San Antonio Spurs Who Still Have to Step Up

The San Antonio Spurs have bounced back from a brief losing stretch with seven straight wins, most recently a 119-114 victory over the Charlotte Hornets Wednesday night. But they’re still in need of more consistent contributions from a few players.

Although roster changes are a factor since a new face is adjusting to new teammates, a couple of returning players are also adapting to new featured spots. All that is happening while a longtime leader is learning a lesser role, too.

Now, Gregg Popovich’s team has navigated the opening month of the season at 12-3, so San Antonio has the luxury of fine-tuning the rotation while still winning games. But for the Spurs to reach their championship potential, they’ll need a more complete effort.

   

Honorable Mention: Pau Gasol, C

Following a fully expected and largely inconsequential slow start to the season, Pau Gasol is adapting to his new setting.

During the first eight games, the veteran attempted 10-plus shots just once while recording a net negative-2.3 rating, per NBA.com. The low point was when Gasol played a mere 13 minutes throughout a two-point loss to the Houston Rockets.

Since then, Gasol has registered an impressive plus-13.6 rating thanks to increased contributions on offense and growing more comfortable in his defensive role. The latter side of the court was always the concern because Gasol was pegged to fill the position Tim Duncan played—not replace him.

According to Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post, Gasol said communication is the key to settling into his new environment.

[With] the way the NBA is going, there’s so much switching going on, and smaller lineups, so it is an adjustment period that just continues to happen that way. We’ll continue to help each other out, understanding how we can help each other on the floor and communicating. That’s the key no matter what.

Gasol couldn’t be expected to dominate from the moment he stepped onto the floor in a silver and black uniform.

There’s no debating San Antonio needs Gasol’s recent surge to be a regular sight. But after a rough beginning, his overall impact is trending in the right …

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