San Antonio Spurs: Simulating 5 wildly different offseasons


San Antonio Spurs Option A: Sign John Collins, select Josh Giddey at 12
Scenario A finished as the winner of the poll with 35.5% of the vote, but the simulations suggest it wouldn't yield the best results next season. Here's how the season played out for a Spurs team that steals John Collins away from Atlanta.
Simulation A Roster
Jakob Poeltl
Keldon Johnson
Dejounte Murray
John Collins
Derrick White
Lonnie Walker
Devin Vassell
Tre Jones
Josh Giddey
Rudy Gay
Luka Samanic
Gorgui Dieng
Drew Eubanks
Record: 42-40 (6th in the Western Conference)
Top 5 PPG
1. John Collins
2. Dejounte Murray
3. Keldon Johnson
4. Devin Vassell
5. Derrick White
Top 5 APG
1. Dejounte Murray
2. Derrick White
3. Tre Jones
4. Josh Giddey
5. Lonnie Walker
NBA Accolades
Dejounte Murray - All-NBA Defensive Second Team
Team Stats
6th in free throws made and attempted
7th in total rebounds per game
4th in second-chance points
3rd in steals per game
27th in turnovers per game
The San Antonio Spurs return to the playoffs
This simulation was the first of three that saw the Spurs returning to the playoffs. With this roster, San Antonio was able to upset the Phoenix Suns with a one-point, Game 7 victory on the road. in that deciding game, John Collins had 22 points and 10 rebounds while Devin Vassell recorded five steals. Dejounte Murray's two free throws with 13 seconds left gave the Spurs the 103-102 win.
Unfortunately, San Antonio's luck ran out against the second-seeded Denver Nuggets, as Nikola Jokic's big Game 7 ended their season.
While not exactly a return to contention, the acquisition of Collins definitely led to a step in the right direction here. Most importantly, the Spurs finally weren't horrible from the 3-point line in this scenario, which is likely due to more floor-spacing from this roster.