Assessing Gregg Popovich's Management of an Injury-Plagued Start to 2014-15
The San Antonio Spurs have battled through a handful of injuries to begin the 2014-15 season, but Gregg Popovich's coaching genius has consistently shined.
Three starters—Tony Parker, Kawhi Leonard and Tiago Splitter—each missed an extended period of the 2014-15 season, leaving the Spurs reserves in a tight spot. After all, the backups are replacing two players with Finals MVP awards and the team's top interior defender.
However, thanks to the brilliance of the veteran coach, San Antonio's second-unit assets have challenged some of the Western Conference's best franchises.
But how did Popovich do it?
When Parker Was Out
Parker was unavailable for eight games due to a hamstring injury, so Popovich turned to Cory Joseph and Manu Ginobili.
Joseph moved into the starting role for each contest, logging at least 30 minutes every night. He peaked at 43 in a triple-overtime loss Dec. 19 to the Portland Trail Blazers and registered 41 regulation minutes against the Dallas Mavericks on Dec. 20.
The fourth-year guard averaged 11.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists, highlighted by a 10-8-7 effort against Portland.
Remember, Joseph was the best option because the Spurs will be without Patty Mills for another couple weeks, per Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News.
This, of course, allowed Ginobili to remain in the sixth-man role, though he only actually played in four of the eight outings Parker was sidelined. Nevertheless, Ginobili assumed primary ball-handling duties in the final minutes of any matchup.
However, the 37-year-old was extremely frustrating in late-game situations.
He tried an extremely off-balance fadeaway at the end of the first overtime, then attempted a deep, rainbow-like three-pointer instead of attacking the rim during a Dec. 17 triple-overtime loss to the Memphis Grizzles.
Two days later, against the Portland Trail Blazers, Ginobili committed a horrendous turnover by leaving his feet and failing to force a pass to Tim Duncan. San Antonio eventually dropped another 3OT stunner.
Manu giveth, and Manu taketh away. And how polarizing his frustrating, spectacular, inconsistent, jaw-dropping actions can be. Quite obviously, Parker remains the catalyst of the Spurs offense, especially when the game is tight, as noted by ESPN's Matthew Tynan.
"San Antonio played six games during that [Dec. 12-20] stretch in which it led or trailed by five points or fewer in the final five minutes, winning only once while scoring just 94.7 points per 100 possessions. But on Monday, with Parker leading the way again, the Spurs dropped 137.4 points per 100 possessions in clutch minutes.
"
Popovich successfully replaced Parker for 43 minutes but simply didn't have that late ball-handling option capable of accomplishing what the point guard amassed during the Dec. 22 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.
When Leonard Was Out
Ginobili was briefly a train wreck, but the Spurs had to stick with the Argentine because they were also without their next best option in Leonard.
The small forward has participated in just two of San Antonio's last eight contests while overcoming a hand injury, increasing playing time for rookie Kyle Anderson and sharpshooter Marco Belinelli.
Anderson has filled in admirably, starting all six games while contributing 6.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per night. The UCLA product has continued his adjustment to the NBA, and Anderson is making quicker decisions because of the additional minutes.
That's not to say that the rookie has avoided looking completely lost or unaware at times.
Belinelli has enjoyed the extra time, with 12.7 points on 46.9 percent shooting, adding 3.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists while making 11 of 23 triples. On the other hand, though the Italian hasn't been a defensive liability, he's not exactly disrupting much, either.
Ultimately, neither player can truly replace Leonard and replicate what he brings to the Spurs on either side of the court, even collectively.
| On Court | 106.5 | 94.4 | 1.87 | 80.3 | 42.4 |
| Off Court | 104.8 | 105.6 | 1.46 | 76.0 | 45.7 |
Per Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News (subscription required), Leonard hoped to return for the Christmas Day showdown with the Oklahoma City Thunder, though Popovich didn't believe it would happen.
Consequently, Anderson will likely be forced into taking a turn defending Kevin Durant—if the reigning MVP is available. In other words, San Antonio is counting down the days to Kawhi's return.
When Splitter Was Out
During the 20 games Splitter was sidelined due to an ailing calf, Popovich rotated between Aron Baynes and Matt Bonner to receive the starting nod. Bonner missed six scattered outings, but Baynes was the more productive player anyway.
The Big Banger notched 7.2 points and 4.9 rebounds in 17.0 minutes of action, providing the best defensive replacement Popovich could employ. No, it wasn't up to Splitter standards—as noted by BBall Breakdown's Rafael Uehara—but Baynes was undoubtedly a better fit than Bonner.
Conversely, Bonner managed 7.0 points per appearance, and his offensive style drastically differed from that of Baynes. The Red Mamba vacated the paint and knocked down 42.6 percent from long distance, attempting more than three triples on average.
Pop also utilized Boris Diaw at power forward with the starters, which moved Tim Duncan to (gasp!) center. Granted, this is Pop's preferred combination in last-minute stretches when offense is needed.
Nevertheless, as a product of the Splitter-less time, four of the Spurs' eight most used lineups combine Diaw and Duncan, two include Diaw and Baynes while the final two used Duncan and Bonner, according to 82games.
Considering San Antonio finished 14-6 without Splitter, Popovich's simple tweaks in the frontcourt worked quite well.
Unless otherwise noted, stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and accurate as of Dec. 25.
Follow Bleacher Report NBA writer David Kenyon on Twitter: @Kenyon19_BR
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