Rudy Gay is well-rested and ready for the NBA restart
As the NBA gets ready to resume its season despite the pandemic-driven shutdown, the circumstances have required players to step up in a lot of different ways. Rudy Gay, now in his third year with the San Antonio Spurs, may see a change in role once things get started at the Disney Wide World of Sports complex.
Speaking with the media from the NBA’s restart bubble in Orlando, Florida, the former UConn standout is taking all of the changes in life, the league, and on his own team in stride. From living on the Disney World campus, to facing the possibility of logging extensive minutes in the frontcourt, Gay’s mindset remains steady — he's ready and willing to do whatever it takes to get back to basketball and extend the Spurs’ historic playoff run.
“I guess I didn’t know what to expect, but we are still learning, still trying to figure it out,” he said.
San Antonio has qualified for the playoffs every year since 1998, the longest active streak in any major North American sports league, tying the longest such run in NBA history. That streak is in serious jeopardy this season with the Spurs (27-36) sitting 12th in the Western Conference standings prior to the shutdown. With eighth-seed games to be played in the bubble starting July 31, Gay and the Spurs are battling with the New Orleans Pelicans, Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings, and Portland Trailblazers for the final playoff spot in the West.
Already behind the eight ball, San Antonio will also be without forward LaMarcus Aldridge and center Trey Lyles, who are out for the remainder of the season. A lack of depth in the frontcourt likely means Gay will see extended minutes as a power forward and potentially even at the five.
“My thoughts haven’t changed, I continue to keep myself in shape,” Gay said. “I continue to keep my mindset that we aren’t going to get those guys back. Although we’d love to have those guys back, my mindset hasn’t changed. I didn’t train with the intent to not play so I’m going to go out there and give it my all just like I did before quarantine.”
A natural small forward, Gay has already made the transition to power forward since coming to San Antonio is 2017. But with the emerging trends of small ball and position-less basketball, it isn’t outside the realm of possibility that the 6-foot-8 Gay could be the biggest player on the court for the Spurs during the restart.
“It is basketball at the end of the day—you want to be on the floor and you want to help your team,” said Gay. “Ideally, I don’t think I’m a natural five-man, I don’t think you will agree that I am a five-man, but if it helps the team win you got to do it. We are down, so who knows what [Popovich] throws out there.”
