Reuters via Imagn Images San Antonio’s flaws were on display in Paris. This season of San Antonio Spurs basketball has been a roller coaster. There are high peaks like the Spurs blowout win over the Indiana Pacers in their first matchup during the NBA Paris Games. Then they follow it up with a bizarre performance in game two, losing by 38 points. These Paris games were an example of the story of the Spurs’ season – in one stretch, they are a playoff contender; the next they are headed to the lottery. Through all those ups and downs, a pattern has started to emerge. The Spurs have an offensive talent deficiency. Sure, their defense falters without Victor Wembanyama on the floor occasionally. They are a middle-of-the-pack defensive team, statistically, but when he’s on, they can look elite. Offensively, outside of Wembanyama, they are inconsistent at best. Credit the Pacers for being the more physical team, picking up full court, and bothering the Spurs enough to make them turn the ball over 24 times. Even so, a team with enough playmakers should be able to counter that effort – the Spurs don’t have them. You simply can’t score just 12 points in the fourth quarter and expect to win the game. Who outside of Wembanyama is a reliable, consistent creator of offense? Chris Paul has been the answer for most of the season, but at 39 years old, he doesn’t have the burst to find his shots consistently. Devin Vassell has been warming up lately, but the Pacers were able to take him completely out of the game on Saturday. Stephon Castle has shown flashes, but his shooting is a real issue that holds him back from being effective on a high volume of shots. The Spurs are much better than they were last year. They’ve already won as many games as last season, and it’s January. They’ve made steady improvements both internally and by picking up external players. Still, this roster has its flaws and likely projects as a team that hovers around .500 for most of the season. So buckle in and enjoy the ride, because this roller coaster ride isn’t ending for another few months. Takeaways: San Antonio never adjusted to Indiana’s pressure on Thursday. The full-court press bothered them and caused a ton of turnovers. The Spurs lost the turnover margin by 14 and the offensive rebound margin by 1, meaning the Pacers got 15 extra possessions because of its aggression and physicality. Indiana got 17 more shots off and knocked them down at a high clip (43.6% from three). That seemed to be the difference in the game. Castle has been pretty effective lately, but he’s still prone to some tough offensive games where he’s forcing the issues. He seems to have the green light from deep despite shooting 25.9% from three this year. Without a reliable mid-range game, Castle’s rim finishing is his sole scoring weapon. The Pacers took advantage of that, forcing him to get to the rim, where he was met by Myles Turner and Pascal Siakam several times. Castle has a ton of potential, but developing his shot has to be a priority if he wants to become a reliable offensive weapon. As the trade deadline approaches, the Spurs would be best fit to pick up another scorer, preferably a ball-handler, and most importantly, another big man. Indiana crushed the Spurs’ small lineup with Jeremy Sochan at center. Sochan was -30 in his 14 minutes. He’s better suited at forward next to Wembanyama, given their chemistry. Bassey and Collins have not proven they can be relied upon. They need outside help to bolster their depth.