What We Learned About the San Antonio Spurs During the 2014-15 NBA Season

Though the San Antonio Spurs' season ended in a gripping Game 7 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, the 2014 champions taught us a few things along the way.

A young star asserted himself as the future of the roster, while a pair of veterans performed on clearly opposite sides of the spectrum when it mattered the most.

The Spurs managed to smash doubts and create other questions all at once, which has the team entering unfamiliar territory this offseason.

For a franchise that has been considered the standard to emulate for more than a decade, uncertainty is an unusual way to start preparing for the next championship run—whenever that may come.

Repeat Titles Are but a Dream

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Eighteen straight playoff appearances. Sixteen consecutive 50-win seasons. Six conference championships. Five NBA titles. It's been a tremendous run for the Popovich- and Tim Duncan-led Spurs.

But they still haven't accomplished one thing: Back-to-back rings.

"We didn't come in this year and say, 'No we've got to repeat, guys,'" Gregg Popovich said in December, per Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. "If we repeated, that's great. If we don't, no big deal. Life goes on. It's just basketball. We'll try hard to do it. If we don't, then that's that."

The loss to Los Angeles ended their hopes of following a 2014 championship with another. Does the lack of consecutive titles diminish the impressive nature of San Antonio's breadth of accolades? It shouldn't.

Nevertheless, it's one of the few things about which the Spurs might look back and feel a bit of disappointment.

Tim Duncan Is Still Ageless

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Somehow, some way, a one-good-legged, 39-year-old Duncan carried the Spurs during an injury-riddled regular season and throughout the playoffs.

When Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard were simultaneously sidelined, Duncan shined as one of the league's top defenders. ESPN even named him the Defensive Player of the First Trimester.

Duncan ended the campaign averaging 13.9 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.9 blocks, posting a team-leading 22.6 player efficiency rating and 9.6 win shares. His 97.0 defensive rating ranked third-best in the NBA.

Once the postseason arrived, Duncan racked up 17.9 points on 58.9 percent shooting, adding 11.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.3 steals per outing. Without the franchise cornerstone, San Antonio wouldn't have survived as long as it did.

An unrestricted free agent—and also old—Duncan's decision concerning his future will heavily impact San Antonio's offseason plans. However, there's little evidence to suggest he wouldn't be productive in career year No. 19.

Even on one good leg.

Tony Parker Won't Endure Like Duncan

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Duncan has found a way to thrive on that one good leg. But a similar brand of creativity has not—and will not—ring true for Parker. The point guard's explosiveness is what makes him so dangerous, but Parker can't stay healthy.

Whereas Duncan's timing and knowledge in the post allowed him to win battles without tremendous athleticism, Parker needs burst, the ability to contort and overall elusiveness to excel at his position.

Perhaps 250-plus games over the last three seasons finally caught up to the 14-year veteran. He battled a mid-season hamstring issue before ankle and Achilles injuries during the playoffs, where he managed 10.9 points and 3.3 assists per game while converting just 36.3 percent from the field.

It's not time to wave the white flag on Parker's career. It's not time to demand he retire. When healthy, Parker is still an elite point guard.

San Antonio needs that healthy contributor for the postseason, and it hasn't had that luxury consistently. Parker's tenure is far from over, but it's apparent he won't have the longevity Duncan has shown late in his career path.

The Kawhi Era Is Almost Here

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Popovich and the Spurs made a concerted effort to continue Leonard's development as a featured part of the offense, but that didn't stop "The Claw" from wreaking havoc on the other end.

Leonard earned the 2015 NBA Defensive Player of the Year award. He recorded a league-best 96.4 defensive rating and snatched an NBA-high 2.3 steals per appearance.

The 2014 Finals MVP set new career marks with 16.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists, numbers helped by a 23.0 percent usage rate. San Antonio wanted the ball in Leonard's massive hands more often, and other than a dip in his three-point shooting, he excelled.

Leonard, a restricted free agent who is likely to sign a max contract with the Spurs this summer, will be expected to take on yet another level of responsibility next season, especially if Duncan and Manu Ginobili retire.

San Antonio's core offered the luxury of not rushing Leonard into the spotlight, but the soft-spoken small forward has forced his way into it. At just 24 years old, he's already fashioned himself as the next franchise cornerstone.

The Kawhi era is almost here.

Change Is Coming

A potential outcome of the 2015 offseason is something San Antonio hasn't experienced in a long, long time: change.

Only Parker, Boris Diaw, Tiago Splitter, Patty Mills and Kyle Anderson are officially under contract for the 2015-16 campaign. Leonard is expected to join them, but the rest of the roster is in flux.

"The team will probably look considerably different than it looks this year, because we have so many free agents and we want to re-tool a little bit," Popovich said, per Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News. "We want to try to start—not exactly over again—because these last four seasons have been a grind."

Duncan, Ginobili and Matt Bonner could retire. Marco Belinelli, Aron Baynes and Jeff Ayres are all free agents. So is Cory Joseph, but the third-string point guard might be too expensive to retain after a terrific year.

Then there's Danny Green, a 3-and-D specialist who wants to return but may have played himself out of the Spurs' price range.

"Hopefully, I'll be back," Green said, per Mike Monroe of the Express-News. "I love San Antonio. The fans have always supported us, from day one. It sucks that we had such a special group, and things may be changing and not be the same again."

The franchise has been connected to LaMarcus Aldridge (h/t ESPN) and Marc Gasol (h/t Sporting News) as potential free-agent signings. In turn, Splitter could be dangled on the trade market.

We aren't certain of much regarding San Antonio's offseason plans, but we know this for sure: Change is coming.

Unless otherwise noted, stats are courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and are accurate as of May 6.

Follow Bleacher Report NBA writer David Kenyon on Twitter: @Kenyon19_BR.