Analysis GRADES: 11/23/25 - Spurs 102 @ Suns 111

[scott]

SPURS FALL SHORT IN PHOENIX (AGAIN), DROP TO 11-5

Scott's Notes:

• A season low in grades submitted. Winning has spoiled us!
• Ultimately, we were outmatched against a pretty good Suns team. We're going to be hard pressed to beat a lot of playoff contenders while we are missing 3 of our 4 top players
• Lots of wrist slitting about Fox from the usual suspects, but it doesn't appear like that's the consensus. Ultimately, we've still yet to see much of Fox with the team at full strength (which means we've yet to see the team at full strength) for any significant period of time. Until that happens... what are we even talking about?
• I was higher on Devin than consensus... I like his defensive event creation, but we need him dialed in on that end for the whole game. His shooting is a little off right now, but I can live with that. We already know he's not a good enough number 2, so I'm not holding it against him that he isn't shining in that role with a short handed team
• Sochan, yikes
• Kelly, yikes
• DJG, yikes
• Carter Bryant, yi--- heay, actually... decent job out there
• Champ crashed the boards hard and earned my only 4 of the game

What You Said:

• @CrustyCoastBendFan: I knew Phoenix had been on the rise since beating the Spurs, and I predicted that a loss would have the Fox haters and doubters doubling down on their bias against him. Yet he put up 25 points on just 11 shots, went to the line over 10 times, but some people in the thread still claimed he couldn’t get past defenders—completely ignoring that his offseason surgery was on his hand, not his legs, which are perfectly fine. Combine that with Mitch’s ongoing struggles as an NBA head coach—still rolling out unbalanced, head-scratching lineups—and the fact that Phoenix is no pushover, and you’ve got an expected but disappointing loss for the Spurs.
• @LeBowen: Horrible rotations from Mitch. I understand we're severely undermanned, but not even then point Sochan should be a thing. And why is everyone allowed to make low-percentage passes into the paint? Those were most of our turnovers. Fox and Keldon were good, Devin was horrible.

Next up... on the road against the Blazers, who have faltered a bit of late. Hopefully we can pull this one off and but an early end to a potential 0-4 road trip.

 

[koriwhat]

There was a 2 minute window, that I saw, during the last of the 2nd or beginning of the 3rd, I can't quite remember, but the calls were atrocious for the spurs vs those for the suns. Seems like a trend tbh over the last few games that I've caught. Either way, the spurs were up the majority of time and them floundering is all on them. Too many damn turn overs due to shit passing and more specifically passing erratically into a crowd of opposing players. SMH

 

[spurraider21]

i couldnt watch the full game, but from what i saw every bucket for us seemed like a struggle. every other pass was deflected, and they were just swarming on defense. conversely offensively they kind of just got fairly easy shots. book and brooks got midrange shots easy and williams always seemed open for easy finishes

 

[CrustyCoastBendFan]

Thanks for the Grades. Judging by the chatter, Mitch has officially claimed the title of season’s top villain, in a role no one auditioned him for except maybe Post-Duncan Professor Pop himself. Spurs fans are dreaming of an alternate universe where literally anyone else took the helm—Udoka, Hardy, or even a random college coach plucked from March Madness highlight reels. Meanwhile, Tiago Splitter is out in Portland, turning the Blazers into something watchable after stepping in under bizarre circumstances that feel eerily familiar to Mitch’s arrival last year. Sure, GETTING PINCHED BY THE FEDS for running shady poker games and leaking NBA intel isn’t quite the same as a coach sidelined by a stroke, but somehow, the plot twist lands the same way.

 

[scott]

We're 11-5 dealing with a ton of injuries. I'm willing to give Mitch a lot longer a leash than some on this board. For me, the measure is not who he is right now but who is grows into by the end of the season. Will he learn from the lessons the season provides and adapt? That's the big thing.

We're ahead of schedule and we've not played a single game at full strength yet.

Funny you brought up Tiago, @CrustyCoastBendFan, because after their hot start they've pretty much sputtered as of late. He took over in Game 2 and the Blazers went 4-1, and ever since they are 3-9. Seems like a short-lived honeymoon.

 

[pope]

Suns got super physical on D, this brought them back into the game and they never looked back. Spurs looked like they got rattled on offense due to the physicality and couldn’t match the intensity on either end. They were looking for calls, eventually got some in the 4th, but there was no flow or rhythm to the offense.

Not sure who to blame (coaching?) but to me that was the main dynamic of the game

 

[heyheymymy]

Hats off to the Phoenix Suns to be honest. Good hustle and impressive effort. Getting production from scrubs. Book is a bad ass I really like Williams all the way back to the draft process though I hope he can stay healthy. Both games the Suns just plain beat us. Maybe our effort was weak but PHX put together runs and made shots and beat us.

 

[LeBowen]

For me, the measure is not who he is right now but who is grows into by the end of the season. Will he learn from the lessons the season provides and adapt? That's the big thing.

Exactly.
There will be growing pains, it's about if he can figure things out and learn how to adjust during games.

For me his biggest test this season will be containing Wemby from doing his iso shit.
Even though the sample size is small, this roster will obviously be at it's best when Wemby is playing the way he did in the first few games of the season.
Simple, effective game. No perimeter isolation or fancy plays.

 

[heyheymymy]

that little drive and turn around jumper from D Brooks was deadly last night

 

[CrustyCoastBendFan]

Tiago is doing a fantastic job. Under his leadership, what some joked was a lottery pick in the 2020 draft, Deni Avdija, has shined and kept the team competitive. He’s been looking very Doncic-esque in recent games, including a win over the Warriors on their home court. They’ve stayed combative during this losing stretch, which came about largely because Jrue Holiday has been out for almost all of November. It’s not like he inherited a roster with a generational alien, an NCAA champion, a guy nicknamed “Point God,” and Harrison Barnes. You're a better man than me @scott giving Mitch some slack, he lost me Rerunning Point Sochan and Trying to make Kelly impersonate Boris Diaw. I thought you'd be more on the other side because of your correct take on how he is handling Carter Bryant and seemingly refusing to send him to Austin.

 

[Area 51.247]

Early Thanksgiving today to beat the weather, so no chance to submit yet. Thanks to all and for your comments. Grateful to hear your views.

 

[scott]

Tiago is doing a fantastic job. Under his leadership, what some joked was a lottery pick in the 2020 draft, Deni Avdija, has shined and kept the team competitive. He’s been looking very Doncic-esque in recent games, including a win over the Warriors on their home court. They’ve stayed combative during this losing stretch, which came about largely because Jrue Holiday has been out for almost all of November. It’s not like he inherited a roster with a generational alien, an NCAA champion, a guy nicknamed “Point God,” and Harrison Barnes. You're a better man than me @scott giving Mitch some slack, he lost me Rerunning Point Sochan and Trying to make Kelly impersonate Boris Diaw. I thought you'd be more on the other side because of your correct take on how he is handling Carter Bryant and seemingly refusing to send him to Austin.

Fair points about Sochan and Kelly... but it's not like he's flush with other options right now. It's hard for me to draw too many conclusions in this depleted-roster state, other than we're 3-1 in this stretch, and that's pretty good!