This was supposed to be Derrick White’s year to shine for the Spurs.
Perimeter players Tony Parker, Danny Green, Kyle Anderson, Manu Ginobili and Kawhi Leonard all exited the team this offseason. Young guards Dejounte Murray and Lonnie Walker suffered serious injuries during the offseason.
White’s minutes were bound to skyrocket this season. A heel injury delayed his season debut, but he quickly showed his worth in his first few games as a starter.
As the Spurs and White (on offense) have slumped from 6-2 to 10-10, he’s lost his starting position and a consistent rotation role. Let’s examine White’s position with the team moving forward.
White’s reps have decreased
Gregg Popovich inserted White into the starting lineup in his first game back from his heel injury against the Heat. The second-year guard didn’t play a big role that game, but his minutes increased for the next three games.
At the beginning of White’s time with the starting group, he, DeMar DeRozan and (to a lesser extent) Bryn Forbes were the point guards by committee. The former Colorado star was very solid in games against the Rockets and Kings. He flashed his offensive arsenal with a variety of nice finishes and assists.
But his time on the court and with the ball gradually began to plummet. DeRozan and Forbes started to handle the ball more, and they also had to force-feed LaMarcus Aldridge to help him out of his slump.
White was terrible against the Clippers (zero points and one assist on 0-of-5 shooting in 17 minutes). That performance sent him to the reserve group.
He’s actually gotten even fewer opportunities to handle the ball with the second unit. Patty Mills and Marco Belinelli have taken a huge chunk of those reps, and Forbes, Rudy Gay and Aldridge have also used a lot of possessions with White on the court.
White’s minutes and percentage of time with the ball in his hands have gradually decreased. Monday’s contest against the Bulls was great for White from a minutes standpoint, but his possession time still isn’t what it was or should be.
The decline in minutes and ball-handling opportunities for White is not an ideal situation both for the present and the future in San Antonio. But why?
He’s essential offensively
The Spurs do not have many great perimeter creators. Per BBall Index’s team talent grades, San Antonio’s roster is just 20th in playmaking talent. DeRozan’s 97th-percentile grade props up that ranking.
White actually graded as an “F” playmaker with the Spurs last year, but his sample size was tiny and he was rarely a primary or secondary ball-handler. In reality, he’s the Spurs’ best facilitator aside from DeRozan.
He had eight assists in 30 minutes against the Rockets a couple weeks ago, including several slick dishes to Aldridge.
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White made a habit of setting up teammates in the G-League and Summer League as his team’s offensive focal point. He averaged 5.4 assists in his final 20 games of those leagues combined, not including the last Summer League contest in which he injured his hamstring in the first half. His playmaking and diverse scoring game was the driving force behind the Austin Spurs’ G-League Championship.
The Spurs’ key guards outside of DeRozan — Forbes, Mills and Belinelli — are all good spot-up shooters with savvy basketball IQs. But they don’t have the size, athleticism or handle to consistently break down the defense themselves and make plays. At 6’5″ and with good scoring, ball-handling and passing capabilities, White offers needed self-creation and can help set up shooters for easy looks.
He’s even more valuable defensively
White’s size comes in handy on defense. He struggles with speedy point guards, but he fares well against a lot of different perimeter guys. His 6’8″ wingspan combined with respectable quickness and leaping ability is a welcome change from guys like Forbes, Mills and Belinelli. And he tries much harder than DeRozan on defense.
The 24-year-old combo guard has contested 11.6 shots per 36 minutes this season. Belinelli (8.5), Mills (6.1), Forbes (5.6) and DeRozan (4.8) all trail him by a wide margin.
White has always been a big playmaker on defense. He averaged at least 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocks per game in both his lone season at Colorado and last year in the G-League. His blocks aren’t there this season, but he is averaging 1.5 steals per 36 minutes.
A poor man’s Danny Green is a decent comparison for White on defense. Neither is an overwhelming athlete, but they both are long guards who give good effort and enjoy disrupting the passing lanes and the airspace near the rim. More minutes for White would certainly help the Spurs’ 21st-ranked defense.
The Spurs have incentive to develop young talent
The playoff race in the West is wide open this year. One thing that seems pretty certain, though, is that the Spurs will not advance deep into the postseason, if they make it at all. Aside from last season, the team hasn’t been in this position of non-contention for more than 20 years.
If there ever was a time to start develop young talent, it’s now. The 24-year-old White is a key part of the team’s future on a team full of veterans. Mills (30) and Belinelli (32) are savvy, but they aren’t going to get any better. The NBA is increasingly penalizing guards who aren’t long or explosive (like those two) on defense.
Popovich has always valued players with experience and familiarity of his schemes. White is still learning how to fit in that respect. But there’s some untapped potential there with his skill set on both ends. Why should a middling team prioritize average role players who have peaked when there’s a chance to unearth something much better?
Where should White fit then?
Let’s take Saturday’s game against the Bucks as an example.
White played five minutes. DeRozan (35), Forbes (31), Gay (31), Mills (23) and Belinelli (17) got basically all the playing time at the perimeter positions.
In my humble opinion, a more reasonable breakdown might be DeRozan (32), Gay (30), White (24), Forbes (24), Mills (16) and Belinelli (16).
White could play 16 of his 24 minutes when DeRozan is on the bench, since both guys prefer to initiate the offense. The Spurs can get White’s confidence going as the primary ball-handler of the bench unit while not totally losing the shooting and veteran leadership of Mills and Belinelli. Forbes’ deadly spot-up shooting remains in a signficant role, and DeRozan’s heavy load gets a bit lighter. 32 minutes is a more Spur-friendly number than the 36.6 he’s currently averaging.
The Spurs have the chance to discover the potential of a young, solid two-way rotation player in White. To do so, though, they’ll need to give him a consistent role and a chance to show off his diverse on-ball game and capable defensive chops.
Note: All stats from NBA.com and RealGM. Highlight clips are taken from the DownToBuck YouTube account.
Image by Aidan Lising.
