Bleacher Report's "overreaction" to Spurs' bench woes is actually the correct reaction

Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley filed the Spurs' bench struggles under "overreaction" in his look at every NBA team's start. Respectfully, it's the correct response to what we've been watching, despite all the winning this team has been doing.

Buckley's own numbers make the case. He has the Spurs' reserves 19th in offensive efficiency and 18th in net rating, and he says the group has gone from building advantages to just staying afloat. That's a quiet problem for a team that's 10-2, and I've written about their soft schedule before.

Their record is still a testament to how good the starters are, but we shouldn't ignore what's happened to the bench. And I acknowledge that Keldon Johnson, Luke Kornet, and Carter Bryant showed up last night to help San Antonio secure a win in Chicago, but consistency has been an issue.

The Spurs' bench took a big step back from last season

Think about where this group was a year ago. Johnson was a bona fide Sixth Man of the Year, averaging 13.2 points off the bench, with a highly productive Dylan Harper alongside him. Seven Spurs averaged double figures last season, and Harrison Barnes was a tenth of a point away from making it eight.

That's not the case this year. Only six Spurs are at 10 or more points a night, and Julian Champagnie is the lone reserve in the group. KJ is down to 8.0 points a night on 44.6% shooting, Barnes is at 5.5, and Kornet is at 3.4. It hasn't been nearly as good as last year, and it's been a struggle to survive those minutes at times.

Dylan Harper's promotion left the Spurs bench without a creator

This season, Dylan was going to be the Sixth Man of the Year frontrunner until he was announced as a starter. He's averaging 18 points in his new role, so it's hard to argue with the move based on his production, especially with his growing case for a larger role after last season's playoffs.

But those are the contributions the second unit used to have, and now we're always unsure of where it will come from. Juju has been great, but he's a floor-spacer. He doesn't have the kind of dynamic game to create for others like Harper could. He's more of a pressure-release valve than a spark plug.

The help was supposed to come from Tobias Harris, but a calf strain has kept him off the floor. Buckley noted that Keldon and Barnes can give more, and I agree. I also agree that Tarris Reed Jr. should get a longer look at some point. ESPN's Michael C. Wright reported that the Spurs' staff has been "pleased" by Reed's progress, so it'd be nice to see him play meaningful minutes.

The truth is that the starters are carrying this team right now. That's great against lesser teams, but it could be a problem when the competition intensifies.

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