Handing out Spurs player grades at the midseason point

After missing the playoffs last season, the San Antonio Spurs were not expected to be one of the key competitors in the Western Conference. However, measly early-season forecasts about the Silver and Black have been wrong so far as the good guys have raced out to an 18-14 record at the midseason point.

Given San Antonio’s great first-half showing, let us hand out midseason grades for every player and zoom in on the things that have gone well for the Spurs as they have jumped out to their pleasant start.

We’ll start with the team’s rising point guard.

San Antonio Spurs Dejounte Murray Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports

San Antonio Spurs, DeJounte Murray

Dejounte Murray has performed well on both ends this campaign, far eclipsing his numbers from last season. As the second option on the starting unit, Murray is averaging an impressive 15.8/7.0/5.8 on 46/32/81 shooting splits. While the talent has always been there for the young stalwart, his improving all-around game has cemented his status as one of the franchise’s undeniable cornerstones.

The youngest player ever to crack an All-Defensive Team in history, Dejounte has proved this season that he is more than his advertised niche. While known more as a defensive stopper, his court vision, shooting, and instincts have all been better. Last season’s head-scratching turnovers have also been sparser in the present, as he’s averaging fewer turnovers than last year despite playing almost six more minutes per outing.

While the numbers are more than enough to highlight his improvement, his leadership as a floor general has been the most splendid. Though the veterans are still out there giving pointers to the young crew, DJ is taking Pop’s challenge to realize what it takes to be a mature point guard in the league, a major facet of his game that was lacking last season.

Grade: B+

San Antonio Spurs Derrick White (Photo by Ashley Landis – Pool/Getty Images)

San Antonio Spurs, Derrick White

Expectations for Derrick White have been lofty this season, especially after inking him to a four-year extension to keep him in the Alamo City as one of the squad’s leaders. However, the early campaign has not been good on the health front for the heady guard, as he has only played in eight games so far due to toe injuries and COVID protocols.

While there is no big sample size to gauge his play so far, the Spurs have been relatively good with him on the court, tallying the second-highest plus-minus on the team behind DeMar DeRozan. Alas, San Antonio is a perfect 4-0 in games which he started, a role which he will occupy for the rest of the season.

Barring a setback, Derrick provides the squad with another shot creator and playmaker who is not shy to fire from long range, a point of necessity in the offense. On defense, he is one of the league’s peskiest backcourt stoppers, supplying a healthy number of blocks, playing outstanding positional and help defense, and being a charge-drawing savant.

Grade: Incomplete

<!—->