Winning rosters are never 100% homegrown. You have to find good players on the market who fit your culture and team dynamic. Brian Wright did that with the assortment of talent he's added to the roster over the past two seasons, and those additions paid off in a much-needed victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.
San Antonio hadn't beaten their Southwest Divisional foes in San Antonio in 11 straight games. It's the latest losing streak snapped by the new era Spurs. De'Aaron Fox (26 pts) and Harrison Barnes (23 pts) weren't on the roster for the vast majority of those losses, so they don't mean anything to them. Nor were they going to let it continue, as both players showed exactly why they were brought to the 210.
The need to understand the game can't be overstated for young Spurs
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Just earlier in the day, the team announced that [Stephon Castle would miss more time](https://airalamo.com/spurs-injury-struggles-increase-with-new-stephon-castle-revelation) than originally planned. The revelation comes on the heels of a similar trajectory for Victor Wembanyama. Most believed these guys were only day-to-day when they first appeared on the injury report. A little tightness here and a little soreness there is normal for a long NBA season.
However, the classically careful Spurs ordered MRIs for them, and it turns out their ailments require a little more recovery time. Getting that news on game day can be a little rough, and while it's impossible to know for sure whether that played a factor in their slow start last night, it's a reasonable conclusion to make.
Younger teams can get down on themselves when it feels like the adversity bug has a nagging crush on them, and right now, it feels like harassment. But [that's what veterans are for](https://airalamo.com/spurs-veteran-continues-to-prove-hes-most-underrated-player-in-nba), and the Spurs general manager did a magnificent job of grabbing the right ones for this team. They're humble, hardworking, and have a high basketball IQ.
The first half was disjointed and inconsistent offensively. The defense was solid, but their operation on the other end of the floor was way too difficult. That changed in the second half, as De'Aaron Fox rattled off 16 points in the third quarter.
After Swipa's immaculate third-quarter display, it felt obvious that he would bring the win home, but that's where HB came into play. Barnes poured in nine fourth-quarter points, and seven of them came in a minute and a half stretch at the end of the game on consecutive possessions. He was a man on a mission and slammed the door in the faces of Jaren Jackson Jr. and company.
Keldon Johnson and Jeremy Sochan are San Antonio originals, but they were the only OGs to have solid offensive games. Devin Vassell has 10 points, but he only shot 3/11 from the field. Most of the points came from guys that Wright has added over the years. Julian Champagnie (50%), Kelly Olynyk (50%), Barnes (64%), and Fox (50%) all had efficient shooting nights that helped break such an ugly streak.
The haters will tell you that he doesn't deserve much credit because the Spurs were more than fortunate to have the lottery balls roll our way in three consecutive drafts. However, true basketball heads know that building the rest of the roster is just as important. He's done a fantastic job of that, and the Silver and Black have reclaimed relevance as a result.