What we learned from the summer Spurs loss to the Kings

Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images

San Antonio’s offense struggles without Stephon Castle and Sidy Cissoko.

The San Antonio Spurs second Summer League game had a lower profile than their first. Combine a 9 p.m. CT start time with a roster missing key players like Stephon Castle, Sidy Cissoko, David Duke Jr. and RaiQuan Gray, and you get significantly less hype than Saturday’s game. The results however, were largely the same. San Antonio was blown out for the second straight game, losing 85-59 to the Sacramento Kings.

The summer Spurs offense struggled mightily again. They lacked consistent offensive creation and struggled to find good shots against the physical Kings defense. San Antonio shot just 21.9% from the field and 16.2% from deep. Their struggles at the free throw line continued, shooting 63.9% from the stripe. They had a negative assist to turnover ration, with 10 assists and 16 giveaways. It’s just Summer League, but those offensive numbers two games in a row are alarming.

Second-round pick, Harrison Ingram, led San Antonio in scoring. He had 11 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists while shooting 5-13 from the field. With other ball handlers missing, Ingram had the ball in his hands more and did a better job attacking the basket. Tyson Ward tossed in 11 points including two three-pointers.

The Spurs will play their final game in Sacramento on Tuesday, July 9th against the Chinese National Team. China and San Antonio remain winless in the California Classic.

Observations:

Ingram’s ball skills popped in this contest. He showcased a solid handle and good driving ability, especially attacking closeouts. Ingram has a big frame that he can use to bump defenders on drives. He hit a couple of sweet turnarounds in the paint. His passing reads were much better than his first game. He was active on the offensive glass with 3 offensive boards. Summer League is not always the best environment for a player with Ingram’s skillset, but he had a solid game on Sunday.
Jamaree Bouyea is a dog. He was one of the few Spurs who could consistent create separation on Sunday. Defensively he works his tail off and is usually in the right position. But at 6-foot-2, he lacks the explosiveness and length to be a truly disruptive defender or strong finisher against NBA players.
San Antonio’s bigs have not played well in two straight games. Offensively they haven’t made a big impact. Neither space the floor nor provide a post presence, and they struggle to finish inside. At 6-foot-9, Nathan Mensah and Yauhen Massalski are both undersized. Mensah did protect the rim well with 3 blocks, but he was still outclassed by Sacramento’s bigs. Riley Minix isn’t a traditional big man, but he’s known for his unorthodox offensive skillset. It may be time to give him a chance to boost the offense for the Summer Spurs.