Homegrown Squad: San Antonio Spurs

Welcome to another edition of The Homegrown Squad. The defending champions San Antonio Spurs are notoriously known for being a well-run organization and for being adept at scouting, assessing, drafting, and developing their players. That is the image that they have been conjuring for the last couple of years. Does this perception match the actual product on the court though? Let's see! Same rules as before apply. The top twelve active players originally drafted by the team are selected to form a competitive roster. On to the Spurs' list!

Note: Career per game averages are in this order (Points, Rebounds, Assists, Steals, Blocks)


The most likable Big Three.
The First Five
PF - Tim Duncan (Rd 1, Pk 1, 1997) - 19.8 / 11.1 / 3.1 / 0.7 / 2.2
PG - Tony Parker (Rd 1, Pk 28, 2001) - 17.1 / 3.0 / 6.0 / 0.9 / 0.1
SF - Manu Ginobili (Rd 2, Pk 57, 1999) - 14.6 / 3.8 / 4.0 / 1.4 / 0.3
SG - Goran Dragic (Rd 2, Pk 45, 2008) - 11.6 / 2.5 / 4.5 / 1.0 / 0.2
C - Tiago Splitter (Rd 1, Pk 28, 2007) - 8.3 / 5.3 / 1.2 / 0.6 / 0.6

Before the Celtics and the Heat (and to a more recent extent, the Cavaliers) popularized the concept of a "Big Three", the Spurs were the role model for having a dependable, talented trio that served as the anchor to their multiple championships. Even age hasn't caught up to the awesomeness called Duncan-Parker-Ginobili as they marched on towards the NBA title last year. This trio will continue to be the foundation for this hypothetical squad. The Dragon who's career has exploded in Phoenix will be a nice complement to Parker in the backcourt while the Brazilian Splitter is a serviceable presence in the middle. Notice how The Big Fundamental is the only lottery pick in the starting five. Just a glimpse of how good the Spurs are in drafting players.

The Bench
1. George Hill (Rd 1, Pk 26, 2008) - 10.7 / 3.0 / 3.0 / 0.9 / 0.3
2. Luis Scola (Rd 2, Pk 55, 2002) - 13.0 / 7.1 / 1.8 / 0.7 / 0.3
3. Leandro Barbosa (Rd 1, Pk 28, 2003) - 11.6 / 2.1 / 2.3 / 0.9 / 0.1
4. Beno Udrih (Rd 1, Pk 28, 2004) - 8.8 / 2.1 / 3.6 / 0.7 / 0.1
5. John Salmons (Rd 1, Pk 26, 2002) - 9.3 / 2.9 / 2.4 / 0.8 / 0.3
6. DeJuan Blair (Rd 2, Pk 37, 2009) - 7.3 / 5.4 / 0.9 / 0.8 / 0.3
7. Cory Joseph (Rd 1, Pk 29, 2011) - 5.5 / 1.9 / 2.0 / 0.5 / 0.2

The most striking thing about this bench is that given the very successful Spurs' run for the last 15 years or so, the group is composed of late first and second round draftees. Nevertheless, it's still a solid bunch of supporting cast led by Hill and Scola. Hill is a starter for most teams in the league while Scola continues to be a fine source of low-post offense. Salmons can provide some instant spark, Barbosa brings some outside shooting while Joseph and Udrih back up the point guard spot. The real weakness of this squad is in the frontcourt. Scola and Blair does not necessarily instill fear towards opposing teams in terms of defending the rim. Also, the squad is shallow on the 3 spot with only Salmons (and possibly Hill) capable of playing the small forward role. Guard duties though is safe with their plethora of playmakers which can also allow this team to run more.

Overall, this theoretical squad looks like a fine one but unlike the current Spurs squad today (who can rely on guys like Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green), this team would depend heavily on The Big Three. Then again, I'm sure if Pop was coaching this group, they'd still be highly competitive every single damn time. Thoughts?

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