Before & After: Get Your Swag On Again Off Again
Get Your Swag On
Unlike many players on the roster, Roger Mason has been a constant presence on this team throughout the season. He’s been constantly terrible and a non-factor; until recently that is.
Mason has been on a tear throughout the past five contests and really has demonstrated the capabilities that he consistently proved over and over again last season. In the past five games, Mason has averaged 12.8 points, 3.2 boards, 3 assists on 55% shooting from the field and 45% from distance. He has averaged two made three point field goals per game and has turned the ball over only once throughout the course of the past five games. Considering the rather putrid start to the season, to say this has been a remarkable turnaround would be a gross understatement.
In the past five contests, the Spurs have a record of 4-1 with an average margin of victory of +14 in those wins. It’s no coincidence that Mason’s stepping up and the Spurs rolling along with wins seem to be positively correlated. Clearly it helps that the Spurs have been playing rather mediocre, at best, opponents. Nevertheless, to steal a page from TCU’s book, the Spurs have ‘beaten the teams on their schedule’ and there’s no getting around that point. As the Spurs face some tougher opponents, the ability of Mason to continue to ‘get his swag on’ will be very important for this team to continue to see success.
On Again Off Again
With George Hill continuing to gain confidence and Tony Parker healthy, guard play has been adequate. Even still, it hasn’t been at the level it needs to be for this team to compete on a championship level. If the Spurs are going to get into the mix of winning it all, they must get more consistent contributions from the guards.
Furthermore, the wings must really step it up. If you are going to call the guard play inconsistent, than you would have to describe the wing contributions as schizophrenic. Richard Jefferson and Manu Ginobili played good games to help the Spurs in their efforts against the Timberwolves. Their success has proven to be vital to the team’s success this season. When both of these guys score in double figures, the Spurs are 9-3. Those three losses came to Denver (good team), Portland (no Tony Parker), Utah (Parker for first half only).
I assure you that this statistic is not a mere coincidence rather it is a testament to the importance of having these guys contribute and having a balanced attack offensively. The Spurs’ have always been a team that prided themselves in their defensive prowess. Sure this still exists and you wouldn’t expect anything less from a Gregg Popovich-coached team. But the difference between this year’s squad and those of the past is the amount of offensive firepower this team contains. Not that Popovich would ever employ this tactic on a regular basis but the Spurs have a roster, as presently constructed, that can outscore you or out-defend you.
For Pop, this is uncharted territory. It is a great luxury to have when you know that your offense can not show up or your defense can have a less-than-stellar performance and you can still escape with the W. It’s been a process (a long and painful process) thus far this season, but this team is starting to tap into their potential and gel.
When you are winning it’s easy to stand pat in the off-season and just do minor tweaking. The Spurs went about things a bit differently this off-season and in their estimation, they underwent a roster overhaul. With this new makeover in place, it was expected that there were going to be growing pains. The team’s potential certainly grew considerably but with that came a feeling out period. It is my belief that that ‘feeling out’ period is nearing a close and we’re about to see this team turn the corner.
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