San Antonio Spurs
2020-21What were the San Antonio Spurs in 2020-21, and what needed front-office attention?
SAS 2020-21: the clearest roster problems were Shooting and spacing, Interior finishing. The strongest covered areas were Rebounding. The main rotation-player dependency cases were Jakob Poeltl, DeMar DeRozan, Patty Mills, Rudy Gay, Derrick White. 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 2020-21 Rebounding: this was a team strength; production ranked at the 100.0 league percentile. Keldon Johnson supplied 17.3% of the team's above-replacement production in this area. No governed recent game-level availability layer exists for this season. Function-level salary allocation was incomplete and is withheld.
What needs attention
The clearest roster problems the evidence supports.Full reading
SAS 2020-21 Shooting and spacing: this was one of the team's clearest roster problems; production ranked at the 0.0 league percentile. Patty Mills supplied 39.1% of the team's above-replacement production in this area. No governed recent game-level availability layer exists for this season. Function-level salary allocation was incomplete and is withheld.
Full reading
SAS 2020-21 Interior finishing: this was one of the team's clearest roster problems; production ranked at the 20.0 league percentile. Jakob Poeltl supplied 21.1% of the team's above-replacement production in this area. No governed recent game-level availability layer exists for this season. Function-level salary allocation was incomplete and is withheld.
Every covered basketball function (11)
| Function | Reading | League percentile | Largest contributor | Recent availability | Salary commitment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creation | SupportedMiddle of the league | 70th percentile | DeMar DeRozan · 35.2% | No recent availability layer for this season | Salary-to-function mapping withheld — coverage too low |
| Defensive event creation | SupportedMiddle of the league | 30th percentile | Dejounte Murray · 34.1% | No recent availability layer for this season | Salary-to-function mapping withheld — coverage too low |
| Interior finishing | SupportedCritical team problem | 20th percentile | Jakob Poeltl · 21.1% | No recent availability layer for this season | Salary-to-function mapping withheld — coverage too low |
| Passing connectivity | SupportedMiddle of the league | 70th percentile | DeMar DeRozan · 32.3% | No recent availability layer for this season | Salary-to-function mapping withheld — coverage too low |
| Point-of-attack defense proxy | WithheldBasketball conclusion withheld | — | Dejounte Murray | No recent availability layer for this season | Salary-to-function mapping withheld — coverage too low |
| Rebounding | SupportedTeam strength | 100th percentile | Keldon Johnson · 17.3% | No recent availability layer for this season | Salary-to-function mapping withheld — coverage too low |
| Rim pressure | SupportedMiddle of the league | 40th percentile | Keldon Johnson · 27.2% | No recent availability layer for this season | Salary-to-function mapping withheld — coverage too low |
| Rim protection | SupportedMiddle of the league | 60th percentile | Jakob Poeltl · 38.8% | No recent availability layer for this season | Salary-to-function mapping withheld — coverage too low |
| Screening | WithheldBasketball conclusion withheld | — | Jakob Poeltl | No recent availability layer for this season | Salary-to-function mapping withheld — coverage too low |
| Shooting and spacing | SupportedCritical team problem | 0th percentile | Patty Mills · 39.1% | No recent availability layer for this season | Salary-to-function mapping withheld — coverage too low |
| Switch coverage proxy | WithheldBasketball conclusion withheld | — | Dejounte Murray | No recent availability layer for this season | Salary-to-function mapping withheld — coverage too low |
Who the team depends on
What disappears when a player is removed — and whether an observed replacement five exists.
SAS was highly dependent on Jakob Poeltl. Removing him cost about 38.8% of rim protection production, and lineups with him performed 9.1 points per 100 possessions better than lineups without him. The best supported replacement group was [LaMarcus Aldridge, DeMar DeRozan, Dejounte Murray, Lonnie Walker IV, Keldon Johnson] over 413 possessions.
Replacement evidence
LaMarcus Aldridge · DeMar DeRozan · Dejounte Murray · Lonnie Walker IV · Keldon Johnson
shrunk net -6.522 over 413 possessions
on floor 3,393 possessions · off floor 3,016 possessions
SAS did not have strong functional backup for DeMar DeRozan in creation; removing him cost about 35.2% of the team's production in that area. The next observed option was Dejounte Murray.
Replacement evidence
Rudy Gay · Patty Mills · Dejounte Murray · Jakob Poeltl · Devin Vassell
shrunk net 8.966 over 225 possessions — small sample
on floor 3,812 possessions · off floor 2,591 possessions
SAS lineups performed 6.3 points per 100 possessions better with Patty Mills than without him. The best supported alternative was [DeMar DeRozan, Dejounte Murray, Jakob Poeltl, Derrick White, Keldon Johnson] over 646 possessions.
Replacement evidence
DeMar DeRozan · Dejounte Murray · Jakob Poeltl · Derrick White · Keldon Johnson
shrunk net 4.378 over 646 possessions
on floor 3,067 possessions · off floor 3,342 possessions
SAS lineups performed 6.8 points per 100 possessions better with Rudy Gay than without him. The best supported alternative was [DeMar DeRozan, Dejounte Murray, Jakob Poeltl, Derrick White, Keldon Johnson] over 646 possessions.
Replacement evidence
DeMar DeRozan · Dejounte Murray · Jakob Poeltl · Derrick White · Keldon Johnson
shrunk net 4.378 over 646 possessions
on floor 2,471 possessions · off floor 3,938 possessions
SAS lineups performed 7.5 points per 100 possessions better with Derrick White than without him. The best supported alternative was [Rudy Gay, Patty Mills, Dejounte Murray, Jakob Poeltl, Devin Vassell] over 225 possessions.
Replacement evidence
Rudy Gay · Patty Mills · Dejounte Murray · Jakob Poeltl · Devin Vassell
shrunk net 8.966 over 225 possessions — small sample
on floor 1,892 possessions · off floor 4,505 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 shooting and spacing. Salary-to-function mapping covers 79% 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.