Embracing Billy Donovan’s offensive blueprint could make Spurs two-way juggernauts

In the midst of free agency, the Spurs just made a different type of splash, signing Billy Donovan to be their lead assistant coach. Donovan, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2025, is best known for his time coaching the University of Florida, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and, most recently, the Chicago Bulls. His experienced voice and winning expertise should be very valuable for San Antonio.

In 2024-25 and 2025-26, Donovan’s two final seasons as Chicago's head coach, his team finished second in the NBA in pace. That uptempo playstyle was the hallmark of the Bulls after the end of the DeMar DeRozan-Zach LaVine era.

It’s something the Spurs should want Donovan to help install in their offense. Speeding things up and emphasizing pushing the ball in transition could lead to San Antonio establishing themselves as not just defensive but true two-way juggernauts.

Billy Donovan could help the Spurs revamp their offense

The Spurs are known for their defense right now, but at times during the regular season, they looked dominant offensively, too. They finished the year fourth in offensive rating. But, in the playoffs, that unraveled a bit, specifically in the halfcourt.

According to Cleaning the Glass, San Antonio had just the seventh most effective halfcourt offense in the postseason, scoring 96.1 points per 100 halfcourt plays. The team struggled to find go-to ways to score, especially down the stretch, and that contributed heavily to their defeat at the hands of the Knicks.

Heading into 2026-27, it’s clear the offense will need work for the Spurs. Since they haven’t made significant changes to their personnel, it’s the game plan that will have to be altered, and that’s where Billy Donovan comes in.

After DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine were traded from the Bulls, Donovan took a young, disorganized squad and turned them into a fast-break-hunting, three-point-chucking machine. He recognized that his roster didn’t have the type of creators needed for a strong half-court attack and chose to encourage them to run the floor and play freely instead.

Uptempo offense could be the right style for San Antonio

The Spurs don’t need to completely overthrow their offensive approach. They shouldn’t lean into running and gunning triples, hoping shooting luck leans in their favor. But simply putting real emphasis on generating transition opportunities could make them scarier on O.

De’Aaron Fox, Dylan Harper, and Stephon Castle are all built to play fast and get downhill. Julian Champagnie, Devin Vassell, and Keldon Johnson would benefit from the easier looks they would find in transition. Even Victor Wembanyama could be a unique weapon in this context, because he could beat most other big men up the floor and set himself up for oodles of highlight lobs.

If San Antonio chooses to lean into Billy Donovan’s offensive philosophy, it could put them one step closer to achieving dynasty status.

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