Spurs O vs. Pistons D
The loss of Bertans will be difficult for the Spurs’ spacing as he shot 42.9 percent from deep last season. For a team who’s best players operate best from within the arc, having a floor spacer like Bertans cannot be overlooked.
Additionally, having Murray back could lead to more spacing issues. When Murray sat out for the duration of last season, Forbes took his place to provide more spacing for DeRozan and Aldridge to operate by shooting 42.6 percent from three.
If Gregg Popovich decides to keep the same starting lineup from last year’s matchup but replaces Forbes with Murray, the only player who shot better than 30 percent from three last year would be White (33.8 percent).
The addition of Snell should help on the defensive end as the Pistons try to corral DeRozan. Hopefully between Bruce Brown and Snell, the Pistons can do their best to limit the star wing player.
With Snell on the wing, hopefully Drummond will be able to work more efficiently on the defensive end. Instead of being constantly stretched in multiple directions because of perimeter penetration, perhaps he will be able to anchor the defense and protect the rim.
As for the Spurs bench unit, it is still deep. Patty Mills, Gay and Marco Belinelli are joined by the free agent acquisitions of Carroll and Lyles. There is also hope for a second-year jump from Lonnie Walker. Similar to the Pistons bench, the Spurs unit is slim when it comes to bigs so expect a lot of small-ball lineups when the starters sit.