The San Antonio Spurs will be looking to break into the Top 8 in the Western Conference upon the resumption of the 2019-20 season, and Lonnie Walker IV understands that it's up to the team's young stars to make it happen.
“We’re a young, athletic group that wants to play defense and wants to win,” Walker said about the Spurs, per Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express News.
“The best thing is we’re all eye-to-eye level right now. There’s not one person that’s down here and another person is up here. We all know what we want and what we want to become as a team.”
While veterans LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan still carried much of the load for the Gregg Popovich-mentored team for most of the season, young guys like Lonnie Walker IV, Dejounte Murray and Derrick White have shown flashes of brilliance.
The once-perennial contenders suffered from inconsistency at the beginning of the year, sitting currently at 12th place in the West with a 27-36 slate. Six teams vie for that coveted eighth seed and final playoff spot currently owned by the Memphis Grizzlies (32-33).
With Aldridge set to miss the rest of the season after a shoulder surgery, it's time for the Spurs' youngsters to prove their mettle.
Walker has yet to solidify his spot in Coach Pop's system, averaging just 5.6 points on 14.5 minutes in 53 appearances. With the Spurs now undermanned, the 21-year-old shooting guard is expected to gain a much bigger role in Orlando.
Murray, on the other hand, is slowly regaining his pre-ACL injury form, notching 10.7 points on 47.5 percent shooting from the field and 37.8 percent from distance. White has also been solid, pitching in 10.4 points in 61 games.
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