When the San Antonio Spurs signed Joffrey Lauvergne in the 2017 offseason, he seemed to be the first of two or three backup big men behind LaMarcus Aldridge and Pau Gasol to be signed. That never happened, as the Spurs did not acquire another center or power forward, instead opting to use Davis Bertans to stretch the defense and Rudy Gay as an undersized four.
That would mean Lauvergne has his biggest role yet in the NBA, right?
Wrong — at least if fans look at his 9.7 minutes per game, which became a career-low for the Frenchman.