Spurs bounce back to bubble ball in season-opening win

San Antonio handles feisty Memphis, 131-119, as youth movement continues to churn along

Much of the conversation that surrounded the Spurs during their wisp of a training camp focused on the continuation of the bubble-ball experience to which the team adapted over the summer inside Disney World’s antiseptic, coronavirus-resistant basketball environment. There was an on-the-fly cultivation of young talent that had been amassed in San Antonio for several years, displaying a more freely flowing offense, a faster pace and an uptick in 3-point attempts — a development that delighted the team’s fan base despite it not making the postseason for the first time since Tim Duncan was a senior at Wake Forest.

But it was more than an experiment performed by Gregg Popovich and his staff in Orlando. The Spurs had slowly but surely been grinding toward the style change prior to the pandemic-induced hiatus on March 11, and Wednesday’s 131-119 season-opening win over the Memphis Grizzlies showcased the ever-growing construction of building blocks that are beginning to form at least part of whatever San Antonio’s next iteration becomes.

“I thought our young guys competed hard (and) really showed themselves well for the first game all of them played together,” Popovich said. “With Lonnie (Walker IV) and D.J. (Dejounte Murray), and adding Keldon (Johnson) and Devin (Vassell) to that group, it gave us a lot of energy.”

The announcement of the starting lineup prior to tip provided an unexpected entry to the equation, as Johnson was listed as a starter at forward after missing all three games of the preseason with a foot/toe injury sustained during a slip on the stairs in his home.

See, we’re just like NBA players, you and I. Just like ‘em.

Johnson wasn’t just a spectator out there either, despite Wednesday being his first game action of the new season. He went for 16 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals in 32 minutes, none of which came as a surprise to Popovich.

“After watching him in Orlando, what we saw (Wednesday) is really his game. He can really drive the basketball, he competes on the board, his 3-point shot is improving daily — so it wasn’t a surprise,” he said. “You know, I was a little bit nervous for him because it’s really the first night when the real lights are on and you never know what might come, but he certainly did well.”

The stat line speaks for itself, but when you consider what little time he’s had playing with the regulars during meaningful NBA games (especially as it pertains to Aldridge, who did not make the trip to Disney World in July following shoulder surgery), the upside is intriguing for the 21-year-old as he continues to learn the ropes — particularly on the defensive end, where he was beaten on a few occasions.

“It’s just about feeling it out — making sure everybody’s on the same page and everybody’s on a string moving in the right direction, being in the right spot,” Johnson said. “We’re all still learning and all still getting better at it. In all, we played pretty good defense for our first game. We can go back and look at film and make some corrections to get ready for next game.”

It’s Dejounte’s show … at least for now

Headlines in recent days have highlighted the names of a couple of guards in the San Antonio backcourt, and for good reason.

The four-year, $73-million extension signed by Derrick White was worthy of a turned noggin or two, and Johnson’s season-opening performance raised its fair share of eyebrows as well. But there was no ignoring the ignition spark that was Murray to the Spurs’ offense on Wednesday.

His 21-point, nine-assist, six-rebound, two-steal stat line was exactly the kind San Antonio brass envisioned (or hoped for, at least) on a consistent basis when he inked a four-year, $64-million extension of his own a little more than a year ago. Between his ability to weave toward and attack the rim, collapse the defense for a drive-and-kick, or line up careless ball-handlers for what’s become his signature go-go-gadget-armed poke-away, Murray continues to flash the potential the organization believes he has. At this point, he’s a consistent jumper away from possessing all the tools and specs a team could ask for at that position.

Most importantly for the Spurs, an organization that considers culture king (or at least a close second to that whole talent thing), he’s got the kind of team-first mentality that’s lapped up vigorously in the city of San Antonio.

“Everybody that battled … we all wanted to do whatever it took to win, which was getting stops, pushing it in transition, in the half court getting the mismatches and the right shots, being ready to drive and kick or get to the rim — we all played aggressive,” Murray said. “We gotta take pride in it. It’s all about team. One better for the guy next to you. That’s huge. We want the best for the next guy. If you want the best for the next guy you’re gonna have a lot of success.”

His development hasn’t been lost on his coaches and teammates either. They all trust him to run the show as head of the snake in a backcourt with plenty of young mouths to feed.

“If it was on a scale of one to 10 it’d be a fifteen. We’ve all bought in to D.J. running the team,” Johnson said. “We trust him. He makes amazing decisions and he’s an amazing point guard. As you can tell, he’s getting better and better with every game.”

And it’s not just the youths (as Joe Pesci might say) who feel this type of way; it’s the old heads who have watched him progress as well. He makes the game easier for them.

“He’s had a lot of growth over the last year or so. I think he’s learned the players that he’s playing with and he’s learned how to communicate with those guys,” Aldridge said. “Like (Wednesday), he helped me get going. I think he’s grown a lot as a leader and knowing his teammtes, and his game has also grown with it.”

Regardless of your profession or place in life, earning the respect of those around you is conducive to positivity within an environment

“He’s the point guard. It sucks not having Derrick (White) — those two dynamic guys, they can run the offense,” DeRozan said. “(Murray) came out tonight, played extremely hard, was aggressive, picked and chose his spots, found guys and rebounded the ball extremely well, and came up with some big plays defensively as well.”

Now is where consistency comes in to play. With White out and set to miss what sounds like a decent chunk of time — the Spurs haven’t given an exact timetable for his return — the door is open for Murray to make his mark as one of the team’s young vets. And he’ll have plenty of opportunities to do so in a league that features a dangerous point guard or two at damn near every turn along the scheduled path.

Let’s see if he can regularly find the footing to make that next leap.