Veteran forward Barnes eyes team defense as the key to the Spurs’ season.
SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio Spurs‘ roster boasts a bevy of capable defenders.
Stephon Castle, Jeremy Sochan, Luke Kornet and, of course, Victor Wembanyama are just a few names San Antonio can put on the floor and cause havoc for opposing teams.
And that is enough for forward Harrison Barnes to stress that the team’s identity is on the defensive end.
“The standard is having a defensive identity. I think at the end of the day, there are enough people offensively in here,” he said.
The Spurs are one of the better defensive teams to start the season and the stats back it up.
Ahead of the Monday night game versus Chicago, the team is 6-1 when it outrebounds its opponents, 5-1 when it outblocks opponents and 4-1 when it records more steals.
In addition, De’Aaron Fox and Kornet’s return to the court brings more defensive presence for the Silver and Black once chemistry sets in.
“Obviously, getting Fox back. It’s going to take a little while for us to get adjusted and get to know what we’re getting to and how to operate,” Barnes said.
Despite the Spurs’ solid record, the team has seen defensive lapses.
San Antonio saw the Nets claw back from a 26-point deficit and nearly spoil their home-opener, and the Suns connected on 14 of their first 20 3-pointers, and led by 31 points in the third quarter, in a 130-118 loss in Phoenix.
And those defensive lapses are lessons the Spurs can take with them throughout the season.
“I think that having teams score easily on us, having the lapses, miscommunications. That’s not holding up the standard that you have,” he said.
The veteran forward is doing his part on the defensive end. In the team’s road win over the Bulls on Monday night, he made a key block with 47 seconds left to help secure the win, and he recorded two steals in the team’s home win over Houston on Nov. 7.
Also, the Spurs held the Bulls to 19 points and went on a 30-13 run in the fourth quarter for their eighth win of the season, which sums up Barnes’ defensive message.
“I think defensively we can bring that every single night,” he said.