SAN ANTONIO — As a compressed offseason turns into an unprecedented preseason, Spurs veterans LaMarcus Aldridge and Patty Mills spoke about how they'll fit with what San Antonio is building moving forward.
For the big man Aldridge, it means more three-point shots. For the deadeye Mills, it's doing a bit of everything else and thinking the game at a higher level.
The front office headed by GM Brian Wright executed a series of smart, under-the-radar moves to emphasize building on the team's bubble success centered on defense, pace, and player development. Coach Gregg Popovich vocally supported that shift in focus when he opened San Antonio's media availability Tuesday.
One of the main takeaways from his comments was that this team will play a more spread out, up-tempo style like we saw in Orlando, and everybody including LaMarcus Aldridge will be asked to fit that new system.
"I think that LA will have no problem adjusting to how we play because he wants to win, we want to get back in the playoffs, and he is committed to taking another huge step as far as becoming more of a three-point shooter, which is necessary in this league for success, we all know," Popovich said. "He took a big step last year, he's taking even a bigger step this year. His workouts all summer long and into the fall have centered around that, and he's bought into that and knows how much that can help us, so I'm excited for the whole group to come together."
Aldridge shot 39% from deep last season, and if he increases his volume he can aid a team that was bottom three in the NBA in terms of three-point attempts last year, even with Bryn Forbes and Marco Belinelli.
He's grown as a vocal defensive anchor who won't have to cover up as many lapses by teammates on the perimeter this year, and he can still be an effective scorer by picking and popping or rolling and punishing mismatches. He gets boards, throws outlet passes, and is developing a threatening shot from the top of the arc as a trailer in transition.
In his media day session on Wednesday, Aldridge accepted the challenge of shooting more threes from his coach.
"I support that, and I feel really comfortable with it, so I'm not gonna do a lot of talking about it, I think it's time to just go do it," Aldridge said. "I would say I've put the work in, so we'll see."
As for playing up-tempo, he's game for that too.
"It's a fun style of basketball, and I can mesh and play any style I need to to help the team win games and be better," he said.
Aldridge said he's had plenty of time to recover from shoulder surgery that kept him out of the bubble, and he's ready to go.
"It was tough to not play, always want to play with the guys, but it was nice to see the guys having time to get experience, and to see guys taking advantage of the time and playing well, that was good to see," Aldridge said. "I feel like everyone kinda grew in different ways in the bubble, so that's nice to see."
In less fun news for Spurs fans excited about the youth movement, Derrick White (toe), Keldon Johnson (foot), and Quinndary Weatherspoon (knee) will likely not be available to start the year. It's unfortunate given all of the well-documented strides they made in the bubble, but it provides more opportunity in the rotation immediately for Lonnie Walker IV and rookies Devin Vassell and Tre Jones.
Patty Mills figures to play a pronounced role off the bench out of the gate given the departure of Forbes and Belinelli coupled with injuries to guards for San Antonio.
When I asked about that role as the team's last pure shooter, Patty politely pushed back on the idea that he's only a shooter, and said that the best version of himself as a player, the Team Australia version, can do so much more than just shoot.
"My mindset and where I'm at right now is being able to get to the point of who I am on the national team, because that's who I am," Mills said. "It's far removed from just being a pure three-point shooter, so it's got nothing to do with that. That's the self reflection part that I've been able to get to over the last few months, but that's the determination that I have. Whenever I get the chance to go back and play for Australia and put on the green and gold, and be that person, it's who I am. I think the role that I've had here in San Antonio has been different from that for the last nine seasons, so going into my tenth season it's really on me to be able to fuse them both together and really unleash who I really am. I think I do the best of that when I do play for Australia, so it's just being able to put on the table what I have learned, all the knowledge I've gained from being around Tim Tony and Manu especially, and put that into place this season."
This comes after Mills took the middle seat in the back row of a van crowded with rambunctious kids on the way to Disney. He held a clipboard on the bench for most of the bubble experience to allow the young guns to show out while the more seasoned coaches evaluated their group. Mills said that experience has motivated him and helped him think about the game and himself differently.
"I got to have a perspective that I've never really had before, obviously from a coaching standpoint, but more importantly a perspective of how I can still develop and learn and grow as a player," Mills said. "It was a good experience for me, and I made sure to make the most of it. Obviously you always want to play, but I think that I gained a lot of experience and knowledge from that role."
If the most senior Spur can be the best version of himself as a player, thinker and leader, it further enhances his strength as a veteran glue guy helping the young boys, as he calls them, along.
He said that even though last season had a disappointing end, it's another year in the system for all players young and old, and they all benefited.
With much of the external excitement about internal development focused on the young core, it's refreshing to hear that the old dogs are learning new tricks to match their energy and needs.
With those other shooting guards gone Mills is probably the weakest link in the backcourt defensively, but pairing him with a rim protector like Jakob Poeltl and versatile wing defenders will help a lot. He's small but feisty, can get in the jersey of the worst guard off the other team's bench, and will never give up on a play despite his physical limitations.
Late in his media availability, he commented that he was surprised nobody had asked about the Fiesta jerseys, and went on to explain that they excited him because they remind him of the San Antonio community he plays for and represents.
"When I tap in to the meaning of those things, it brings out another level of competitiveness, because you know what you're playing for, you know why you're playing for those things," Mills said, revealing that he had some input on the design process over the last several years. "It brings me back to the word 'community,' and me going into my tenth season in San Antonio now, when you understand the San Antonio community, and you understand how deep the roots are here in San Antonio, I guess then you realize that these colors aren't just colors. It's a celebration of the diverse heritage and culture that San Antonio has to offer, it's San Antonio's identity that goes far beyond just basketball."
Mills said that missing the playoffs left a bad taste in his mouth, and he and the rest of the players have been grinding so that they can give this city the quality basketball they're used to.
"You can tell by the body language of everyone that I've seen so far and talked to that we have a lot of making up to do this season," he said.