Doug McDermott doesn’t think the San Antonio Spurs are boring.
Across casual NBA circles, the Spurs aren’t always held in high esteem. The age, boring, humdrum, they-must-be-flawed-because-they-just-must-be narratives remain overplayed and, unfortunately, prevalent.
Diehards know better. Media members know better.
Smart people know better.
McDermott, who is preparing to enter the NBA after four years at Creighton, is a smart kid.
Asked by Sports Illustrated‘s Chris Mannix if there was a team running a particular system he thought he would be a good fit in, D-Money gushed about the Spurs:
SI.com: Is there a team that runs a system that you think you would be a good fit in?
McDermott: “I like to play up and down. I’d say the Spurs — that’s who everyone on Creighton dreams of playing for. They have great ball movement. They don’t care about who is scoring. We liked watching the Spurs back in Omaha. A lot of teams are moving in that direction. The Hawks, the Suns — a lot of shooters that like to space the floor.
Again, smart kid.
Everyone is a good fit in the Spurs’ system. That’s how it seems. Beyond the stars—Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and even Kawhi Leonard—there is Danny Green, Boris Diaw, Marco Belinelli and Patty Mills. San Antonio’s penchant for extracting the most out of every player they have is rivaled by no one. It’s simply absurd. They’ve won at least 60 percent of their regular-season games every year since 1998. They’ve won four championships since then too. They’ve made five NBA Finals appearances, and are currently working on a sixth.
Who does that?
The Spurs.
The boringly amazing, youthfully old Spurs.
Give them anyone, and Coach Gregg Popovich will make it work. I’m convinced of it. Give them McDermott, and just wow. His shooting stroke is incredible. He may be sick and tired of the Kyle Korver and Wally Szczerbiak comparisons by now, but they hold validity. Throw him into San Antonio’s efficient, ball-movement frenzy, and he’ll receive open look after open look and find the bottom of the net time and time again.
Too bad McDermott won’t be falling to the Spurs.
Both Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report and Chad Ford of ESPN have McDermott off the board by the end of the lottery at No. 13. The Spurs, meanwhile, will be picking last at No. 30.
Oh well. At least McDermott still has a shot at landing with the Phoenix Suns, whom he also cited as having a good system. Their success-by-committee dynamic is all kinds of awesome. Run McDermott next to Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe, and Phoenix can drive-and-kick all night.
The Hawks, who will be drafting at No. 15, also have a chance at landing McDermott if he slips on draft night. Coach Mike Budenholzer worked under Popovich for years and employs many of the same offensive methods. McDermott might thrive there too.
Alas, there are no guarantees when it comes to the NBA draft.
Not unless you’re drafted by the Spurs, who, if they keep you, seemingly always make the most of everything you do.
Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His musings can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com.
