[b1gdon]

Here is Tiago Splitter's contribution to the team last regular season:

Points: 6th total, 6th per game (excluding Patty Mills)
Rebounds: 4th total, 3rd per game
Blks: 2nd total, 2nd per game (note avg 0.8 blks per game)
Minutes Played: 9th total, 11th per game (RJ and SJax counted as 1 player)

Looking at his stats, I would have to say he is a mild disappointment bordering on bust. Offensively he's been adequate. I can't complain about Tiago being our sixth best scorer playing out of the Center position. If we were to consider a Tiago a "starter", I would expect the 4 other starters plus the first swingman off the bench to score more so he is right where he should be.

The problem is on the defensive end. As a "starting" center, I would expect him to be the second best rebounder and blocker on the team behind Tim Duncan. While on the surface, he is meeting expectations in blocks, his rebounding numbers are not good. The main problem with this analysis is that Pop was running so deep with his rotations that minutes were hard to come by. After the big 2, Duncan and Parker, players 3-10 on the rotation were clustered between 19-24 minutes per game. If you look at Tiago's per 36 rebounding, it is a much more acceptable 9.8 per 36 min. The blocks however are still at 1.5. My expectation of an effective center should be around 2 per 36 so by that measure it is a negative.

He is 27 years old. By my general rule of thumb, that is the age were NBA players usually reach the peak of their careers. After that age you still gain skill and experience, but it starts being offset by losses in athleticism. At this point in his career, I just don't see any big improvements coming along.