Sam Navarro-Imagn Images The Spurs played a short rotation and lineups they’ll likely use in the regular season but still struggled to find cohesiveness. It wasn’t the prettiest of games, but the Spurs’ 120-117 loss to the Heat in the second-to-last preseason matchup offered a glimpse at what the Silver and Black might look like on opening night. Through the ups and downs, San Antonio is figuring out its identity. The Spurs played what will likely be their starting lineup and normal rotation in the first quarter, but the lack of familiarity was evident. Victor Wembanyama was getting plenty of attention from Miami’s defense but his passing wasn’t up to par to make the Heat pay. He wasn’t the only one playing carelessly, unfortunately. The turnovers piled up for San Antonio, which couldn’t establish their center inside and seemed hesitant on offense. On the other end, the home team was not showing an explosive attack, but simply by being less sloppy and making the simple play they managed to put points on the board against an outmatched Spurs defense that fouled a lot. The wounds were mostly self-inflicted for the Silver and Black but their veteran opponent also made sure to take advantage. Despite the Heat playing better in the opening frame, their lead was only six after the first 12 minutes. The Spurs were in it even after showcasing some terrible execution, and they had stretches in the second period in which they looked like a more cohesive unit, as Wemby made better reads. What stopped them from taking control of the game was a noticeable difference in the ability to capitalize after getting Miami into rotation. The Heat were a lot more disciplined when sending help, which took away the advantages San Antonio conjured with the initial play of the possession. On the other end, the opposite was happening, with the Spurs looking lost often as soon as they got into rotation. The fouling and turnovers didn’t help, either. At the break, Miami was up 10 and completely in control. Victor Wembanyama sat the second half after playing his allotted 17 minutes in the first half, which took away some of the intrigue from the game, but there was still plenty to focus on in the third period. The Zach Collins - Jeremy Sochan duo worked seamlessly, with Collins’ passing getting Sochan some easy buckets. Chris Paul punished the defense for not respecting his jumper on the pick-and-roll. The Heat sat their starters, so there’s that to consider, but the turnovers stopped and everyone upped their physicality. Julian Champagnie hit some shots and Barnes had his best stretch as a Spur. Charles Bassey returned after a serious injury and looked rusty but also as springy as ever. San Antonio had a solid quarter overall and took the lead heading into the fourth. Gregg Popovich didn’t immediately go deep into his bench, keeping Chris Paul and Collins on the floor next to the young guards, which made the first few minutes of the final frame a lot more entertaining than expected. There was some good and some bad after that, with the team trading buckets, but the Spurs fought until the end and left a good impression despite ultimately losing. Play of the night A center getting a steal, leading the break and getting the assist on a lob. Alien things. VIC ➡️ JER pic.twitter.com/qd13ssISTr— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) October 15, 2024 Game notes Wembanyama’s progress as a passer is going to have a huge impact on his development. He’ll always get the attention of defenses. If he can make the right reads and deliver quick passes that hit their target, the Spurs’ offense is going to be unstoppable. Unfortunately, he still struggles sometimes with reading the floor and puts himself in bad situations that result in last-second mistakes. The good news is he does show flashes of good vision and should get better with experience. Chris Paul finished with five assists and six turnovers, but he hit his pull-up jumpers, which is huge. The Spurs need him to punish the defenses that go under screens or play drop defense. Tre Jones had a good game off the bench, finishing with eight points, three rebounds, three assists and no turnovers. Blake Wesley had four assists to two turnovers. San Antonio has good depth at point guard this year. Jeremy Sochan had a double-double, logging 18 points and 11 rebounds. He seems at his best when sharing the court with Collins instead of Wembanyama, but even when he’s on the floor with Wemby he’s always moving and trying to make things happen. The coaching staff is also figuring out ways to use him as a screener instead of parking him on the corner, which is encouraging. The lack of a jumper remains an issue but it shouldn’t overshadow everything else Sochan brings to the table. Speaking of which, Sochan took no threes and Keldon Johnson, who finished with 15 points and five rebounds, missed the only one he launched. The Spurs needed the other forwards to hit some long balls and they did. Both Barnes and Champagnie went 2-for-5 from outside. Zach Collins had a good game playing inside the arc. His scoring close to the basket is an asset and so is his interior passing. He’ll have to play in the perimeter at times and he’ll need to keep defenses honest with his jumper, but he shouldn’t spend as much time beyond the arc as he did last season. It wasn’t the best game from Stephon Castle, but he still had his moments and got to the line. The biggest issue is he couldn’t hit his threes. The same happened to Malaki Branham, who finished with 16 points and took six free throws but missed five out of his six threes. Charles Bassey is rusty. He passed up a couple of shots and was out of position on defense a few times. It’s understandable. Once he gets into a rhythm, he’ll hopefully bring athleticism and hustle when needed, like he used to. Next game: at Houston Rockets on Thursday The Spurs will close out the preseason with a visit to the Rockets. Victor Wembanyama vs. Alperen Sengun is always fun.