SAN ANTONIO — It should go without saying but we'll say it anyway: Losing point guard Dejounte Murray to a season-ending knee injury in their third preseason game last year dealt the Spurs a blow that pretty much relegated them to the second tier of the Western Conference.
Already a team in transition after losing All-NBA forward Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili last summer, the Silver and Black struggled without Murray, their top playmaker and best perimeter defender.
Despite starting the season with eight new faces on their roster, the Spurs made the playoffs for an NBA-record-tying 22nd consecutive year. San Antonio, which finished 48-34 and advanced to the postseason as the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference, took No. 2 Denver to seven games before falling in the first round for the second straight year.
With Murray well on his way to being ready for the start of training camp in late September, the Spurs will become a much better team the moment he steps back on the court. Long and athletic, Murray has the skill set to develop into one of the top point guards in the league with time.
Besides being a dynamic playmaker on offense, Murray was San Antonio's best perimeter defender before he went down with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee last October.
Murray, who was the Spurs' first-round draft pick in 2016 and is only 22, replaced Parker as the team's starting point guard in January 2018 and went on to become the youngest player in league history to earn a spot on the NBA All-Defensive team.
“Everybody forgets that, I think,” Popovich said. “That’s where the defense begins and ends, with him at point guard or two guard, wherever he ends up playing. I’m sure he’ll do both."
Murray and Derrick White, who started most of the season at point guard, will give San Antonio one of the best defensive tandems in the league next season. With White likely sliding to the second guard spot, his natural position, he and Murray will spend a lot of time on the court together during games.
Understandably, Murray is eager to make up for lost time. Talking with the local media Wednesday for the first time since sustaining his injury last October, Murray spoke about how tough it was to watch games from the bench.
"I was around my teammates every day," he said. "There were times the media didn't see me on the bench for certain games, but I never missed a practice or a film session this year. It was good because I've seen us start off slow, and I've seen dudes frustrated.
"You know, people trying to figure this thing out. But one thing about Gregg Popovich, he finds out your strengths and weaknesses and he puts you in position to be successful. I think that's what he did, and we started figuring each other out and it just showed."
Murray said he was frustrated with every game he missed, regardless of who the Spurs were playing.
"We started off slow, but I know it's a process," he said. "You know, it was a new team. End of an era, Hall of Famers and it was everything, the trade, everything, so we all knew it wasn't going to be all cookies and cream to start off. But, you know, every single game (he felt frustration) because I love basketball."
The Spurs lost a big chunk of their team when Leonard and Green were traded to Toronto, Parker signed with Charlotte and Ginobili retired.
Murray had good things to say about White and Bryn Forbes, two of the youngest players on the Spurs' 2018-19 roster. Forbes made the team as an undrafted free agent in 2016, and White was the franchise's first-round draft pick in 2017.
One of two San Antonio players to start all but one game this past season, Forbes averaged 11.8 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 28 minutes in 82 regular-season games. Aldridge was the only other San Antonio player who missed only one start, but Forbes was the only Spur who played in all 82 games. Forbes also led the team in three-point field goals made (176).
"I'm more happy for Derrick, happy for Bryn," Murray said. "I already knew that, though. We put in work. We go in every day. Every young guy that comes through here, it's called daily vitamins. We put in the work."
There had been speculation before Thursday's NBA Draft that the Spurs would package their two first-round draft picks to make a trade for a veteran forward. But they stood pat and took Croatian power forward Luka Samanic with the No. 19 pick and Kentucky guard/wing Keldon Johnson with the No. 29 selection. They also drafted Mississippi State guard Quinndary Weatherspoon in the second round, taking him with the 49th overall pick.
It's doubtful that any of those players will be able to contribute much next season. So, the Spurs will return the core of their 2018-19 team and bring Murray back into the mix.
Free agency starts at 5 p.m. June 30, but deals can't officially be signed until noon on July 6.
Deep in the backcourt but lean up front, the Spurs are in the market for a forward who can rebound, shoot the three-pointer and help shore up the team's defense, which was spotty throughout the 2018-19 season.
San Antonio's depth and talent at the forward position took a precipitous dip after it traded Leonard last July.
Stay tuned.
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