Spurs' Starting Point Guard Role Remains Fluid
The San Antonio Spurs are at the beginning of a rebuild after trading Dejounte Murray to the Atlanta Hawks. With that comes the opportunity for players to shoulder more responsibility.
Given that Murray was a foundational talent who got moved essentially for future draft capital, there is a massive void left behind that needs to be filled. Who will it be? Tre Jones? Josh Primo? Blake Wesley? A combination of the three? It remains to be seen at this point.
The media attempted to gain some insight into the Spurs' potential plans for the starting point guard role. As one might expect, Gregg Popovich wasn't about to reveal the answer.
"Jakob Poeltl is our five man. He's starting at the five position. We'll go from there," Popovich said when asked about the starting point guard position.
It remains to be seen how much longer the Spurs' veteran players will remain on the roster. Poeltl and Richardson are playing on expiring contracts and have skill-sets that should intrigue plenty of teams around the NBA. However, that is unlikely to have much impact on the point guard position.
If one was to give a prediction about the starting point guard role, the circumstances appear to favor Tre Jones. He filled the backup point guard role and is a poised ball handler with the desire to grow into a leadership role.
"There's for sure a big opportunity now. ... It's something I've been working for my whole life, though," Jones said. "Trying to be ready when my name is called, no matter what place I'm in, no matter where I'm at. So there's a bigger opportunity now.
Josh Primo left a lot to be desired as a shot creator and playmaker last season. It would be challenging to envision him being the optimal choice to step in as a the clear initiator of the half-court offense. As for Jones, that's a different story.
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