Still, while he improved his playmaking in recent seasons, DeRozan isn't a point guard. Does he move Mills into the starting lineup, leaving the second unit exposed? Or does he insert Bryn Forbes as the starter, hoping that the surrounding talent can make up for the fact that Forbes isn't really a true point guard? Popovich commented recently that DeMar DeRozan has "turned out to be maybe the best passer on our team," and these injuries may result in the All-Star taking on an even bigger responsibility in the offense. Popovich is now left with a tricky situation. Hence why Derrick White - who barely played last season - was going to be the starter after Murray went down. Patty Mills is the only true point guard left healthy, but Gregg Popovich has always preferred to bring him off the bench.
In any case, the Spurs are already in a really tough spot. Should he have to start missing regular season games, the Spurs would really be in trouble. While Gay said afterwards that Popovich was just being cautious, this was a problem Gay dealt with almost all of last season. Rudy Gay sat out Friday night's preseason finale with a heel issue of his own. Popovich said late Friday that White could return sooner - perhaps in just two-to-four weeks - but that remains to be seen.īut if losing three key members of the backcourt for a significant period of time wasn't enough, the Spurs may have another issue on their hands. Derrick White, the little-known second-year guard who was supposed to step in as the starter, injured his heel, and could be out six-to-eight weeks.
At that point, things were already getting rough.Īnd then more bad news came. But then, starting point guard Dejounte Murray - who everyone around the team expected to enjoy a breakout season - suffered a torn ACL that will keep sidelined all season. That was a tough blow, but nothing the Spurs couldn't deal with. First, their first-round pick Lonnie Walker IV went down with a torn meniscus. So too are Tony Parker, who signed with the Hornets, and Manu Ginobili, who decided to call it a career.īut now, in addition to a number of franchise-altering changes, Popovich and the Spurs are facing an injury crisis that could dismantle their season. Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green are gone, traded to the Raptors in a blockbuster deal that brought back DeMar DeRozan and Jakob Poeltl. This was always going to be a strange season for Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs.