Steve Kerr was the 12th man on a stacked Spurs team in December 2000, when, one night at Indiana, he made his first start in eight years. It was the product of circumstance: In the aftermath of an injury, coach Gregg Popovich wanted to preserve his rotation.
“As a young player, it may be tough to foresee that kind of thing,” said Kerr, whose only career start for San Antonio came at age 35. “You’ve got to play three-on-three and get your shots up, get on the treadmill and keep your conditioning.”
The beginning of the regular season is often a difficult transition for fringe rotation players.