Tiago Splitter, Jonathon Simmons, Cory Joseph, George Hill and Aron Baynes. What do all of these players have in common? They were all once great role players to rise from the bench of the San Antonio Spurs.  This respected group of veterans produced admirable work in the Alamo City early in their careers, but who will be the next player to join their ranks?

Enter Latvian product Davis Bertans.

Bertans was drafted with the No. 42 pick of the 2011 draft as an 18-year-old but suffered multiple knee injuries before making the leap over to the NBA in 2016. While the injuries certainly hurt his athleticism, they didn’t appear to prevent him from enjoying a successful campaign as a rookie. With a season of adjustments under his belt, he can focus his attention on joining the illustrious long line of role players for House Spurs.

So, what positive value did Bertans bring to San Antonio in Year 1? Mainly, historically good shooting:

More time for Davis Bertans this year, pls. Among rooks who took 150+ 3s, Bertans' TS% of .609 is tied w/ Brent @Barryathree for best ever.

— Andy Bailey (@AndrewDBailey) July 6, 2017

Although he played a fair amount as a rookie—a traditionally uncharacteristic outcome under head coach Gregg Popovich—he hasn’t become a regular rotation member yet. To achieve this status, he has to vastly improve his defensive play. He will never have great lateral quickness to stay in from of the faster players, but he has solid footwork that indicates he could be a passible defender in small-ball lineups that involve a lot of switching.

NBA Math’s Adam Spinella recently dove into the issues facing San Antonio and specifically noted LaMarcus Aldridge as a point of contention: “In the same way Kevin Love has been a target in Cleveland over the last few seasons, Aldridge is becoming one in San Antonio. Big men who cannot defend mobile 4s and offer little rim-protection at the 5 are a dying breed. Versatility is the name of the game, and these are versatility-killers.”

The Cavaliers have managed to skate by—and even win a championship—with Kevin Love in this position. And whereas Cleveland has succeeded, the Spurs have disappointed. Despite two straight finishes with the second-best record in the NBA, San Antonio has been unable to reach the Finals, and a large portion of the blame falls onto Aldridge’s shoulders.

The San Antonio defense faired 5.4 points per 100 possessions better with Aldridge off the floor in 2016-17. Meanwhile, the Spurs defense performed 2.3 points per 100 possessions better when Bertans was present. Aldridge played nearly triple the amount of minutes, but the numbers suggest the Latvian forward can assume a larger role and maybe cut into some of the starter’s playing time, as well.

Most first-year players do not have a positive individual defensive impact, and the San Antonio rookie was no exception. He only managed to grab 10.5 percent of the Spurs’ defensive rebounding chances, the second-lowest mark in the league among players 6’10” or taller. He also surrendered an opposing field-goal percentage at the rim of 56.9 percent—tied for the 12th-worst mark among the same group of players. If the Spurs are going to play small lineups with Bertans at the 5, they will need him to make a vast improvement in both these areas for next season.

But he did show some promise on the defensive end during his rookie year. That rising two-way impact was a major reason he contributed 26.96 total points added (TPA)—second only to Joel Embiid among players making their debuts in 2016-17.

Though he didn’t do so often, the forward showed the ability to switch onto other players and force them into contested shots or misses.

Here, in the last minute of a close game against the Utah Jazz, Trey Lyles receives the ball near the top of the arc and Bertans switches onto him. The rookie displays solid footwork and manages to stay with the Jazz big man step for step, poking the ball out before he can get a shot off:

Despite the poor defensive field-goal percentage, Bertans displays the ability to contest shots at the rim. In this instance, a rolling Nikola Vucevic is fed the ball on his way to the hoop, but the smaller big is there waiting to block his shot (despite the length disadvantage):

Similarly, in the clip below, Bertans gets in front of Rondae Hollis-Jefferson as he looks to make his move to the basket. He shows that solid footwork again and avoids contact before forcing the Brooklyn Nets small forward into a wild miss:

Bertans has the footwork and fundamentals to become a competent defender, and that is all the Spurs need of him. However, his true value is derived from the offensive end of the floor.

The Spurs are facing the same dilemma as the rest of the NBA’s elite at the moment: Can they field a lineup that can compete with the Golden State Warriors? House money says no, but they haven’t run out of options yet. San Antonio has preferred traditional lineups in the past, but the current roster makeup features a large number of wings, which grants Popovich a significant amount of leeway to focus on small-ball and wing-heavy lineups.

Already, the rising sophomore was a part of one successful one.

The four-man lineup of Bertans, Kawhi Leonard, Manu Ginobili and Patty Mills boasted a plus-31.1 net rating for the Spurs in 38 minutes played last season. It’s a very small sample size, but factoring in the defensive versatility of Danny Green and the offensive playmaking of Rudy Gay (if healthy), San Antonio has some flexibility to produce some unique—and possibly impactful—groupings that build upon that quartet’s success.

Bertans wasted no time getting integrated into the Spurs’ school of ball movement, which is a major reason he found so much success next to the aforementioned veterans. He has excellent court vision and always has his head up looking for the next pass; he just understand swhen to try and draw out the defender. As the Milwaukee Bucks defense attempts to recover from an unexpected cross-court pass from Manu Ginboli in the coming sequence, Bertans fakes his shot and steps in to find a wide open Simmons in the corner:

The Spurs run plenty of three-man weaves, keeping the defense on the move.

Below, Bertans runs a curl route toward the hoop and pops back up to the top of the arc when he doesn’t receive the pass. He then receives the ball up top after Dejounte Murray fakes a screen. In the fifth second, Bertans notices Murray’s man is looking away from the ball and hits the point guard with a tight bounce pass for an easy layup:

The last staple of Bertans’ passing is the ability to drive and kick.

It’s one thing to be a great spot-up shooter, but it’s more beneficial if a player can help teammates find better looks, as well. The below clip shows the added bonus of having Bertans in the lineup, as he is able to easily drive past Zach Randolph and collapse the defense inwards. This leaves Leonard wide open in the corner for an easy trey:

And even if he chooses to shoot the ball instead of pass, Popovich will give him the green light.

He scored 1.19 points per possession (PPP) on spot-up opportunities last season, placing him in the 90.1 percentile for the entire NBA. He also had an effective field-goal percentage of 59.8 percent—the 50th-best mark in the league, placing him above the likes of Carmelo Anthony, Gordon Hayward and Dirk Nowitzki. In case that isn’t enough, he can take the ball to the rack.

Below is another three-man weave starting from the other side of the court. San Antonio’s constant off-ball movement creates chaos for the Charlotte Hornets defense, allowing the rookie to drive right down the middle for the slam:

The Spurs have been a dominant force in the NBA since the late 1990s, but they may have finally hit a crossroads. Even though San Antonio has a top-five player in Leonard, its path to victory is blocked by the defending champions, who boast one of the best and most versatile lineups ever seen. The NBA is an adapt-or-die league, and the Spurs will have to embrace small-ball or fall from relevancy.

Popovich is one of the greatest basketball minds of the 21st century, but does he have enough ammunition to dethrone the Golden State dynasty? The odds aren’t in his favor, but if he can work his magic and put his team on top one more time, Bertans will be a large reason why.

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Unless otherwise indicated, all stats are from NBA Math, Basketball Reference or NBA.com.