Mitch Johnson's unacceptable answer for January skid won't satisfy Spurs fans

Seasoned local reporter Jeff McDonald wrote an interesting piece on the Spurs' midseason struggles and how the team plans to navigate them. When Mitch Johnson was asked about what San Antonio's problem is, he replied, "It's January in the NBA." It's a quick, to-the-point way of acknowledging the dog days of a long season, but it ignores a very relevant reality. It's January for everybody.

There are 11 teams to also play seven games this month and manage a better record than the Spurs. Six of them are 5-2 or better. McDonald did a great job of getting the players' perspective on the January woes (paid), and they weren't making any excuses. De'Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle both acknowledged the need to play their way through such a rough part of the year.

Truth be told, I believe Coach Johnson knows that, too. He doesn't want to throw his guys under the bus, but the answer he gave leaves the door open for scrutiny. What's been going on lately isn't really a coaching issue. It's a player problem. So, they need to figure out how to dig deep enough to get back to the things that were bringing them success early in the season because there are significant differences in the numbers.

The Spurs haven't been as aggressive on defense

This is going to seem a little out of place, considering San Antonio's defense has been the reason they've won any of their recent matchups, but there's been something missing from the games: defensive playmaking. Steals and blocks lead to fast breaks and easy points. Those things are also momentum boosters, and they're both down.

I'm going to ignore the 12-game stretch that Victor Wembanyama missed because he's the main cog of the team. Everything is built around him, and without him, progress only matters so much as they wouldn't stand a chance at contending without him.

With that said, from the start of the season to November 14, when he played his final game before suffering a calf injury, the Spurs were 8th in fast-break points. A big reason for that was their forcefulness on defense. San Antonio was registering nine steals (13th) and six blocks (6th) a night.

They're 4-6 over their last 10 games, and in those contests, the Silver and Black have plummeted to 24th in fast-break points. It's easy to see why when you check those same stats and see they're now only racking up 7 steals and 4 blocks per game.

The coach can't force the ball to go in when players are cold, and he can't force players to go for more blocked shots and steals. I said it's not a coaching issue because I find it hard to believe Coach Johnson would ask his team to stop doing those things.

They have to find it within themselves to get back to wreaking havoc on defense. It's a major key to getting easier buckets for these offensively inconsistent Spurs. They need that.