4. San Antonio Spurs
It’s unclear how the Spurs will navigate their roster construction over the next year or two with LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan each soon needing new contracts. San Antonio could be stuck in a tough position with a lack of dynamic talents in a loaded Western Conference.
A critical element to the Spurs’ success under Greg Popovich has been the prowess of the team’s defense. The impact Tim Duncan made anchoring the middle of the unit went a long way in bringing the best out of his teammates — now, that’s no longer present.
The Spurs would benefit from having Myles Turner fill the role of being their rim protector while providing perimeter shooting to a low volume shooting team. Perhaps that would better level the playing field for San Antonio against some of the tougher offenses.
There is already a connection between Popovich and Turner from their time with USA Basketball last summer. With that familiarity from both sides, it would not take long for the University of Texas product to get acclimated to the Spurs.
