The NBA Summer League has captured the imagination of San Antonio Spurs fans. After a strong performance from Dylan Harper and some jaw-dropping defensive plays from Carter Bryant, discussions have already begun about what the team could look like next season and what heights they can reach.
Harper and Bryant were the main players in the latest Pounding the Rock SB Nation Reacts survey. Our first question asked which newly acquired player would have the biggest impact on the team this year.
Harper was the unanimous favorite, with Luke Kornet coming in second. Kelly Olynyk is notably missing from the poll, as it was created before the Spurs traded for him. There weren’t many comments boasting him as a key player on next year’s team, however.
It makes sense that Harper would be the favorite here. He has the highest upside to make a difference of anyone listed. In his sole summer league game (I promise I’m not overreacting), Harper showed off his handle, pace of play, and awesome finishing at the rim. While he didn’t shoot the ball particularly well from three (sans a sweet pull-up three that was negated by an illegal screen), he still scored the ball well and defended his tail off. If he can do that in the regular season, he will make the Spurs much better.
Kornet deserves a shoutout here just for filling a major hole in San Antonio’s roster. What kind of performance the Spurs got from their backup center was a crapshoot last season. Now they’ll have a good dirty-work big man to protect the rim, rebound and set screens when Victor Wembanyama goes to the bench, or save him from doing it when they play together.
Notably, only one of the four new Spurs is known for being a knockdown three-point shooter. Olynyk shoots around 40% from three, and should provide floor spacing as a post when San Antonio needs it. Bryant shot the ball well in college, but has yet to find a rhythm in the summer league. It may take him some time to adjust to the deeper NBA three-point line.
With two more roster spots to fill, the Spurs could use a bit more shooting, according to the survey. There are options out there. They could kick the tires on some old Spurs like Patty Mills, Doug McDermott, Trey Lyles, or Lonnie Walker. Veteran options like Malcolm Brogdon, Amir Coffey, Landry Shamet, and Torrey Craig are still available. San Antonio could look internally at their summer league team and sign the hot-shooting David Jones-Garcia or Riley Minix to full team deals to fill out the rest of the team.
The Spurs have plenty of options to fill out the roster from here. They can even wait until training camp to make a final decision. No matter what they do, they already have more talent, versatility, and experience than last season. That’s about all you can ask for from a productive offseason.
FanDuel has the Spurs’ win total over/under for next season at 43.5 wins. Does the new roster have the ability to reach those heights? You can use this link to bet: https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/nba