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For the first time in 29 years, the head coach of the San Antonio Spurs will not be Gregg Popovich. The Hall of Famer stepped away from the post, taking a front office position.
His replacement, Mitch Johnson, who served as Popovich's interim as he dealt with health issues this season, has big shoes to fill on the sideline.
Johnson served as the interim head coach for the final 77 games of the regular season, going 32-45. Now, with the interim label dropped from his title, it's his team moving forward, but what should be expected for the first-time head coach?
The No. 1 priority for the Spurs over the past few years has been developing their young core of players. Victor Wembanyama had one of the best rookie seasons of all time, and followed that up with an even better sophomore campaign. He is a freak of nature, and will only continue to get better, but the young players around him are also going to be a point of emphasis.
Overall, on the year, Devin Vassell's production was down a step, especially in terms of scoring, going from 19.5 points per game to just a 16.3 mark. However, after a rough February, he seemed to have found his stride in March, averaging 19.1 points per game.
With a full season of De'Aaron Fox, another (hopeful) step forward for Wembanyama, and the possibility of the Spurs landing another scorer, Vassell's production probably won't match his 2023-24 mark, but he could see continued improvements defensively and as a playmaker, and should see more open looks with those previous factors in mind.
Julian Champagnie will likely remain in the rotation moving forward after averaging a hair short of 10 points per game and playing in all 82 games, but it'll be interesting to see how much burn some of the fringe rotation players will get, namely, Blake Wesley and Sandro Mamukelashvili.
Wesley has fought for playing time in each of his three NBA seasons, while Mamukelashvili came on late in the season for the Spurs, averaging 8.4 points and 4.0 rebounds per game while knocking down 34 percent of his three-pointers over the last 28 games. Mamukelashvili also averaged 8.5 points per game in just 12.3 minutes per game in the month of March.
The makeup of the Spurs roster for next season is still highly up in the air, but the Spurs still have a handful of young players who haven't been able to stick on to the rotation, such as Malaki Branham, who was a mainstay over the past two seasons, Harrison Ingram, and Side Cissoko.
De'Aaron Fox's production took a severe dip following the trade, going from 25.0 points per game in Sacramento to 19.7 in San Antonio. Fox had limited practice with the Spurs during a packed second-half schedule, and he had some troubles adjusting to the offense. With a full offseason, Fox should be back to his old self for the Spurs.
Johnson made a similar comment after Fox's first home game with the Spurs.
“We had our first practice two days ago with him. This is his first home game, so to think that there wouldn’t be a ton of evolution would be silly on our part,” said Johnson.
“I think with us, we have an identity and a style of play that we’re trying to grow, and we’ve been trying to grow. When you add a player of that caliber, to think that that’s not going to take time, right, you look at any of these top teams around the league, there’s continuity is a big word that doesn’t get discussed enough, and that’s something that we are early in the stages for different reasons in the earliest stage with him, but there’s some exciting potential to see on the way.”
Fox and Wembanyama will be one of the most devastating pick-and-roll combos for defenses to attack. The pair only played five games together before both of their seasons ended due to injury.
Chris Paul's one-year deal is up, and while it's unknown if the Spurs have any intention of bringing him back, it seems unlikely, with Fox being the full-time point guard seeming like the obvious choice.
Harrison Barnes has been a steady veteran presence in the NBA for over a decade, and just put up his most efficient season of his career, shooting 50.8 percent from the field, 43.3 percent from beyond the arc, and 80.9 percent from the free throw line. Barnes played in all 82 games for the third consecutive season.
Yet, he seemed to fall a bit out of favor with Johnson as the season wound down. Granted, he still played a full starter's load of minutes, but he is entering into his age-34 season and may not be able to put as much tread on the tires as he once did.
Barnes was averaging just shy of 30 minutes per game in November, and was averaging 29.3 in January. Come February, Barnes averaged 25.9 for the month, and 24.5 during March. Interestingly enough, March and April saw Barnes have by far his highest usage rate, mostly due to the injuries of Fox and Wembanyama.
Of course, if the Spurs strike a trade for another star, Barnes very well could be included in the deal thanks to the one year and $19 million left on his contract.
Meanwhile for Stephon Castle, he earned a lot more trust from Johnson as the season wound down. Part of that may have been to help his case for the Rookie of the Year Award, but he put up the numbers to justify his usage.
In February, Castle averaged 23.3 minutes, 14.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game. In March, the leash came off of Castle, and he averaged 28.8 minutes, 19.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game; and his efficiency got better, both in terms of field goal percentage and true shooting.
In April, he averaged 33.3 minutes, 18.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 7.5 assists per game, while posting his best true shooting percentage of any month.
Castle is a player that has shown the ability to fill a number of roles and wear a bunch of hats on the court, being able to play on or off the ball, guard a few different positions, and be a primary playmaker or a connector. His versatility will earn him playing time no matter what the roster looks like next season.
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His replacement, Mitch Johnson, who served as Popovich's interim as he dealt with health issues this season, has big shoes to fill on the sideline.
Johnson served as the interim head coach for the final 77 games of the regular season, going 32-45. Now, with the interim label dropped from his title, it's his team moving forward, but what should be expected for the first-time head coach?
1. Continued Development From Last Season
The No. 1 priority for the Spurs over the past few years has been developing their young core of players. Victor Wembanyama had one of the best rookie seasons of all time, and followed that up with an even better sophomore campaign. He is a freak of nature, and will only continue to get better, but the young players around him are also going to be a point of emphasis.
Overall, on the year, Devin Vassell's production was down a step, especially in terms of scoring, going from 19.5 points per game to just a 16.3 mark. However, after a rough February, he seemed to have found his stride in March, averaging 19.1 points per game.
With a full season of De'Aaron Fox, another (hopeful) step forward for Wembanyama, and the possibility of the Spurs landing another scorer, Vassell's production probably won't match his 2023-24 mark, but he could see continued improvements defensively and as a playmaker, and should see more open looks with those previous factors in mind.
Julian Champagnie will likely remain in the rotation moving forward after averaging a hair short of 10 points per game and playing in all 82 games, but it'll be interesting to see how much burn some of the fringe rotation players will get, namely, Blake Wesley and Sandro Mamukelashvili.
Wesley has fought for playing time in each of his three NBA seasons, while Mamukelashvili came on late in the season for the Spurs, averaging 8.4 points and 4.0 rebounds per game while knocking down 34 percent of his three-pointers over the last 28 games. Mamukelashvili also averaged 8.5 points per game in just 12.3 minutes per game in the month of March.
The makeup of the Spurs roster for next season is still highly up in the air, but the Spurs still have a handful of young players who haven't been able to stick on to the rotation, such as Malaki Branham, who was a mainstay over the past two seasons, Harrison Ingram, and Side Cissoko.
2. De'Aaron Fox Will Look More At Home
De'Aaron Fox's production took a severe dip following the trade, going from 25.0 points per game in Sacramento to 19.7 in San Antonio. Fox had limited practice with the Spurs during a packed second-half schedule, and he had some troubles adjusting to the offense. With a full offseason, Fox should be back to his old self for the Spurs.
Johnson made a similar comment after Fox's first home game with the Spurs.
“We had our first practice two days ago with him. This is his first home game, so to think that there wouldn’t be a ton of evolution would be silly on our part,” said Johnson.
“I think with us, we have an identity and a style of play that we’re trying to grow, and we’ve been trying to grow. When you add a player of that caliber, to think that that’s not going to take time, right, you look at any of these top teams around the league, there’s continuity is a big word that doesn’t get discussed enough, and that’s something that we are early in the stages for different reasons in the earliest stage with him, but there’s some exciting potential to see on the way.”
Fox and Wembanyama will be one of the most devastating pick-and-roll combos for defenses to attack. The pair only played five games together before both of their seasons ended due to injury.
Chris Paul's one-year deal is up, and while it's unknown if the Spurs have any intention of bringing him back, it seems unlikely, with Fox being the full-time point guard seeming like the obvious choice.
3. More Castle, Less Barnes
Harrison Barnes has been a steady veteran presence in the NBA for over a decade, and just put up his most efficient season of his career, shooting 50.8 percent from the field, 43.3 percent from beyond the arc, and 80.9 percent from the free throw line. Barnes played in all 82 games for the third consecutive season.
Yet, he seemed to fall a bit out of favor with Johnson as the season wound down. Granted, he still played a full starter's load of minutes, but he is entering into his age-34 season and may not be able to put as much tread on the tires as he once did.
Barnes was averaging just shy of 30 minutes per game in November, and was averaging 29.3 in January. Come February, Barnes averaged 25.9 for the month, and 24.5 during March. Interestingly enough, March and April saw Barnes have by far his highest usage rate, mostly due to the injuries of Fox and Wembanyama.
Of course, if the Spurs strike a trade for another star, Barnes very well could be included in the deal thanks to the one year and $19 million left on his contract.
Meanwhile for Stephon Castle, he earned a lot more trust from Johnson as the season wound down. Part of that may have been to help his case for the Rookie of the Year Award, but he put up the numbers to justify his usage.
In February, Castle averaged 23.3 minutes, 14.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game. In March, the leash came off of Castle, and he averaged 28.8 minutes, 19.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game; and his efficiency got better, both in terms of field goal percentage and true shooting.
In April, he averaged 33.3 minutes, 18.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 7.5 assists per game, while posting his best true shooting percentage of any month.
Castle is a player that has shown the ability to fill a number of roles and wear a bunch of hats on the court, being able to play on or off the ball, guard a few different positions, and be a primary playmaker or a connector. His versatility will earn him playing time no matter what the roster looks like next season.
Related: 3 Best Backup Centers the San Antonio Spurs Could Target Behind Victor Wembanyama
Related: Proposed NBA Mock Trade Lands Spurs Former Franchise Icon and Infuriates Fans
Related: Proposed NBA Mock Trade Lands Spurs Former Franchise Icon and Infuriates Fans
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