Few would have expected that the San Antonio Spurs would still be rolling without two of their three best players. In fact, they have even seemingly solved a major problem without them.
In four of the first six games without Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle, San Antonio has had 10 or fewer turnovers. That alone has helped them remain competitive with the spurious previously coughing up the ball at ridiculous rates when both players were healthy.
Ironically, while they are no doubt missing Castle and Wembanyama, they ranked first and second on the team in turnovers per game, and without them, the Spurs are taking much better care of the ball.
That has afforded them more scoring opportunities, and San Antonio is making the most of them. Against the Portland Trail Blazers, the Spurs attempted 13 more shots as a result of them taking care of the ball.
The Spurs have nipped their turnover problems in the bud
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They managed to squeak out a win on the road without their first and third best players as well. They then followed that performance up with another impressive showing against the Denver Nuggets, in which they committed just 10 turnovers.
In addition to getting the Spurs more scoring opportunities, it also has the effect of keeping opposing teams out of transition. Without teams being able to generate turnovers against the Spurs and get out on the fast break, they have been forced to score against San Antonio in the half court.
Even without Wembanyama and Castle, it still has a top 15-ranked defense. Offensively, they have continued to fire on all cylinders, with San Antonio inserting Julian Champagnie into the starting lineup.
That gives star De'Aaron Fox three shooters in Champagnie, Devin Vassell, and Harrison Barnes, as well as a roll man in Luke Kornet, which has been potent offensively. In fact, they've posted a 120.2 offensive rating since Wembanyama has been out. That would rank fourth in the NBA.
Wembanyama and Castle will have to solve their turnover problems
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With Wembanyama and Castle [soon set to return,](https://airalamo.com/spurs-must-make-painfully-obvious-change-when-victor-wembanyama-returns) the Spurs will have to continue to prioritize spacing to ensure open passing and driving lanes. Those two will also have to be better at taking care of the ball as well.
Castle playing alongside Fox or Dylan Harper should dramatically cut down on his turnovers by playing more off-ball. As for Wembanyama, cutting down on offensive fouls, i.e., trying to take wings off the dribble and getting called for a charge, would prevent turnovers and keep him out of foul trouble.
Ultimately, cutting down on turnovers has given the Spurs a major boost as they try to get healthy. With Wembanyama and Castle returning soon, both will have to limit their turnovers for the Spurs to reach their full offensive potential.