San Antonio Spurs Need Tiago Splitter To Return Soon
By Jonathan Brannon
@jbrannon89
Getty Images
The defending NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs are off to a less-than-stellar start as they sit at 7-4 this season. San Antonio sits sixth in the Western Conference and fourth in their own division and while it’s obviously early in the season, the Spurs want to improve and expect to finish near the top of the West to have home-court advantage in the playoffs.
Injuries have taken their toll on the champs with Patty Mills, Tiago Splitter and Marco Belinelli missing significant playing time thus far. Cory Joseph has stepped in for Mills and has performed well in the backup PG role. Joseph even led the team in scoring in a win against the Los Angeles Lakers with 14 points off the bench. Belinelli can provide points as well, but the Spurs have found hot hands recently in Boris Diaw and Matt Bonner to make up for the Italian guard’s absence.
What the Spurs haven’t been able to make up for is Splitter. Splitter is solid in the pick-and-roll game, and while the Spurs may not have a perfect replacement on the offensive side, Splitter’s defense is sorely missed. Taking a look at the games played thus far, DeMarcus Cousins put up 25 points and 10 rebounds in the Spurs’ most recent loss on the road at the Sacramento Kings. A week and a half earlier, the Spurs gave up 32 and 16 to Dwight Howard in a blowout loss to the Houston Rockets. Carlos Boozer had a game-high 19 against the Spurs, and last night Anderson Varejao had a game-high 23 points as well as a game-high 11 boards against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
San Antonio was still able to win some of these games, but that trend may not continue without Splitter’s rebounding and defensive capabilities. Aron Baynes is a big, physical body, but he lacks Splitter’s technique and ability. Jeff Ayers is athletic and Bonner has good defensive fundamentals, but neither of them is a capable replacement. Tim Duncan and Diaw are trying their best, but even Diaw struggles against bigger guys.
The Spurs have been great in the past at winning with a depleted roster and even self-impose a short roster from time to time. But without Splitter to defend down low, look for San Antonio to have a hard time.
Jonathan Brannon is a San Antonio Spurs writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @jbrannon89, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
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