Spurs “doomsday” claims collapse instantly under one NBA comparison

If I were to ask the majority of Spurs fans what the biggest concern was coming into this season, most of them would probably say shooting. That's fair. The additions they've made over the past 8 months have addressed many of their other weaknesses. However, that uncertainty shouldn't paralyze the hope that everyone has for this team's success this year.

If anything, there should be excitement about the potential of San Antonio's season. They've missed the playoffs for over half a decade now. Rising to the playoff contender status should be lauded, but there continues to be doubt about what they can accomplish because you can't expect perfection out of them.

"I just can't help but think at some point this season that the lack of shooting is going to be a problem for the Spurs." - Kevin O'Connor via The Kevin O'Connor Show

Shooting won't stop the Spurs from having a great year

This won't be the most prolific shooting team in the NBA, but that's okay. Not every good team needs to be in the top ten in that stat to make it to the postseason. Do we want the team to improve from the outside? Of course. But there needs to be more nuance in discussions about what's possible, even without being one of the best three-point shooting squads in the league.

Case in point: the Houston Rockets. And believe me, I'm disgusted by the fact that I've been forced to say good things about a San Antonio rival, but the truth is unbiased. The Rockets were the second seed in the Western Conference last season, finishing with 52 wins. What if I told you that they were a worse team from outside than the Silver and Black were?

San Antonio was 20th in three-point shooting while Houston was 21st. They had a spectacular season, and they don't have a Victor Wembanyama. They had effort. We have the pleasure of playing that team four times a year, so Spurs Nation knows what they are. They're hard workers. Nearly every possession is played with relentless effort, and it translates to a lot of wins.

That's just one example of what Rick Carlisle was talking about in a podcast interview he did with Caitlin Cooper a couple of months ago. Winning these days is not about having a top-heavy squad. It's about having a deep team of talented players who will all play hard for the entire 48 minutes.

The Spurs now have a roster deep enough to sustain that playstyle, but they also have the benefit of an Alien who can do things that nobody else can. Do we want them to be a prolific shooting team? Of course. But if they're just serviceable, they can win a bunch of games in this league if they bring the effort every night. That's reliant on coaching and personnel, and that's what we should be focused on.