Among the many questions surrounding the new-look San Antonio Spurs prior to the season’s start, the No. 1 concern was defense. It’s not hard to conclude why; the Spurs had a historic 2015-16 season as the NBA’s best defense, one of the best defensive teams in last 16 years.
There were too many changes on the Spurs’ roster for anyone to expect same kind of dominance on the defensive end. And after Tim Duncan decided to retire, many expected a decline in the Spurs; defensive effectiveness.
The addition of Pau Gasol as his replacement didn’t help in that regard.