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Week 8 of the NLL season was the first that the Spurs had their best lineup fully healthy. Week 8 was also deemed a success as the team went 4-0 after a sputtering 1-3 in week 7. After all of that week 9 will pose the teams biggest challenge yet as franchise cornerstone Anthony Davis will sit with an injured hip.
Week 8 saw a couple of firsts, first time fully healthy and the first games back for Andrew Bogut. The team were concerned that Bogut might not fit well off the bench, they were proven wrong so far. Bogut put up some impressive numbers for limited minutes, 16.8 minutes per game and Bogut posted 7.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1 block per game, all while shooting 80% from the field. His defense helped solidify a shaky 2nd unit defense. Bogut unfortunately was injured again and despite the numbers if you cant stay on the court you cant help the team. He will miss week 9 and should things linger the Spurs will be looking for another move to solidify the Center position.
So Anthony Davis and Andrew Bogut are out, the other out that really hurts the team structurally is Maurice Harkless. Harkless was given a pay day during the offseason and he has played the role the team envisioned perfectly. Harkless goes out night in night out and gets it done defensively while not demanding anything on offense allowing the guys around him to do what they do best on that end.
The team now have a decision to make, backing up Harkless is under performing 2nd year player Stanley Johnson. While he got the start in week 1 and was great, he had Harkless starting next to him. Johnson shows potential to be an elite defender, however lacks the consistency that Harkless possesses. The other option would be to start Will Barton, who brings a completely different skill set to the position. GM Leeroy made a vow to try and keep the team set up the same structurally as possible with Barton starting that would not be possible.
Week 9 will be an opportunity to see where the team stands missing 2 important starters and a key bench piece. If the team can stay competitive it will be a big surprise.
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