San Antonio Spurs
2018-19What were the San Antonio Spurs in 2018-19, and what needed front-office attention?
SAS 2018-19: the clearest roster problems were Defensive event creation, Interior finishing, Rim pressure. The strongest covered areas were Shooting and spacing. The main rotation-player dependency cases were Derrick White, DeMar DeRozan, LaMarcus Aldridge, Bryn Forbes, Patty Mills. Structural basketball need, injuries, replacement lineups, and financial constraints are reported separately.
What can be trusted
Supported strengths — production, who carries it, and what money is already committed.Full reading
SAS 2018-19 Shooting and spacing: this was a team strength; production ranked at the 90.5 league percentile. Bryn Forbes supplied 26.4% of the team's above-replacement production in this area. No governed recent game-level availability layer exists for this season. The team already committed substantial or redundant cap resources here.
What needs attention
The clearest roster problems the evidence supports.Full reading
SAS 2018-19 Defensive event creation: this was one of the team's clearest roster problems; production ranked at the 0.0 league percentile. Derrick White supplied 34.7% of the team's above-replacement production in this area. No governed recent game-level availability layer exists for this season. The cap allocation to this critical need was comparatively low.
Full reading
SAS 2018-19 Interior finishing: this was one of the team's clearest roster problems; production ranked at the 14.3 league percentile. LaMarcus Aldridge supplied 43.8% of the team's above-replacement production in this area. No governed recent game-level availability layer exists for this season. Financial commitment is shown separately and does not determine basketball quality.
Full reading
SAS 2018-19 Rim pressure: this was one of the team's clearest roster problems; production ranked at the 14.3 league percentile. DeMar DeRozan supplied 37.3% of the team's above-replacement production in this area. No governed recent game-level availability layer exists for this season. The team already committed substantial or redundant cap resources here.
Every covered basketball function (11)
| Function | Reading | League percentile | Largest contributor | Recent availability | Salary commitment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creation | SupportedMiddle-tier area with one-player risk | 48th percentile | DeMar DeRozan · 40.4% | No recent availability layer for this season | Cost concentrated in one provider |
| Defensive event creation | SupportedCritical team problem | 0th percentile | Derrick White · 34.7% | No recent availability layer for this season | Comparatively little salary committed to a critical need |
| Interior finishing | SupportedCritical team problem | 14th percentile | LaMarcus Aldridge · 43.8% | No recent availability layer for this season | Balanced or context-dependent salary commitment |
| Passing connectivity | SupportedMiddle of the league | 57th percentile | DeMar DeRozan · 37.2% | No recent availability layer for this season | Balanced or context-dependent salary commitment |
| Point-of-attack defense proxy | WithheldBasketball conclusion withheld | — | Jakob Poeltl | No recent availability layer for this season | Balanced or context-dependent salary commitment |
| Rebounding | SupportedMiddle-tier area with one-player risk | 57th percentile | LaMarcus Aldridge · 41.8% | No recent availability layer for this season | Balanced or context-dependent salary commitment |
| Rim pressure | SupportedCritical team problem | 14th percentile | DeMar DeRozan · 37.3% | No recent availability layer for this season | Heavy or redundant salary already committed here |
| Rim protection | SupportedMiddle-tier area with one-player risk | 38th percentile | LaMarcus Aldridge · 41.1% | No recent availability layer for this season | Heavy or redundant salary already committed here |
| Screening | WithheldBasketball conclusion withheld | — | Jakob Poeltl | No recent availability layer for this season | Balanced or context-dependent salary commitment |
| Shooting and spacing | SupportedTeam strength | 91st percentile | Bryn Forbes · 26.4% | No recent availability layer for this season | Heavy or redundant salary already committed here |
| Switch coverage proxy | WithheldBasketball conclusion withheld | — | Jakob Poeltl | No recent availability layer for this season | Balanced or context-dependent salary commitment |
Who the team depends on
What disappears when a player is removed — and whether an observed replacement five exists.
SAS was highly dependent on Derrick White. Removing him cost about 34.7% of event creation production, and lineups with him performed 5.4 points per 100 possessions better than lineups without him. The best supported replacement group was [LaMarcus Aldridge, Rudy Gay, Marco Belinelli, Patty Mills, Davis Bertans] over 156 possessions.
Replacement evidence
LaMarcus Aldridge · Rudy Gay · Marco Belinelli · Patty Mills · Davis Bertans
shrunk net 5.925 over 156 possessions — small sample
on floor 3,471 possessions · off floor 4,361 possessions
SAS did not have strong functional backup for DeMar DeRozan in creation; removing him cost about 40.4% of the team's production in that area. The next observed option was Derrick White.
Replacement evidence
LaMarcus Aldridge · Rudy Gay · Marco Belinelli · Patty Mills · Davis Bertans
shrunk net 5.925 over 156 possessions — small sample
on floor 5,340 possessions · off floor 2,509 possessions
SAS did not have strong functional backup for LaMarcus Aldridge in interior finish; removing him cost about 43.8% of the team's production in that area. The next observed option was Rudy Gay.
Replacement evidence
Rudy Gay · Marco Belinelli · Patty Mills · Davis Bertans · Jakob Poeltl
shrunk net 3.821 over 239 possessions — small sample
on floor 5,334 possessions · off floor 2,524 possessions
SAS did not have strong functional backup for Bryn Forbes in shooting; removing him cost about 26.4% of the team's production in that area. The next observed option was Patty Mills.
Replacement evidence
LaMarcus Aldridge · Rudy Gay · Marco Belinelli · Patty Mills · Davis Bertans
shrunk net 5.925 over 156 possessions — small sample
on floor 4,612 possessions · off floor 3,246 possessions
SAS lineups performed 3.2 points per 100 possessions better with Patty Mills than without him. The best supported alternative was [LaMarcus Aldridge, DeMar DeRozan, Davis Bertans, Bryn Forbes, Derrick White] over 265 possessions.
Replacement evidence
LaMarcus Aldridge · DeMar DeRozan · Davis Bertans · Bryn Forbes · Derrick White
shrunk net 4.967 over 265 possessions — small sample
on floor 3,775 possessions · off floor 4,055 possessions
Function loss, lineup performance, and replacement-lineup evidence remain separate; none is causal player value.
What injuries change
Recent absences and the basketball needs they created or worsened.No governed recent game-level availability layer exists for this season.
Where money is tied up
Cap position and salary allocation — shown beside the basketball picture, never blended into it.Most salary is mapped to passing connectivity; the highest-need area is defensive event creation. Salary-to-function mapping covers 83% of charges.
Exact figures
Exact transaction legality withheld — no exception-usage, cap-hold, and transaction ledger evidence.
What the evidence cannot answer
Deliberate abstentions — where the database refuses a conclusion rather than guessing.- Point-of-attack defense proxy: Basketball conclusion withheld
- Screening: Basketball conclusion withheld
- Switch coverage proxy: Basketball conclusion withheld
Exact transaction legality: Exact transaction legality withheld — no exception-usage, cap-hold, and transaction ledger evidence
Team-season situation report. Structural basketball quality, recent availability, player dependence, replacement lineups, and financial position remain separate. No acquisition recommendation, transaction grade, coaching grade, outcome claim, or causal value is inferred.