the court?

  • I don't think people realize how lucky the Spurs got in lotterying into Dylan Harper. Forget for just a minute how smooth he is shifting gears getting to the rim and finishing.... his decision making out of the pick and roll has been exceptional. He had 8 assists last night in 22 minutes. He looks like he's running pick and roll simulations through a computer. And he efforts like a mother on defense. He's not going to take long to acclimate to the league at all. No disrespect to Cooper Flagg who I think is going to be great, but it wouldn't be a total surprise to me if Harper turns out to be better than him.

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  • We haven't seen enough of Castle to know if he's improved his shot, but he's a difference maker even without being a perimeter threat. Any improvement in his shooting puts him into a different category. It would be stunning and disappointing if he didn't take at least some significant step forward in year 2.
  • At this point, Fox almost seems like an afterthought and he's one of the top 20-ish players in the league.
  • The bench is so, so much deeper and bigger and experienced. Kornet was a fantastic add and Olynyk is very solid. Barnes is another outstanding veteran presence even though he's mostly washed. He's still going to have his moments.
  • I'm excited about Carter Bryant long term. I don't know that he's going to get much run this season but he's going to compete whenever he gets a chance. Great motor to go along with his athleticism. His shot mechanics are pure even if the results haven't been great so far. On paper, he's a perfect fit.

The questions:

  • Is Mitch Johnson an even average NBA coach? I like that he shook it up and brought in his own staff and they all seem like great hires on paper, but I have zero expectations of him -- good or bad. I can't judge anything off of what he did last season given the circumstances. But that dude must pinch himself every day for the situation he inherited.
  • I'm not as concerned about how Fox, Harper and Castle mesh as others seem to be, but Fox has been playing a certain way for a long time and he's going to have to adapt a bit.
  • I have fairly low expectations for Vassell, Keldon and Sochan... the pecking order has changed and these guys will need to learn how to fit in, but all three of their lives should be easier playing off of the rest of the team instead of having to initiate their own game. This is a pretty big year for all of them as it relates to their long term fit, so they better figure it the fuck out. 
  • Can anybody knock down an open three?
  • Will this team put in the effort to play championship level defense every night? Wemby covers up for a lot of sins but will the rest of the guys pick it up a notch?
  • How will the league take the length?

Over/under for wins is 43.5 - 44.5. I'm bullish on the over because I think much of the western conference is going to be in disarray. And I think Wemby is going to be that good.

GSG

 

 

  • Hook 'Em 3
Posted

We haven't seen the team at full strength yet. 44 projected wins seems a bit disrespectful, but that's still like a ten win improvement over last season, and I believe would be good enough to make the play-in.

I'd like to know what you guys think about matchups, and to ask a more specific question, whose lineups do you think will give the full-strength Spurs the most problems, and why?

Posted

All good stuff. I wouldn't call Barnes washed, though. He played 82 games and put up very efficient numbers last season. 

He's definitely not boarding or playing D for 35 mins a night the way he used to but he's a very good 15 points in 20 mins off the bench guy still. 

I think the hope though is that Sochan firmly unseats him to where we don't need to play Barnes 25 mins per game again. 

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