As the days go by and NBA fans sit and wonder if the season will resume or be cancelled fully, front offices now have time to evaluate their rosters and see what went right this season and what went wrong. For the first time in a long time, there seemed to be more that went wrong for the San Antonio Spurs than went right. If the season does not resume the team will finish with their worst record since before drafting Tim Duncan in 1997 with a 27-36 record. For whatever reason the Spurs just could not get it going this season, and maybe the stoppage was a blessing in disguise. With the league on hold it is now time for PAFTO to start looking at the teams free agents to be. The front office will need to determine who they would like to bring back, or who they would like to set free.
One of those players that needs to be evaluated is 4th year shooting guard Bryn Forbes. Bryn has carved a nice role for himself in the Spurs organization. After being undrafted in 2016 out of Michigan St., Forbes has gone on to start 143 of a possible 145 games in the last 2 seasons. However his contract is up, and there is no guarantee the Spurs will resign him to a new contract. As an unrestricted free agent, the Spurs do not have the opportunity to match another team’s offer if it goes beyond a certain salary. So should the Spurs try to keep Forbes around a little longer? Or should they just let him go to free agency and sign with a new team?
Why the Spurs should re-sign Bryn:
This past year Bryn started 62 games for the team averaging 11.2 ppg, 2 rebs, and 1.8 asts. While not great numbers, the 11.2 ppg were enough for fourth highest average on the team. Bryn also was one of the Spurs better 3 point shooters shooting at a clip of 38.8% while shooting 6 threes per game. Bryn is a decent free throw shooter at 83%. He has been in Coach Pop’s system for 4 years now, and that is experience that is hard to replace. Forbes works hard and has done a lot to get to where he is now (yes you have to work hard to make the NBA, but for Bryn going from undrafted to starter means he had to put in even more work) so he deserves a chance to remain with the team.
Why it’s better to just walk away:
Bryn Forbes tries hard. He really does. Unfortunately, sometimes trying is not enough. Bryn is easily one one of the worst defensive players on the roster with a defensive rating of 114. This high number is up from even last season, when his defensive rating was 110. Unfortunately for Bryn, he is undersized and often gets bullied around when he is on defense. Forbes also does not help his cause because he can not create turnovers. On the season he only averaged 0.5 steals per game. Bryn’s shooting averages were also lower this season compared to last. Last season Bryn was a 45.6% shooter with 42.6% from beyond the arc, where this season he was at 41.7% at 38.8% beyond the arc. For a man trying to gain another contract, the dip in production hurts. Bryn also played less minutes this year, showing that maybe coach Pop doesn’t trust him as much. Removing Forbes from the equation would also allow more playing time for Lonnie Walker, who could develop into a piece that the Spurs can build around in the future. It may just be best to let Bryn go.
Prediction:
This may turn into a Kyle Anderson type scenario. The Spurs wouldn’t mind Forbes coming back, but on a cheap contract. If he receives an offer the Spurs are unwilling to match he’ll be gone. If he leaves however, Bryn may not be able to replicate the success he has had in San Antonio. He seems like a system player, who needs Pop’s system to succeed. Without that he could find himself out of a rotation fairly quickly. Unfortunately for him, it seems the Spurs will move on.
Silver and Black in the Paint 