San Antonio Spurs: Full-capacity crowds could spell trouble

How will the San Antonio Spurs respond to fans on the road?

In road game situations, who will the guys turn to when the opposing team is making a huge run and the crowd is at their backs, and who will be able to stop the bleeding when those teams go on scoring runs?

If DeRozan walks in free agency, they won't have the luxury of relying on him for crunch-time buckets; those days are likely over. At least one of Derrick White, Dejounte Murray, Lonnie Walker, or even Keldon Johnson will have to step up in those moments if the Spurs want a chance at winning those types of rowdy games.

Many questions still remain in regard to the roster's construction next season. That being said, one thing that is for certain is that the Spurs will not land any big-time franchise-changing player via trade or free agency. It's looking increasingly like the Spurs young players will have to face next season head-on and potentially experience some growing pains in the process, particularly when they'll have to face rival crowds like in Houston, Dallas, and even Los Angeles.

Maybe the front office will strike gold once again in the draft, which wouldn't be the most otherworldly thing to happen considering how well they've drafted outside the lottery in recent years, but that remains to be seen. Regardless of who the franchise brings on and who they let go of, the road struggles are likely to remain with the team for the foreseeable future.

For Spurs fans, it will surely be exciting to see who will step up in those crucial games. Who will put the team on their back and try to lead them to victory? If we do see the team embrace a transition to the youth next year, the front office will likely be evaluating them to determine who will cement themselves as long-term pieces of the team's future. Who will rise to the occasion and who will falter? Next season can't come soon enough.