After four games, Spurs’ early defensive problems stem from their lack of a defending 3

On the surface it looks as if San Antonio Spurs They handle the ball very well defensively.

In four contests, they scored just under 110 points per game, enough to be in the NBA’s top ten. In the last three games, San Antonio has held its opponents to 106, 106 and 105 points.

But beneath these statistics lies a deeper problem. The Spurs made 64 three-pointers (t-23rd) and 39.3 (27th) three-pointers made. Considering San Antonio was within striking distance in each of the first four games, its inability to effectively defend the three-point line was particularly costly.

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It’s not just the opponent’s overall three-point shooting ability that’s concerning; individual shooting sprees plague Spurs. Klay Thompson shot 6 of 10 from beyond the arc in the season opener. His last two three-pointers, both of which came with the Mavericks pulling away, were the result of miscommunications on the Spurs’ defense.

Two games later, Jalen Green made 7 of 13 three-pointers. It’s worth noting that three of his three-pointers assisted the Spur, who was unable to get through a ball screen. Elsewhere, Fred VanVleet hit a dagger from deep with under 20 seconds left in the game to put the Rockets up by four.

On this play, Jeremy Sochan and Keldon Johnson trapped Green outside the screen, and Malaki Branham failed to pivot from the left wing in time to successfully deny VanVleet’s shot.

Finally, Lu Dort torched the Spurs, making six three-pointers in just eight attempts as the Thunder largely fell to defeat. San Antonio lost track of Dort several times, both in the half court and in transition.

What’s promising is that Spurs have given themselves a chance with their collective defense in a young season. However, what undermines that promise is their inability to defend three-point shots, and that’s an issue that will need to be addressed if they want to make a surprise postseason trip.

There is still a lot of work to be done on this front.

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