The 2019/20 campaign was one to forget for the San Antonio Spurs. They finished the campaign with a .451 record after winning just 32 of their 71 matches.
San Antonio missed out on the playoffs for the first time since 1997 as they ended the season in 11th place in the Western Conference. Their focus will now be on getting things right when the new campaign begins later this year.
Here are three things Spurs need to improve on in order to reach the post-season.
Get More Out Of 2019 First Round Picks
Spurs were fortunate to have two first round draft picks in 2019 as part of their Kawhi Leonard-DeMar DeRozan trade with the Toronto Raptors in 2018.
Luka Samanic and Keldon Johnson were selected by the Spurs in the first round last year and although there were glimpses of their talent last season, more can be expected from the pair in the 2020/21 campaign.
There were signs in the latter stages of last season as to why San Antonio drafted Samanic, 19th overall in the 2019 NBA Draft. He picked up 16 points in the team’s final game against the Utah Jazz in a 31-minute spell on the court. If he continues to improve, it won’t be long before he is winning games for his team.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=kRXU8oHCQaY
Add Quality in Free Agency
The free agency is the chance for San Antonio to add some quality in areas they are lacking in. Trey Lyles and Demarre Carroll were acquired in 2019 but the latter has now left for the Houston Rockets.
Spurs don’t have the biggest budget to play with in the offseason which makes things a little more challenging for them. Small forward, power forward and centre positions are all areas which need more depth on the roster.
Detroit’s Christian Wood is one player who has been linked with San Antonio during the free agency. He averaged 13.1 points per game last season. He didn’t quite replicate the excellent year he had for New Orleans during the 2018-19 campaign but would be a good signing if Spurs could secure the power forward.
Along with the free agency, San Antonio have the 2020 NBA Draft to look forward to. Anthony Edwards is the odds-on favourite in the betting with Space Casino to be the first pick. There are also a lot of good players who could go off the board deep into the first round this year.
Improve on the Road
The biggest problem for Spurs last season was their form on the road. They were 13-24 away from the AT&T Center. Head coach Gregg Popovich will be pushing for his side to do much better away from home next season. In the final month of their campaign, Spurs did have wins on the road against Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Pelicans so they have proved they can get good results outside of San Antonio.
It’s a big season ahead for Spurs as the organisation will be desperate to right the wrongs from one of their most disappointing years this century.
