The 2019–20 San Antonio Spurs season was the 53rd season of the franchise, its 44th in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and its 47th in the San Antonio area. For the first time since the 1996–97 season, the Spurs failed to qualify for the postseason when the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Milwaukee Bucks on August 13, 2020, snapping their 22-year consecutive playoff streak and finishing with a losing record. This was only the second time under Gregg Popovich's tenure that the Spurs failed to make the playoffs. After their 22-year playoff streak was snapped, the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League owned the longest active playoff streak in any major North American sports league making the playoffs every year from 2006–07 to 2021-22. The Houston Rockets held the longest active playoff streak in the NBA, making the playoffs every year from 2012–13 to 2020–21.[1]
| 2019–20 San Antonio Spurs season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Gregg Popovich |
| General manager | Brian Wright |
| President | Gregg Popovich Brent Barry (vice) |
| Owners | Peter Holt |
| Arena | AT&T Center |
| Results | |
| Record | 32–39 (.451) |
| Place | Division: 4th (Southwest) Conference: 11th (Western) |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
| Local media | |
| Television | Fox Sports Southwest, KENS, KMYS |
| Radio | 1200 WOAI |
The season was suspended by the league officials following the games of March 11[2] after it was reported that Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19.[3]
On June 4, the Spurs were one of 22 teams invited to the NBA Bubble.
Season synopsis
editBefore the season, Ettore Messina left the Spurs' coaching staff.[4] The staff was joined by onetime Spurs superstar Tim Duncan.[5]
The Spurs retired the number nine jersey of onetime Spurs point guard Tony Parker at the AT&T Center on November 10, 2019, prior to a home game against the Memphis Grizzlies.[6]
From November 9–20, 2019, the Spurs suffered their first seven-game losing streak since 1996–97. (The 1996–97 season was Gregg Popovich's first year as Spurs head coach, is the most recent season in which the Spurs finished with a losing record, and is the most recent season in which the Spurs failed to make the NBA playoffs.)
Draft
editThe Spurs held two first-round draft picks in the 2019 draft, including the 29th pick they obtained from Toronto in the Kawhi Leonard-DeMar DeRozan trade in 2018.[7][8] They also held a second-round draft pick.[9]
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | School/Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 | Luka Šamanić | PF |  Croatia
|
KK Olimpija |
| 1 | 29 | Keldon Johnson | SG/SF |  United States
|
Kentucky |
| 2 | 49 | Quinndary Weatherspoon | PG/SG | United States
|
Mississippi State |
Roster
edit| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Roster |
Standings
editDivision
edit| Southwest Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y – Houston Rockets | 44 | 28 | .611 | – | 24–12 | 20–16 | 8–5 | 72 |
| x – Dallas Mavericks | 43 | 32 | .573 | 2.5 | 20–18 | 23–14 | 10–4 | 75 |
| pi – Memphis Grizzlies | 34 | 39 | .466 | 10.5 | 20–17 | 14–22 | 4–9 | 73 |
| San Antonio Spurs | 32 | 39 | .451 | 11.5 | 19–15 | 13–24 | 7–6 | 71 |
| New Orleans Pelicans | 30 | 42 | .417 | 14.0 | 15–21 | 15–21 | 4–9 | 72 |
Conference
edit| Western Conference | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
| 1 | c – Los Angeles Lakers * | 52 | 19 | .732 | – | 71 |
| 2 | x – Los Angeles Clippers | 49 | 23 | .681 | 3.5 | 72 |
| 3 | y – Denver Nuggets * | 46 | 27 | .630 | 7.0 | 73 |
| 4 | y – Houston Rockets * | 44 | 28 | .611 | 8.5 | 72 |
| 5 | x – Oklahoma City Thunder | 44 | 28 | .611 | 8.5 | 72 |
| 6 | x – Utah Jazz | 44 | 28 | .611 | 8.5 | 72 |
| 7 | x – Dallas Mavericks | 43 | 32 | .573 | 11.0 | 75 |
| 8 | x – Portland Trail Blazers | 35 | 39 | .473 | 18.5 | 74 |
| 9 | pi – Memphis Grizzlies | 34 | 39 | .466 | 19.0 | 73 |
| 10 | Phoenix Suns | 34 | 39 | .466 | 19.0 | 73 |
| 11 | San Antonio Spurs | 32 | 39 | .451 | 20.0 | 71 |
| 12 | Sacramento Kings | 31 | 41 | .431 | 21.5 | 72 |
| 13 | New Orleans Pelicans | 30 | 42 | .417 | 22.5 | 72 |
| 14 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 19 | 45 | .297 | 29.5 | 64 |
| 15 | Golden State Warriors | 15 | 50 | .231 | 34.0 | 65 |
Game log
editPreseason
editThe entire preseason schedule was released on July 22, 2019.[10]
| 2019 preseason game log Total: 2–3 (Home: 1–2; Road: 1–1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Preseason: 2–3 (home: 1–2; road: 1–1)
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| 2019–20 season schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Regular season
edit| 2019–20 game log Total: 32–39 (Home: 19–15; Road: 13–24) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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October: 3–1 (home: 3–0; road: 0–1)
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November: 4–12 (home: 2–6; road: 2–6) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
December: 7–5 (home: 5–2; road: 2–3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
January: 7–8 (home: 3–4; road: 4–4) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
February: 4–7 (home: 2–1; road: 2–6) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
March: 2–3 (home: 1–1; road: 1–2)
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Seeding games: 5–3 (home: 3–1; road: 2–2)
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Cancelled games
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| 2019–20 season schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Player statistics
edit| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
Regular season
edit| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DeMar DeRozan | 68 | 68 | 34.1 | .531 | .257 | .845 | 5.5 | 5.6 | 1.0 | .3 | 22.1 |
| Derrick White | 68 | 20 | 24.7 | .458 | .366 | .853 | 3.3 | 3.5 | .6 | .9 | 11.3 |
| Rudy Gay | 67 | 5 | 21.8 | .446 | .336 | .882 | 5.4 | 1.7 | .5 | .5 | 10.8 |
| Dejounte Murray | 66 | 58 | 25.6 | .462 | .369 | .798 | 5.8 | 4.1 | 1.7 | .3 | 10.9 |
| Jakob Pöltl | 66 | 18 | 17.7 | .624 | .465 | 5.7 | 1.8 | .6 | 1.4 | 5.6 | |
| Patty Mills | 66 | 1 | 22.5 | .431 | .382 | .866 | 1.6 | 1.8 | .8 | .1 | 11.6 |
| Bryn Forbes | 63 | 62 | 25.1 | .417 | .388 | .833 | 2.0 | 1.7 | .5 | .0 | 11.2 |
| Trey Lyles | 63 | 53 | 20.2 | .446 | .387 | .733 | 5.7 | 1.1 | .4 | .4 | 6.4 |
| Lonnie Walker IV | 61 | 12 | 16.2 | .426 | .406 | .721 | 2.3 | 1.1 | .5 | .2 | 6.4 |
| Marco Belinelli | 57 | 0 | 15.5 | .392 | .376 | .828 | 1.7 | 1.2 | .2 | .0 | 6.3 |
| LaMarcus Aldridge | 53 | 53 | 33.1 | .493 | .389 | .827 | 7.4 | 2.4 | .7 | 1.6 | 18.9 |
| Drew Eubanks | 22 | 3 | 12.4 | .642 | 1.000 | .769 | 3.9 | .7 | .2 | .8 | 4.9 |
| Chimezie Metu | 18 | 0 | 5.8 | .571 | .000 | .769 | 1.8 | .6 | .2 | .3 | 3.2 |
| Keldon Johnson | 17 | 1 | 17.7 | .596 | .591 | .795 | 3.4 | .9 | .8 | .1 | 9.1 |
| DeMarre Carroll† | 15 | 0 | 9.0 | .310 | .231 | .600 | 2.1 | .7 | .1 | .1 | 2.2 |
| Quinndary Weatherspoon | 11 | 0 | 7.1 | .294 | .200 | .500 | .6 | 1.0 | .3 | .1 | 1.1 |
| Luka Šamanić | 3 | 1 | 16.0 | .313 | .375 | .750 | 3.3 | 2.0 | .0 | .7 | 5.3 |
| Tyler Zeller | 2 | 0 | 2.0 | .250 | 2.0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 1.0 |
- † Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Spurs only.
Transactions
editFree agency
editRe-signed
edit| Player | Signed |
|---|---|
| Rudy Gay[11][12] | 2 years, $32 million |
| Drew Eubanks[13] | Two-way contract |
Additions
edit| Player | Signed | Former team |
|---|---|---|
| DeMarre Carroll[14] | 3-year contract worth $21 million via sign-and-trade deal | Brooklyn Nets |
| Trey Lyles[15] | 2-year contract worth $11 million | Denver Nuggets |
Subtractions
edit| Player | Reason left | New team |
|---|---|---|
| Dāvis Bertāns[14] | Trade | Washington Wizards |
| Dante Cunningham[16][17] | Unrestricted free agent | |
| Ben Moore[18][19] | Unrestricted free agent | Fort Wayne Mad Ants |
| Donatas Motiejūnas[18][20] | Unrestricted free agent | Shanghai Sharks |
| Quincy Pondexter[21][22] | Unrestricted free agent |
References
edit- ^ "It's over: For first time in 23 seasons, Spurs miss playoffs".
- ^ "NBA to suspend season following Wednesday's games". NBA.com. March 11, 2020. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
- ^ Reynolds, Tim (March 11, 2020). "NBA suspends season until further notice, over coronavirus". NBA.com. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
- ^ "San Antonio Spurs lose another assistant in Ettore Messina". June 11, 2019.
- ^ Staff, S. I. "Spurs legend Tim Duncan joins San Antonio as assistant coach". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ reports, NBA media. "Report: Spurs to retire Tony Parker's jersey next season". NBA.com. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
- ^ "Toronto Raptors Acquire Kawhi Leonard". NBA.com. July 18, 2018. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
- ^ Wolkenbrod, Rob. "NBA Draft's 29th Pick Has Become A San Antonio Spurs Staple". Forbes.
- ^ Gray, Nicklaus. "San Antonio Spurs draft picks 2019: Round-by-round selections". The Tennessean.
- ^ "Spurs Announce Preseason Schedule; Tickets On Sale at Noon Today". NBA.com. July 22, 2019. Retrieved July 29, 2019.
- ^ Duarte, Jeph (July 9, 2019). "Rudy Gay re-signs with Spurs in Las Vegas". Pounding The Rock.
- ^ "NBA free agency news: Spurs re-sign Rudy Gay to reported 2-year, $32M deal". www.sportingnews.com.
- ^ Garcia, Paul (June 23, 2019). "Limited Roster Space for Spurs Entering Free Agency".
- ^ a b "Spurs acquire Carroll, Wiz land Bertans in trade". ESPN.com. July 6, 2019.
- ^ Orsborn, Tom (October 24, 2019). "Spurs' Trey Lyles made the most of a rare start". San Antonio Express-News.
- ^ Meiners, Brandon (May 13, 2019). "2018-2019 Spurs player reviews: Dante Cunningham". Pounding The Rock.
- ^ Wolkenbrod, Rob. "Despite Marcus Morris Reneging On Agreement, Spurs' Frontcourt Is No Longer A Question Mark". Forbes.
- ^ a b Garcia, Paul (June 27, 2019). "2019 Spurs Free Agency Primer".
- ^ "Mad Ants acquire Ben Moore". Fort Wayne Mad Ants.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Donatas Motiejunas: Returns to China". CBSSports.com.
- ^ "Quincy Pondexter Excited For Future In Coaching". Hoops Rumors.
- ^ Meiners, Brandon (May 9, 2019). "2018-2019 Spurs player reviews: Quincy Pondexter". Pounding The Rock.