Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images A shorthanded team with no rest was offensively challenged. Sometimes, teams are victims of scheduling. Everyone plays back-to-backs, and most teams know the second game is hard to win. In the 2023-24 season, 17 of 30 teams finished with a record below .500 in the second game of a back-to-back. The San Antonio Spurs were 2-11 in such circumstances last season. It’s even harder to win games like that without a defensive player of the year candidate and two of the drivers of the offense. Without Victor Wembanyama and Devin Vassell (and Jeremy Sochan, although the Spurs aren’t expecting him back until later in the season), San Antonio faced an uphill battle in its 110-93 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. The Spurs hung around in the first half thanks to some hot shooting from Julian Champagnie and Chris Paul, but ultimately, they couldn’t create enough offense to stick around with the Mavs. Shooting 31.8% from the field and 27.5% from three is no way to win in the NBA. Games like this point to an obvious but fixable flaw in the Spurs roster – a lack of offensive creators. Back in the day, CP3 could whizz around a screen or use a hesitation dribble to beat his defender and create an advantage for his team. Once an advantage is created, the defense has to scramble. A help defender slides over, a pass goes out to a shooter or roller, and BAM, you have a bucket. That’s an effective way to create offense in the NBA. Paul no longer has the quickness to do this but still possesses the basketball IQ and skill to make this happen once in a while. The Spurs need more players who can get by the initial defense and make something happen. I don’t necessarily mean isolation players, but someone who can be an offensive threat with the ball in their hands. On the current roster, I’d say that Wembanyama, Vassell, Keldon Johnson, and, lately, Stephon Castle fit this bill. Sochan showed flashes, but we need to see more. Acquiring more offensive creation should be a focal point for the Spurs as they continue to build the roster. The 2025 NBA Draft class features some tantalizing offensive creators to keep an eye on, and of course, acquiring a big name via trade or free agency would help tremendously, too. Games like this are tough to face without your best players, but they are more manageable with improved depth and scoring across the roster. Takeaways: The Mavericks dominated the Spurs on the interior, especially Daniel Gafford, who exploded for 22 points and 7 rebounds in just 18 minutes off the bench. Zach Collins and Charles Bassey both had their moments defensively, but overall, the paint just wasn’t protected like it normally is with Wembanyama (duh). Collins put up a respectable line of 20 points and 6 rebounds. He was much more effective inside than from deep. Those back-to-back airballs will likely earn him a spot on Shaqtin a fool. It wasn’t the best night for Stephon Castle, but he still showed some of the things that indicate he will be a highly effective player for years to come. His defense was great, even in the face of a tough task. The shooting has been coming around, although I would caution against buying into that too much until we get a larger sample. My favorite skill of Castle’s is his ability to use his body and strength to seal off angles for himself. He’s not the fastest or most explosive, but he isn’t afraid of contact and will use his strength and spatial awareness to move a defender in just the right way to find an angle to score. It’s savvy stuff for a rookie. Tre Jones’s first game back from injury wasn’t one to hang his hat on, but he should be a big help once the calvary arrives. He had 3 points and 4 assists. I thought he looked comfortable shooting catch and shoot threes without hesitations, which will be major for his development and the success of the bench unit. When this team is in full health, he should be a big contributor in the second unit.