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The 2021-22 regular season has finally come to an end with little time to wait before the postseason tips off. For the San Antonio Spurs, it was a season they came into with little expectations. The youthful roster finished with a record of 34-48 on the season which was enough to give them the 10th seed in the Western Conference and punch the final ticket to the Play-in Tournament. This will be a terrific chance for the young roster to get some postseason experience and is sure to have some real positive effects on the growth of the roster moving forward. However, you can never count out Coach Popovich and the Spurs are still sure to make things interesting for this season as well.
Here are 3 play-in predictions for the Spurs as they prepare to face the New Orleans Pelicans.
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San Antonio Spurs Play-In Predictions
3. Coach Popovich Will Have a Major Impact
This may not be the likes of the dynasty rosters that have come to be expected from the Spurs, but that does not change the franchise possessing likely the best active coach in the NBA. The 5-time NBA champ has created an impressive culture in San Antonio and has gotten this current roster to buy-in.
The team fought hard down the final stretch of the season to make this play-in tournament so will be riding some momentum as they are 7-4 in their final 11 games. There likely isn't a game plan or strategy that Popovich has not seen or coached against at this point, so expect the Spurs to hold a major edge in the coaching matchup with Pelicans' coach Willie Green. This team may lack the star power that is expected of a Spurs playoff team, but there are plenty of impactful role players on the roster that Popovich will plan on stringing together for success.
2. Dejounte Murray Will Take Next Step
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The young career of Dejounte Murray has been fun to watch so far. The stringy former Washington guard has continually added layers to his game since coming into the league in 2016. The most exciting development has been the growth in Murray defensively, as he led the NBA in steals this season. Overall on the season, the 25-year-old averaged 21.1 points, 9.2 assists, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.0 steals.
Due to his impressive play, Murray has begun to lock himself in as one of the cornerstone franchise pieces of the Spurs. This postseason matchup will be an excellent chance for the 6'4 guard to prove why this is the case and help lead this San Antonio team to a victory. He has proven to be ready for each new responsibility that has been thrown on his plate so far, so expect Murray to take advantage of the opportunity and take the next step as a true franchise centerpiece. It also is worth noting that he has missed some time with a respiratory illness but is expected to be fully healthy for the matchup.
1. Spurs Will Control the Game's Pace
On paper, the New Orleans Pelicans appear to have the edge in talent, however, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the Spurs. One of the ways they have found success this season has been by effectively controlling the tempo and ensuring that the franchise is not being outshot by their opponent. The Spurs rank 2nd in the NBA in FGA, 3rd in made field goals, and 8th in points overall. They also effectively share the ball as the team is second in the NBA in assists and the 5th best at not turning the ball over.
There is not a ton of room for error in the game plan if the Spurs hope to find a victory, but taking note of the pace and how each team is taking care of the ball will be major indicators of how the game will swing. The Pelicans also lack experienced playoff players and if the Spurs are successful in controlling this aspect of the game they will be a very difficult team to beat.
This will be the fifth time this season these divisional foes have faced off this season, with the Spurs winning three of the four matchups in the regular season.
