Strength - Gregg Popovich - The players change, the coach hasn't. The Spurs have some questions to answer, but they'll win 50+ games again. The team drafted guard Dejounte Murray out of Washington and he'll be expected to contribute along with steps forward from both Jonathan Simmons and Kyle Anderson. Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili are both coming off down seasons. If he is, I would expect them to get back a true center and move Pau to the four spot where he's a bit more of a natural fit on this team. Rumors have been swirling for a couple weeks now that he could be moved. One thing to watch is the team possibly trading Aldridge. But the front-court combination of him and LaMarcus Aldridge leaves questions on defense. Gasol was an All-Star the last two years in Chicago and can certainly help on offense. The Spurs signed Pau Gasol to try and do so. Tim Duncan retired, which leaves a big hole to fill at center. This franchise is the model of consistency and they have most of the core group back from the team that won 67 games last season. Seriously, the Spurs have now won 50 or more games in 17 consecutive seasons and in 18 of the 19 seasons that Popovich has been head coach. Gregg Popovich and the Spurs winning 50+ games. San Antonio Spurs - 67-15 last season (2nd in West)ĭeath. There's also less depth here due to the addition of Durant's contract. Now, their center position will be held down by the combination of ZaZa Pachulia (solid), Anderson Varejao (perpetually injured) and Javale McGee (umm. However, they did still use Andrew Bogut and Festus Ezeli a combined 36 minutes per game on average last season. Weakness - Center - Golden State is predominantly a small-ball team, with Draymond Green playing "center" alongside Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Durant and Andre Iguodala.
Like Barnes, he allows the Warriors to maintain that amorphous, position-less style of basketball they love. Durant, as he showed in last year's Western Conference Finals, can be a game-changing force on defense. Barnes was a good defender, capable of playing multiple positions. Strength - Shooting - It has been this team's bread and butter, and they just replaced Harrison Barnes with a former MVP who's a better shooter. That said, the Warriors, who move the ball better than any team in recent memory, seem likely to gel.īeing the "villains" will affect them at some point, but a squad this talented usually makes the NBA Finals at least.
But how will the stars will fit together once the season starts? We've seen this movie before (Miami, 2010-11), and we know how difficult it can be for superbly talented players to cohesively play together. The team, with Durant, is unquestionably more talented.