Three months into the season, the San Antonio Spurs have not played up to the level they showed last year. After taking the league by storm in 2013-14, finishing with the best record and winning the championship with relative ease, San Antonio has struggled in the beginning of its title defense. They rank seventh in the West, had the worst month in the Duncan era in December and don't have a top-10 offense after 40 games. Their defense remains good but not as stout as it was last season, standing outside the top five. The numbers don't bear out a contender as much as one of many good teams in the West.
What San Antonio is hanging its hopes on is that the mediocre play the team has showed for stretches has more to do with the multiple injuries it suffered than with a serious decrease in its collective ability. There's a pervasive belief that "the Spurs' system" is responsible for the team's success and not individual players, a perception the franchise is happy to perpetuate. The reality, of course, is the Spurs suffer the absences of their key players as much as any team.
The Spurs were whole for a full game for the first time this season on Friday, when Kawhi Leonard returned from a hand injury after missing a month. If the outcome of the game is any indication -- a resounding 110-96 home win over the second-seeded Portland Trail Blazers -- there is plenty of reason for optimism in San Antonio. Leonard finished the game with a team-leading 20 points to go with five assists, four rebounds and three steals, reminding everyone just how important he is for the defending champs.
Leonard can change the momentum of a game with his defense
The Spurs have been 13.1 points better per 100 possessions than their opponents with Leonard on the floor. Their defense has allowed just 94.7 points, a mark that would lead the league. Leonard is one of the best perimeter defenders in the game, mixing great fundamentals and footwork with innate anticipation instincts and a huge wingspan that makes him a threat to strip the ball away at any second. Leonard averages two steals per game and often converts the turnovers he forces into easy points on the break.
That ability to change the momentum of a game was sorely missed by the Spurs, who were also missing bench sparkplug Patty Mills until a few games ago.
The Spurs can finally settle on a rotation
In Leonard's absence, San Antonio was faced with a decision: either go small with Marco Belinelli or Cory Joseph at shooting guard and Danny Green at small forward, or give minutes to rookie Kyle Anderson and the recently waived Austin Daye. Sometimes they would start Boris Diaw to make up for the offensive impact Leonard makes when healthy. As a result, they used 23 different starting lineups, with the most used unit from last season logging just seven minutes together before Friday. Roles changed almost daily and so did the minutes allocation. That's why having Leonard back is so important for the Spurs aside from his production: it allows Gregg Popovich to finally settle on an ideal rotation.
Against Portland the Spurs used 14 lineups, including garbage time, and the starting unit of Tony Parker, Danny Green, Leonard, Tim Duncan and Tiago Splitter was on the court together for 13 minutes. The previous game against the Charlotte Hornets, they used 18 units and the one that was on the court the longest was in for nine minutes. It has not been strange for Popovich to throw over 20 units on the court in a single game, trying to find something that worked, and adjusting almost instantly when it didn't. Leonard's return should really balance out the Spurs' lineups and create the type of familiarity a pass-oriented offense desperately needs if it wants to avoid constant turnovers.
More Kawhi Leonard
Everyone can now return to the role that fits them best
Finally, what Leonard's presence means is a chance for every player on the roster to go back to a role that suits them. Green won't have to be the team's best perimeter defender anymore, which should help him save energy for offense. The opposite is true for Duncan: with Leonard there to carry a heavier burden on offense and even taking some of Tim's post-ups, Duncan gets to focus on defense. Manu Ginobili can use fewer possessions, hopefully picking his spots and regaining his efficiency. Having Leonard back will likely have a trickle down effect that should improve units he's not even a part of. No one will have to be stretched too thin trying to make up for his absence.
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The Finals MVP has only been back for one game, so it's too early to predict the Spurs will go on a long winning streak or blow out quality opponents like the Blazers regularly. It is undeniable, however, that San Antonio is a better team today than it was on Thursday and could, with time, regain the level it showed last season. Another thing that is undeniable? With the Oklahoma City Thunder trying to climb up to the eighth spot and the Spurs standing in the seventh, having one of the best records in the West is officially dangerous.
★★★