This is Why We Signed Rudy Gay

Last night in a win over the Miami Heat, Rudy Gay scored 22 points in 26 minutes on 6-8 shooting (with a 9-11 outing at the charity stripe) as the San Antonio Spurs went on a 32-13 run to close out what was a high-octane shootout with what both coaches (Gregg Popovich and Erik Spoelstra) would consider sub-par (read: abysmal) defense. I'd like to note that 15 of Gay's 22 points came during that 32 point Spurs run at the end of the game.

I remember way back when there was supposed be a club of players that would average a block, a steal, and a three in every game. I remember Rasheed Wallace was supposed to be the face of that club. I also remember thinking that Rudy Gay could be a part of that club. Rudy Gay has kind of been on my radar since his Connecticut Huskies beat Brandon Roy's Washington Huskies in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 round way back in 2006. I only remember this because it was one of the few NCAA basketball games I ever watched, being a Washington student at the time. Despite Gay eliminating my school from the tournament, I grew to root for him as a player when he entered the league. I always felt he got something of a bad rap when they started using him as the analytics poster boy for inefficient basketball. To be fair, they weren't completely wrong, but since that stigma followed him from Memphis to Toronto and ultimately to Sacramento, I think people don't quite realize the progress in efficiency that he's made, especially in Sacramento.

It's only been four games but Gay is averaging a nice 14.8 points on 57.9% shooting in San Antonio. Pop understands how to put Gay in positions to be successful. Perhaps he's lost a little bit of bounce coming back from an Achilles tendon injury, but it's not enough to really show in his game. He's still getting to his spots on offense and without Kawhi Leonard or Tony Parker on the floor, he's demonstrated that he can be a guy that can create a shot off the dribble. While he did cough up the ball 3 times against Miami, he also recorded 4 assists and a couple of steals. I think as he gets more familiar with the offense the turnovers will drop off. Certainly, there's going to be even more adjustment when Kawhi Leonard returns, but with what Gay has shown us in the early part of the season so far, it seems really promising that our lineups will be even more effective than last season.

At the end of the 3rd quarter and into the 4th Gay dazzled with a flurry of turnarounds and post moves, understanding how to use his length and athleticism against the Heat defense that seemed to just stop trying, or maybe just couldn't do anything about it. Either way, if yesterday is any indication, the Gay signing is a coup.