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Trade and injury has altered the Spurs “youth movement”
For the most part, the Spurs have been referred to as a “young” team. In fact, the only players over thirty at the start of the season were Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes, the offseason acquisitions.
With a starting lineup of Paul (39), Barnes (32), Devin Vassell (24), Stephon Castle (who has been 20 since being inserted in the the starting line-up), and Victor Wembanyama (who started the year at 20 but has since turned 21), the average age of the starting five going into the trade deadline was 27.2.
But since the trade that brought De’Aaron Fox (27) and the injury to Wemby that led to the signing of Bismack Biyombo (32), the average has jumped to 30.8.
Now it appears there is a chance that within week De’Aaron Fox may have finger surgery and be sidelined for the remainder of the season. Which leads to this question — why not unleash the young core of Spurs talent for the remainder of the season?
Imagine a starting five of Wesley (21), Castle (20), Vassell (24), Sochan (21), and Mamukelashivili (25) for an average of 22.2. There might be some struggles, but also a lot of room for growth.
Brining CP3, Barnes, and Biyombo off the bench with Keldon Johnson and giving Malaki Branham and Harrison Ingram some much needed conditioning and minutes could expand the talent pool on multiple levels.
Sprinkle some time with Biyombo and Stephon Castle on the court together so the budding rookie can continue to develop his pick-and-roll game.
The team has a unique opportunity to build the skills of the young guys or at the very least determine if they are indeed part of the future of the franchise.
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