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Spurs' unique offensive weapon gives them an added edge no rival can match

No other team can say this.
Devin Vassell, Stephon Castle, De'aaron Fox, and Victor Wembanyama and Dylan Harper
Devin Vassell, Stephon Castle, De'aaron Fox, and Victor Wembanyama and Dylan Harper | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With a stacked roster, the San Antonio Spurs already have a huge advantage over the rest of the NBA, but one unique feature gives them an added edge. Both De'Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper are left-handed.

That might not seem like a big deal, but it can actually help San Antonio significantly next season. Anyone who's ever played basketball knows that defending left-handed players is often much more difficult.

Defenders often guard the right side of players' bodies, forcing them to go left, but if they are actually left-handed, then it makes getting into the paint a snap. Not that Fox or Harper needs help with that.

Still, it helps to ensure that San Antonio has guards that can consistently get into the paint and collapse defenses, resulting in open shooters.

The Spurs having two lefty scorers makes them tougher to stop

Having two left-handed players play such a large offensive role is somewhat unusual. That's considering how many of the NBA's leading scores are actually right-handed.

Fox ranked 35th in scoring last season after averaging 18.8 points per game. However, he ranked sixth among left-handed players, while Harper wasn't far outside of the top 10 in that category after averaging 11.8 points.

With both players expected to be better next season, that gives San Antonio a unique quirk that can make them harder to stop offensively. Even after having a poor season by his standards, Fox ranking in the top six in scoring among left-handed players shows his talent level.

I expect him to be far better next season with the criticism levied against him after his disastrous NBA Finals hopefully fueling him. That and the fact that he might actually play more on-ball next season could help him regain some of the scoring he lost moving from Sacramento to San Antonio.

De'Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper are key to the Spurs' title hopes

Perhaps equally motivating is that Harper outplayed Fox in the NBA Finals and is rapidly ascending. Harper could see his minutes drastically increase, which could result in him ranking among the NBA's best left-handed scorers next season.

Out of the four members of the Spurs' big four, Fox and Harper have the biggest potential for improvement next season. Fox looked nothing like the Sacramento Kings version of himself but could if given more opportunity to play on the ball.

Harper simply needs more playing time and could conceivably average between 28 and 30 minutes per game. Per 36 minutes last season, he averaged 18 points and could very well score around 16.5 points per game next season.

Fox improving to the mean, Harper getting more time to shine, and Stephon Castle improving as a shooter may result in a dominant Spurs backcourt. One that is all the more difficult to stop with two left-handed scorers.

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