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Squad weaknesses
To begin with, the Spurs lost Kawhi Leonard, who is one of the top 3 two-way players in the NBA today. While DeMar DeRozan can handle the load offensively, he is not a skillful defender like Kawhi. Much of their defense in the last few years depended on Kawhi's defensive ability, Kyle Anderson's presence on the wing and Danny Green, who was named to All-NBA Defensive Second Team in 2017.
The Spurs got some rim protection from the wing because of Kyle and Danny and the new players will not be able to replace these players right away.
The Spurs were ranked 1st in defensive rating in the 2016-17 season. Even with Kawhi featuring in only 9 games, they were ranked 4th in defensive rating in a 2017-18 season, primarily because of their wing players. This season, Popovich will have a tough time to build a good defense with a lot of young and fresh guys. Although one would definitely not doubt Pop's coaching skills, there are high chances that their defensive rating will drop further.
Losing veterans Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili is also a big blow to this team. Manu was good at stealing the ball with his presence of mind and Tony always found a way to score, particularly when the team needed him the most in clutch situations, using his 17-year NBA experience. The lack of experience can be a serious problem for this team.
Guess the Lakers players!
