The Spurs’ lack of quality big man depth could be their biggest weakness in 2024/25
The Spurs will need Zach Collins and Charles Bassey to step up when Victor Wembanyama rests, but whether they can do it is still a question mark.
The Spurs had a successful offseason in which they addressed the two major issues with their roster, a lack of playmaking and shooting, while also shoring up their perimeter defense. San Antonio should be a much-improved team, regardless of how many more wins it gets simply by having a functional NBA rotation.
There is one position, however, that still has some question marks. It feels absurd to say that the center spot could be an issue when Victor Wembanyama will be the team’s starting big man, but the concern is the depth behind him.
Zach Collins won’t be able to work on his game this offseason
The first big off the bench will almost surely be Zach Collins. The former lottery pick fought his way back into the league after serious ankle injuries and looked useful enough to earn a significant multiyear deal from the Spurs, who envisioned him as a partner for Wembanyama in the front court. The duo didn’t really work well together and Collins became a sub, which should have bolstered the second unit. The problem is he wasn’t effective in that role either.
When Wemby and Collins shared the floor opponents outscored San Antonio by over 11 points per 100 possessions, according to PBPstats.com. Essentially the same happened in the over 1,000 minutes in which Collins was on the floor without Wembanyama. Both as a starter and as a backup, Collins was a net negative. The biggest issue when Wemby rested was defense, as opponents posted an offensive rating of 120, and the major problem with the two sharing the court was three-point shooting, as the Spurs only connected on a meager 31 percent of their attempts from beyond the arc. The numbers accurately reflect what was obvious to anyone watching: Neither Collins nor Wemby could space the floor well enough to play together and Collins can’t anchor a defense on his own.
There are caveats to all the negatives. Collins arguably had to shoot too many threes while still playing a big role as a passer and post player in the early days of the season when the Spurs were in their experimental stage and got better as a shooter later on when he had to play fewer minutes. The big men were not solely responsible for the spacing issues, as San Antonio had a severe lack of shooters, and the players who could shoot struggled greatly on defense. Collins was forced to attempt to erase the mistakes of his perimeter teammates while not having the tools to be the type of rim protector who covers ground quickly enough. There are reasons to believe that on lineups that feature two-way players slotted in the right positions, Collins could be a solid rotation piece, especially if the shot is real.
Unfortunately, injuries are once again complicating things for the big man. Collins suffered a torn labrum on the last game of the regular season, had to undergo surgery and will spend most if not all of the offseason rehabbing. It would be much easier to be bullish about his outside shot, especially after his late-season surge, if he had had an entire summer to work on it, but he won’t be able to get many reps before suiting up again. There are other things Collins does on offense that can be useful and in the right scheme and with the right players around him he could be at least a neutral defender, but if he can’t hit threes a lot of his value decreases, because once again some of San Antonio’s best defenders are questionable floor-spacers. If it takes Collins a while to find his shot, it could cause issues for the Spurs.
Charles Bassey is still raw and limited
An injury also affected Bassey last season, as he suffered a torn ACL in December and missed the rest of the year. Fortunately, he should be fully healthy when the season starts and as long as he remains an explosive athlete, he will find ways to contribute in a small role. He’s a prototypical energy big who comes off the bench to grab some boards, block some shots and score close to the rim, which is enough to make him a good third-string center and useful in certain matchups. But can Bassey be effective on extended minutes and a bigger role if Collins struggles or suffers another injury? He hasn’t proved that yet.
Bassey is young and inexperienced, which showed in his game. There were flashes of offensive versatility when he dished out good passes and even hit some short jumpers, but there were some bad turnovers as a result of careless passes or moving screens to go with them. On the defensive end, he blocked shots but also bit on some pump fakes, struggled with bigger centers and looked lost at times. It was normal stuff for a big man who has played fewer than 1,000 minutes in the NBA, issues that can be corrected with playing time and reps. Unfortunately, the injury prevented him from getting the seasoning he desperately needed and he will likely be as raw this upcoming season as he was on the last one.
Bassey is clearly a hard worker, as he proved by earning his spot by excelling in the G League. He probably spent his time off the court trying to get better in any way he could. There’s little reason to worry about his athleticism and mobility being reduced by his injury because the Spurs would have moved on from him if that had happened. He could come into the season with the tools, skill and motor to be more than just a third center, but he undeniably lacks the experience. If the other big men in front of him stay healthy and perform well, he’ll get to learn the intricacies of the game at his own pace, but if he’s asked to step up and be a reliable contributor, he might not be ready to do it and could force the front office to look for someone who can.
The Spurs have put together a solid roster, but they are not contenders, so there’s no reason to worry too much about a key rotation player being exposed in the playoffs. The goal this year is to improve and develop an identity by having guys with NBA skills, and both Collins and Bassey have them.
It’s still fair to say that the non-Wembanyama minutes could be the Spurs’ greatest weakness. Hopefully the two backup bigs will prove those concerns wrong and potentially establish themselves as long-term pieces.
