There’s a moment in every parent’s life when, from a place of experience, you advise your child not to do something, and they proceed to disregard you.
It is, so far as I can tell, a universal experience, bypassing borders and languages, regions and classes, prejudices and ethnicities, and religions and political affiliations. In certain ways, youth is simply incorrigible.
And the thing is, most of the time, it’s not even outright defiance.
One of my most treasured photos of my daughter is on the lockscreen of my phone. She’s in the middle of scaling one of the low fences at the edge of a Hat Creek playground, and just to the right of her is a metal sign bearing the words: PLEASE DO NOT CLIMB ON THE FENCE.
She was two years old, unable to read the sign, and unable to see any danger in the empty parking lot beyond the fence. It’s not that the rules and danger didn’t exist; they simply were not apparent to her at the time.
She had no conception of how the parking lot would fill, or how cars might incautiously cruise through the empty lot on the way to another destination. Her perception of reality was not so much wrong as it was limited by her childish understanding of cause and effect, the exterior world, and the flow of time.
Empty parking lots stayed empty. The inattentive would surely be attentive to her. Fences were barriers to access rather than barriers of protection.
Though adults are frequently guilty of it, no one is more self-assured of their import to the world than a toddler who has spent their life at the center of adoration.
You can find another form of this self-assurance in that of a young team exceeding expectations and timelines, positioned to be darlings in the media narrative, already so in the eyes of their fans, and that can lead to a certain kind of complacency.
It’s a different sort of complacency from that of a perpetual lottery team (or the perpetually middling) in that it comes from a place of competency, of skill, of the sentiment that talent outweighs effort. Or, at the very least, that it allows for effort to wax and wane without consequence.
Ever since San Antonio’s repeated defeats of the Oklahoma City Thunder, we’ve seen that very specific brand of complacency creeping in, and it reared its head in the 1st half against the Hornets in the same way that it did a week ago against the Pelicans, and earlier in January against the depleted Grizzlies and banged-up Trailblazers.
For all the complaints about their third-quarter woes, the Spurs also allow the 4th most points scored in the NBA in the 1st quarter, and the 8th most in the 2nd quarter. They limp out of January with an 8-7 record and the 19th-ranked offense for the month.
They’re not taking the opposition seriously unless the opposition sits high in the standings.
And to their credit, they’ve performed well against those teams, knowing that there’s no margin for error against the likes of the Knicks, and the Lakers, and the Celtics, and the Timberwolves.
There have been some seriously impressive wins during this stretch. Maybe too impressive for a group of youngsters who believe all too strongly that they can simply flip the switch against lesser opponents — who see no real danger until it’s almost already too late (and often is).
The thing is, though, they’re not toddlers anymore. They’re more like teenagers who can feel the edge of adulthood on the horizon and have convinced themselves that they’re ready for all of the adult decisions and the inherent challenges of independence.
And there’s a kind of beauty in that. The Spurs have beaten teams better than them because they don’t know what they don’t know. They’ve walked out wild and fearless into the world of contention, and they haven’t been really and truly crushed yet.
Cormac McCarthy once wrote that it was good that God kept the truths of life from the young as they were starting out, or else they’d have no heart to start at all.
I’m beginning to suspect that it’s going to take their first real jaunt into the postseason for these young Spurs to grasp the reality of what it takes to win — the vigilance required of champions. The focus. The wariness. The paranoia. The notion of no nights off.
For now, we’re just going to have to endure the incredible highs and lows of youth. The stumbling that often feels momentous. The lessons that somehow fail to translate to everything else and somehow fail to stick.
The Spurs can read the signs now. They remain skeptical of the empty parking lot.
I’m not sure that Mitch Johnson will be able to knock that out of them. I’m not sure Pop would have been able to either.
I’m sure he had to endure nights where even the great Tim Duncan miscalculated against the opposition. I’m sure it happened more than we care to remember, lost in the irrepressible mythos of Duncan’s focus and reliability.
It’s something these Spurs are going to have to figure out on their own. It’s probably going to take more than a few hard lessons and unexpected losses. As a fan, I have faith that they’re going to get there. It’s the same kind of hope you hold as a parent. There’s really no other choice.
In the meantime, however, I wouldn’t let these youngsters borrow your car.
Buy them a clunker. They’re not done crashing yet.
Takeaways
- Though Harrison Barnes continues to slowly climb his way out of one of the worst three-point slumps I can recall since the days of Danny ‘Icy Hot’ Green, Mitch Johnson made the decision to move him to the bench squad and give Julian Champagnie the starting role. Though Champagnie has been getting time in the starting unit this season, this marks the first time that’s happened with both Barnes and Vassell healthy, and it’s a much-deserved sign of the progress that Champagnie has made over the years. Specifically, he’s been red hot over the last 10 games, averaging a career-high 13 points per game, while leading the team in Effective Field Goal Percentage, True Shooting Percentage, and Player Impact Estimate in that span to boot. Barnes responded by going 3-5 from three, and without ego, and if that keeps up, I’d wager the change will be permanent outside of specific match-ups and/or trade scenarios.
- I’m not sure how to say this, but Wemby’s defense has been pretty subpar over the last 10 games, and his defensive rating ranks 8th on the team over that stretch for players getting non-garbage-time minutes (all hail defensive rating leader Jordan McLaughlin!). Consequently, the Spurs have ranked 12th in defensive rating during that span, which is a real problem when you’re also 19th in offensive rating for the month. The Spurs are going to have to improve defensively or offensively if they want to hold onto a top 4 spot in the West. I’d prefer that it to be both, but like John Lennon, I’m a dreamer who writes cloying (and somewhat contradictory) lyrics. ♫ Imagine there’s no flopping. It’s easy if you try…♫
- Look, I love Stephon Castle. He’s got grit. He’s got desire. He’s got that ineffable thing that never lets him quit. Watching him defensively punk the Houston Rockets in the 4th quarter this week, I felt closer to him than some of my own family members. But until he finds his shot consistently and is able to slide over to shooting guard, we’re just not going to see the best of De’Aaron Fox and San Antonio’s offense. While Fox is a better shooter, it’s clear that he is most comfortable (and useful) with the ball in his hands to create the driving threat that gives him space for his jumper. Fox has yet to match the stretch he had when Castle (and Wemby) were out, and the offense really needs that version of him back. Unfortunately, Castle is 9th in True Shooting on the team over the last 10 games (and 13th for the season), so that dream may have to wait another year.
- Also, this is a super fun little stat, but you’ll never guess who’s been leading the Spurs in defensive rating over the last 10 games. If you guessed Luke Kornet, you were close, but it’s actually rookie Dylan Harper! And while a lot of his defense is coming against opposing team’s benches, it’s yet another feather in the cap of what’s sure to be the scary other half of San Antonio’s lottery guard tandem. In the words of Timbuk 3, the future’s so bright, I gotta wear shades.
Playing You Out – The Theme Song of the Evening:
In Time by Robbie Robb
