Guards Dejounte Murray (pictured) and Derrick White are the Spurs’ likeliest breakout stars this season, according to guest Paul Garcia (Twitter/@TeamMurray05).

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Gregg Popovich finds himself in an unfamiliar position after a quarter-century of coaching the San Antonio Spurs. For the first time, he’ll be tasked with leading a youthful group packed with promising but largely unproven players – a group projected by most to miss the playoffs by a landslide. In the offseason, the franchise parted with veteran mainstays DeMar DeRozan, Patty Mills and Rudy Gay, and months earlier, it bought out LaMarcus Aldridge’s contract. As a result, the youth movement is firmly here. And Popovich, 72, appears energized for his new challenge, expecting to lead a fast-paced team where playing time will be spread around generously. Project SpursPaul Garcia, who also hosts the Spurscast and writes for Analyzing the League, spoke with OTNB to help preview the young team’s season and further describe the new dynamic. Discussing the youngsters, with special emphasis on Dejounte Murray, Derrick White, Keldon Johnson, Devin Vassell and Josh Primo, Paul gets us ready for San Antonio’s season to tip off in T-minus three weeks.

3:01-3:29: “This is a new thing for the city here in San Antonio and for the fan base, and it’s kind of exciting…that it’s a lot of young players and a lot of these players, they’re gonna finally get the keys to the car. … Now all of a sudden it’s up to Dejounte Murray, Derrick White, Keldon Johnson, Lonnie Walker, all of these young players. It’s their opportunity now to basically see how far can they go, what kind of level can they get to.” Continue reading