The Spurs are far from a finished product, and there are more than a few indicators of that, but one of the most glaring ones has been their defense against the most dangerous weapon in the league: the three-point shot. San Antonio is 28th in 3PT% defense. Teams are making 39% of their attempts, and that flaw is a major reason why they struggle to hold onto leads when they push them.
Fortunately, they're (usually) almost impossible to score on as soon as you take one step inside the arc. They're the second-best defense in the league when defending two-point attempts. Notice that I didn't limit that description to rim protection or paint patrol. Whether players are shooting floaters or pulling up off the dribble in the midrange, the [Spurs make it hard](https://airalamo.com/spurs-undeniable-contender-status-grows-as-secret-weapon-fuels-their-dominance) for them. (OKC is first in this stat.)
There's something missing from Spurs' defensive strategy
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San Antonio is 15th in three-point attempts allowed per game. That's as average as it gets when it comes to running teams off the line. That's where they need to improve, and quite frankly, it's confusing to see them struggling in that area. There's a lack of discipline in their defensive rotations. That's what's leading to the high number of long-distance shots they allow.
Victor Wembanyama is out right now, but this was a problem when he was in the lineup, and it shouldn't be. When you have the Alien on the court, the goal is to funnel players to the basket and try to force them to take a contested shot over the longest wingspan in the league. They've been doing a tremendous job of that more times than not, and it's led to the fifth-highest defensive rating in basketball.
But they can get caught out of position too often when opponents are smart enough not to take the ill-advised shot. Motion offenses are more of a problem as teams continue to cut, screen, and rotate while moving the ball around, searching for the best shot. Those looks end up being on the perimeter, where many teams are looking for an advantage in any way.
It's almost like guys are waiting for the driver to get blocked or throw up a silly attempt, opening up their transition opportunities on the other side, but you have to finish the defensive possession first. Players end up late to their assignments because they're caught slacking on their rotation. They need to be early, not on time. On time is late in the NBA. These guys are too good.
Obviously, it's much tougher to guard the three when you don't have a rim protector like Vic, too. If you can't keep anyone out of the paint, the defense starts to collapse, and that only leads to more open shots. Wemby has only been out for ten days, so this team has to [figure it out for a little longer](https://airalamo.com/predicting-spurs-win-loss-record-on-grueling-upcoming-road-trip). Once their superstar is back, everything will be easier for everyone, and hopefully, they can fix that perimeter defense.