This roster is coming together like a Power Rangers Mega-Zord, but it's yet to be tested on the field of battle. Looking at what the front office has cobbled together, the biggest question remains whether the San Antonio Spurs has enough shooting. That's going to be the most challenging facet newly minted head coach Mitch Johnson will have to navigate, whether he has the horses or not.
Last season, they actually did a tremendous job at taking good shots from the perimeter. They did a terrible job of making them. Coach Johnson-led, the Silver and Black generated the 6th most open three-point attempts. An open look in the NBA is classified as a shot with 4-6 feet of space. However, they only made 33% of those attempts—good for 22nd in the league. That's not going to get it done this year.
Shooting this year will determine how hard Mitch Johnson's job is
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There's only so much one can do from the sidelines, yet he's tasked with figuring out a way to earn victories in the most competitive basketball league in the world. Nobody is going to feel sorry for him if the team looks sloppy, but I, for one, will have mercy if the guys simply can't knock down a shot.
That's why Devin Vassell is going to be so important this year. He finished the season shooting the ball well, but it took way too long to get there. With the [number of rim runners](https://airalamo.com/magic-deaaron-fox-recapture-help-spurs-next-step) this team has, outside production will make-or-break this offense. It's just the nature of the game. NBA teams shoot a ton of threes these days.
San Antonio was 7th overall in three-pointers taken last season. Most of the good teams in the league are in the top half in that stat. But more importantly than the raw number of times you're getting them up is how often you're making them. OKC was 10th in three-point attempts, but they were sixth in percentage.
Cleveland, Minnesota, Denver, etc., were all in the top 10 in efficiency from deep. It felt like the Spurs tried to buck that trend in the early 2020s, but they've finally come over to the dark side. In general, they were 7th in shots from beyond the perimeter, but only made 35.7% of them—20th in the league.
Everyone will need to play their roles next season. You'll need most of your players attempting threes to some degree, but making sure the right guys are taking them more often than not will be crucial. So, Vassell needs to show up early, Harrison Barnes must pick up where he left off, Kelly Olynyk has to get them up when he gets on the floor, and the [guys who hung around league average](https://airalamo.com/nba-oddsmakers-one-thing-crystal-clear-spurs-bench) need to step up.