Evaluating the 2021-22 San Antonio Spurs
May 31st, 2022
By Alan Lu
The San Antonio Spurs were expected to have a rebuilding year, as they lost their best player, DeMar DeRozan to free agency. But, as Keldon Johnson won a gold medal with team USA in the offseason with head coach Gregg Popovich, the Spurs figured that they could play competitively enough to maybe make a push for the playoffs this year.
They were competitive enough to make it back to the play-in tournament, and they received a tremendous season from Dejounte Murray, who made his first All-Star team. The Spurs did not make the playoffs, but they were able to continue to develop their young players and build momentum for next season.
Key Players:
(Photo: Rob Carr/Getty Images, via Forbes)
Dejounte Murray
2021-22 (SAS): 21.1 PPG, 9.2 APG, 8.3 RPG, 2.0 SPG, 46 FG%, 33 3PT%, 79 FT%, 53 TS%, 22.3 PER, 7.3 WS
He is an athletic, slashing combo guard that averaged nearly a triple-double per game, and Murray made his first All-Star team, as he had a tremendous impact on the Spurs this year.
2022 Season Grade: A
Projected 2023 Rating: 3 stars (3.5 stars potential)
Projected 2023 Role: Starting point guard of the San Antonio Spurs
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(Photo: Scott Wachter/USA Today Sports, via SB Nation’s A Sea of Blue)
Keldon Johnson
2021-22 (SAS): 17.0 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 2.1 APG, 47 FG%, 40 3PT%, 76 FT%, 57 TS%, 15.2 PER, 4.9 WS
Johnson thrived in a 3 and D role for the Spurs, and he provided some scoring as well as sound defense to help his team this season.
2022 Season Grade: B
Projected 2023 Rating: 2.5 stars (3 stars potential)
Projected 2023 Role: Starter on the San Antonio Spurs
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(Photo: Logan Riely/NBAE via Getty Images, via SB Nation’s Pounding the Rock)
Jakob Poeltl
2021-22 (SAS): 13.5 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.7 BPG, 62 FG%, 100 3PT%, 49 FT%, 61 TS%, 20.8 PER, 6.9 WS
He excelled as a rim protector for his team, and he also provided efficient inside scoring and some playmaking skills as the center for the Spurs this year.
2022 Season Grade: B+
Projected 2023 Rating: 2.5 stars
Projected 2023 Role: Starting center on the San Antonio Spurs
Other Notable Players:
He had a much-improved second season with the Spurs, as he shot the ball better in substantially more playing time with his team this past year.
2022 Season Grade: B
Projected 2023 Rating: 2 stars (3 stars potential)
Projected 2023 Role: Starting shooting guard on the San Antonio Spurs
He was able to get extended playing time this year in his second year with the Spurs. He excelled as a playmaker and defender, and he was efficient at making two-point shots. He’ll need to improve his three-point shooting, but Jones has proved that he can be a reliable backup point guard in the NBA.
2022 Season Grade: B-
Projected 2023 Rating: 2 stars (2.5 stars potential)
Projected 2023 Role: Rotation player on the San Antonio Spurs
He played in just 51 games this year for the Spurs. McDermott did a good job of shooting and scoring the basketball for them when he was on the floor, but will need to improve his rebounding and defense in games.
2022 Season Grade: C+
Projected 2023 Rating: 2 stars
Projected 2023 Role: Rotation player on the San Antonio Spurs
He is a 3 and D role player that thrived as a shooter for the Spurs this past season. He shot the ball much better than he did last year, and he also played above average defense for the Spurs when he arrived there in a midseason trade.
2022 Season Grade: A-
Projected 2023 Rating: 2 stars
Projected 2023 Role: Rotation player on an NBA team
He scored the basketball in volume, but he didn’t shoot the ball particularly well, and he didn’t grab enough rebounds or defend very well for the Spurs this past season.
2022 Season Grade: D
Projected 2023 Rating: 2 stars
Projected 2023 Role: Rotation player on an NBA team
Side note: Lonnie Walker will be a restricted free agent (RFA) at the end of the 2021-22 NBA season.
He had an injury-plagued year with the Spurs, and Collins is an injury-prone big man that hasn’t played very much basketball in the past three seasons. That said, he showcased versatile scoring skills, rebounded and passed the ball well, and he was very efficient as a backup center for his team.
2022 Season Grade: B+
Projected 2023 Rating: 2 stars
Projected 2023 Role: Rotation player on the San Antonio Spurs
He is a skilled big man that showed versatile scoring skills, and he excelled as an inside scorer, but he didn’t rebound or defend quite as well as hoped. He did show enough skills to be a backup center in the NBA next season.
2022 Season Grade: C
Projected 2023 Rating: 2 stars
Projected 2023 Role: Rotation player on the San Antonio Spurs
It was a surprise that he was drafted as high as he was, that he went in the lottery, but he went to a good organization in being selected by the Spurs, and Primo showed off some shooting and scoring skills, as he was able to have some very good games in both the NBA and the G-League this season.
2022 Season Grade: B
Projected 2023 Rating: 1.5 stars (2.5 stars potential)
Projected 2023 Role: Fringe rotation player on the San Antonio Spurs
Other Players on the Roster:
Romeo Langford
He showed an improved outside shot, and that he can be a 3 and D role player in the NBA. He got hurt midway through the year, so he wasn’t able to get many minutes with the Spurs, but Langford is an athletic swingman that could be a rotation player for them next season.
2022 Season Grade: B
Projected 2023 Rating: 1.5 stars (2 stars potential)
Projected 2023 Role: Fringe rotation player on the San Antonio Spurs
He is an athletic swingman that can shoot the basketball. He didn’t quite shoot the ball as well as hoped in the NBA, but he showed that he can knock down shots in the G-League.
2022 Season Grade: D
Projected 2023 Rating: 1.5 stars (2 stars potential)
Projected 2023 Role: Fringe rotation player on the San Antonio Spurs
He played fairly well as a versatile, role player for the Spurs this season, and he was able to excel as an inside scorer and rebounder when he was on the floor.
2022 Season Grade: B-
Projected 2023 Rating: 1.5 stars
Projected 2023 Role: Fringe rotation player on the San Antonio Spurs
He is an energetic combo forward that has a terrific motor, and he played very well in limited minutes in the NBA.
2022 Season Grade: A-
Projected 2023 Rating: 1.5 stars
Projected 2023 Role: Fringe rotation player on the San Antonio Spurs
He is a fairly athletic, swingman that projects into a 3 and D role. He didn’t play in the NBA this year, but he played very well in the G-League.
2022 Season Grade: C+
Projected 2023 Rating: 1 star (2 stars potential)
Projected 2023 Role: Fringe roster player on an NBA team
Stewart’s NBA Comparison: Danuel House
He did not shoot the ball well at all in his second year in the NBA, nor in the G-League. He did get picked up by the Spurs, so maybe there’s still time for him to develop into a 3 and D role player in thee future, but as he’s spent two seasons struggling to make an impact in the NBA or the G-League, it’s a wonder if his jump shot will ever come around at the professional level.
2022 Season Grade: D-
Projected 2023 Rating: 1 star (1.5 stars potential)
Projected 2023 Role: Fringe roster player on an NBA team
Head Coach:
(Photo: Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)
Gregg Popovich
2021-22 (SAS): 34-48, 10th in the Western Conference
In a rebuilding season for the Spurs, Popovich helped his team stay afloat and competitive, as they made it back to the play-in tournament before losing to the Pelicans and missing the playoffs this year. He did a good job of developing and cultivating the talents of his young players, as Dejounte Murray and Keldon Johnson turned in strong seasons, and Tre Jones and Joshua Primo played much better than expected. That gives the Spurs something to build on and hope for next season.
2022 Season Grade: B-
Projected 2023 Rating: 3.5 stars
Projected 2023 Role: Head Coach of the San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs’ Projected 2022-23 Rotation:
C Jakob Poeltl
9th Overall Pick
F Keldon Johnson
G Devin Vassell
G Dejounte Murray
__________
F Doug McDermott
G Josh Richardson
20th Overall Pick
G Tre Jones
C Zach Collins
The San Antonio Spurs’ Picks in the 2022 NBA Draft:
#9, #20, #25, #38
The San Antonio Spurs’ Projected 2023 Win-Loss Record:
36-46, 11th in the Western Conference
Their Projected Offseason Plan:
The San Antonio Spurs are slated to have about a little over $15 million in cap space in the offseason, so they could use it to spend it on an upper-tier player, multiple role players, or they could elect to roll it over. They also have four picks in the top 40 of the 2022 draft, in which three of them will be first round picks. The Spurs will need to add more shooters and defenders for their team, and they could add talented players that could work well alongside Dejounte Murray and Keldon Johnson next season. They have been building a solid core group of players, and if they can continue to add more talent and improve, they could potentially find a way to sneak into the playoffs next year.
I went to No Trade Clause and Basketball-Reference for research purposes. Thanks for reading.
