New basketball development tech proves Gregg Popovich sees things differently

Let’s hop in the wayback machine for a second: before Wembanyama’s guardrail to guardrail summer league debut, before the Alamodome game set a new NBA attendance record, and before the calendar flipped to 2023.

It’s December 19, 2022 and the 12-17 San Antonio Spurs were making good on Gregg Popovich’s advice to the press against betting on San Antonio to take home the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Part and parcel of this early nadir was rookie Jeremy Sochan’s flagging free throw rate. Every trip to the line was a stomach-churning disaster waiting to happen.

But then, like a cool breeze and oasis in the winter desert, came coach Gregg Popovich. He left his cape at home that day, but his (and sidekick…