Massive Spurs improvement has flown under the radar amid stellar season

There is a laundry list of reasons why this Spurs squad has begun to conquer the NBA in the blink of an eye. However, among them all, San Antonio's elite ball security may top the list.

Like any young team, the Spurs had struggled to hold onto the ball for multiple years prior to this season. With a turnstile of youth going in and out of the lineup and a cast of shaky lead ball-handlers, San Antonio was not prolific at keeping the ball out of harm's way. Now, those times have changed.

With veterans on board and the help of Head Coach Mitch Johnson, the Spurs have quickly turned things around in the turnover department, and this improvement is paying off in a massive way.

The Spurs are turning the ball over at an extremely low rate

According to Cleaning the Glass, San Antonio has allowed only 13.1% of possessions to end in a turnover. This lands them fourth among all NBA teams this season. Further, the Spurs' assist-to-turnover ratio is a high 2.0, which ties them for second.

The team also houses a collection of standout players when it comes to holding onto the ball. Six of the Spurs' regular rotation players have turnover percentages under 10%, which is outstanding. Meanwhile, two of the team's lead ball handlers, De'Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper, have percentages of 11.2% and 10.7%, respectively.

The lone outlier is Stephon Castle, who is still struggling with ball security. But if you know Steph at all, you would know that he is working his tail off to get his 15.9% down.

Ball security is the key to winning games for the Spurs

The stats show that the Spurs are elite at holding onto the ball. Is it any coincidence that the squad is at the top of the league? I don't think so. The other teams leading the league in turnover percentage are the Thunder, Nuggets, and Celtics. This is no coincidence at all.

A turnover can often lead to a four-to-six-point swing. In any given possession, you could lose the opportunity to score three and then allow the team a free three on the other side. This is often what creates the massive runs we see in the NBA.

A team can eliminate a breadth of points from the opposing team's scorecard by simply holding onto the ball. High-turnover games have dramatic effects on winning and losing. It's not rocket science.

When you combine the Spurs' superb defense with a unit that plays sound basketball, you get a perfectly well-oiled machine fueled to terrorize the league. So long as San Antonio keeps this up, they will continue to win basketball games.