Good article about why they are struggling (answer: youth). Here was the best part
>The approach has been different for a team as young as this year’s Spurs.
>“Now we are starting from it seems like square one, as basic as it gets about where to be in help side, how to guard the ball, taking away the basket first and forcing them to kick out to tougher shots,” Jones said. “It seems like so many basic things, but some people have never been taught it.”
>Most young players do not enter the league with a firm grasp of what constitutes a commitment to defense, Jones said. Champagnie agreed.
>Asked if felt prepared for the NBA level after three collegiate seasons at St. John’s, Champagnie said it was a mixed back.
>“Offensively yes,” he said. “Defensively no.”
>Spurs coaches have been hesitant to institute more complex defensive coverages as the team struggles with the basic fundamentals.
>“With the best teams, I feel like they make those fundamental errors the least amount,” Jones said. “So just take care of that and then we can go on to more advanced things – where you can play players’ tendencies more, learning about other teams’ plays and trying to take certain actions away. But only after we get the fundamentals down.”
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Good article about why they are struggling (answer: youth). Here was the best part
>The approach has been different for a team as young as this year’s Spurs.
>“Now we are starting from it seems like square one, as basic as it gets about where to be in help side, how to guard the ball, taking away the basket first and forcing them to kick out to tougher shots,” Jones said. “It seems like so many basic things, but some people have never been taught it.”
>Most young players do not enter the league with a firm grasp of what constitutes a commitment to defense, Jones said. Champagnie agreed.
>Asked if felt prepared for the NBA level after three collegiate seasons at St. John’s, Champagnie said it was a mixed back.
>“Offensively yes,” he said. “Defensively no.”
>Spurs coaches have been hesitant to institute more complex defensive coverages as the team struggles with the basic fundamentals.
>“With the best teams, I feel like they make those fundamental errors the least amount,” Jones said. “So just take care of that and then we can go on to more advanced things – where you can play players’ tendencies more, learning about other teams’ plays and trying to take certain actions away. But only after we get the fundamentals down.”