San Antonio Spurs: How much ‘star power’ is there?
By Rob Wolkenbrod
ESPN released their superteam rankings for the 2018-19 season. Where do the San Antonio Spurs stand in terms of star power?
Superteams went to the forefront of the NBA, when the Boston Celtics put Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen together in 2007. Before that, classified as a superteam or not, the San Antonio Spurs had Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili as their “Big 3.”
This idea took off in 2010, with LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade on the Miami Heat. Other teams followed, and now, it seems that each offseason features a new group of stars joining forces.
For the Spurs, the superteam term was not thrown around this offseason, especially with Kawhi Leonard‘s departure. LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan hold star power, but together, they were not placed in the talk of the Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder or other teams that linked superstars together.
With the 2018-19 season on the way, ESPN revealed their superteam rankings with four ties: The True Superteams, Superstar Duos or Star Trios, On the Rise, and Near Misses. The Spurs placed in Superstar Duos or Star Trios, due to Aldridge and DeRozan’s presences and 9 superpoints. This tier shaped up as the following:
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- Toronto Raptors: 19 superpoints
- Denver Nuggets: 16 superpoints
- Oklahoma City Thunder: 15 superpoints
- San Antonio Spurs: 9 superpoints
- Boston Celtics: 5 superpoints
- Washington Wizards: 5 superpoints
Despite the now quiet situation in San Antonio, the organization still holds star power and near the top of the league; maybe not at the tip of the scale, but enough for notoriety and to make noise in the 2018-19 season.
How far can Aldridge and DeRozan push the Spurs? That remains to be seen, as they have the stars of the aforementioned Western Conference teams to contest with, including a group of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and DeMarcus Cousins together. It should make for an intriguing ride this fall.