"I have no doubt he is going to be in a Spurs uniform for a long time.” --- Former San Antonio Spurs great Sean Elliott.
Call him Tiago Splitter 2.0. Like Splitter before him, Latvia’s Davis Bertans navigated his way through injuries and contract issues to make the same trip from Spanish club
Saski Baskonia (formerly Caja Laboral) to the San Antonio Spurs. And like Splitter, Bertans left his own native country as a teen to seek his basketball fortunes abroad with teams known for developing young players. Venturing first to Slovenia’s Olimpija at age 18, then on to Partizan Belgrade, Davis developed his game in the Balkans before heading to Spain, before finally joining the Spurs in the final days of the 2016 NBA Summer League.
HOLDING COURT WITH …caught up with Bertans at the start of the current season, and again in recent weeks. First the interview that appeared in early November on the Spanish website Solobasket.com
You’ve been waiting for the day for a while.
DB: Yes, for about five years. It feels great to be here.
You had your first game in the Alamodome in pre-season exhibition play, and more recently saw action in the season opener against the Warriors. That must have been an exciting game for you.
DB: Definitely – even though it was not so competitive at the end, it was still great to get on the court in the very first game and to score my first bucket.
Although you have only had limited minutes so far you seem to be finding your rhythm the moment you step onto the court. Against the Warriors you went 2 for 2 and then a couple of games later against the Heat you started off draining your first two shots… and in all of these cases it happens within 30 seconds or less of entering the game. Most NBA rookies struggle in their first few games as they are fighting off nerves. Was that typical for you, or were you just having great nights or what?
DB: I’m just staying ready. You never know when you’re going to get minutes throughout the game so I stay warm and if I get a chance I have to use it.
You’re not exactly new to playing at this high level, between Euroleague competitions with Saski Baskonia and playing for the Latvian national team in European Basketball Championships, but even so this is the NBA(!!) Do you ever find yourself thinking: I can’t believe I am on the same court with this or that player that maybe you watched on TV over the years?
DB: Maybe before or after the game you think about players you have watched on TV for five or ten years, but once you are on the court you forget about all of that.
The much greater number of games in the NBA – up to four games a week – can take a toll, though I probably need to ask you this in February or March.
DB: Well the (five-star) hotels make it all good. It’s a lot of travel but our team plane is very comfortable, we don’t have to go through normal security checks, so there are a lot of things that ease that for us.
As you say, there are many “perks” available to NBA players even compared to the better teams in Europe? What else have you noticed?
DB: The staff that are part of the organization, like whenever you are on the court you have someone to rebound for you, and whatever you need there is someone to help you out, so that is probably the biggest difference.
There are more and more European and international players in the league with every passing year, but you are probably on the best team for an international player, given the number of international players that have played for the Spurs during Gregg Popovich’s time as head coach and the culture he has built here, and even having Ettore Messina who is an accomplished veteran of European basketball.
DB: It is really perfect, plus even some of the American guys have played in Europe before getting on an NBA roster, so all of that makes it easier. Even if there are some things that I need to get used to I have players to turn to, for example Manu spent a few years playing in Italy before coming over here.
With that, was there any player on the team that you knew personally before coming here?
DB: Not really.
What did Gregg Popovich say to you when you first got here?
DB: Just welcome to the team. He was talking to the whole team in training camp, telling us what he expects of the team and for everybody to accept their roles and that was pretty much it.
And since that time what is the most memorable thing he has said to you?
DB: Fresh in my memory is what he said to me in last night’s game (against ) when I stepped onto the court and I didn’t take an open shot and I tried to pass the ball and ended up turning it over and he said that’s a good lesson for me (laughing).
You are in touch with Kristaps Porzingis?
DB: We got in touch after I signed with the Spurs and texted before the season opener – he wished me good luck and I wished him the same. Hopefully when we go to New York we will get some time and we will go for dinner.
He had a surprisingly amazing season last year. People weren’t expecting this, and saying things like he lacks the physical strength to succeed in this league.
DB: I didn’t expect that it was going to be THAT good. I knew that it was going to be better than what people were predicting from when he went in the draft. I knew that he was ready and that I knew that he might average like 10 (points) and eight (rebounds). People thought he wouldn’t really be ready for the league for the first couple of years. But I believed that after he was playing in the ACB for two or three years that he was ready and would do better than all the people predicted. I knew that he could play and could average 10 (points) and eight (rebounds per game). But I didn’t expect that he would do as well as he did so quickly and average like 15 or 16 points per game.
He did comment on how much it helped him that then-coach Derek Fisher let him play through mistakes.
DB: Well that might be the hardest thing to overcome, for example if you make a turnover and then you get subbed out. But still you can see how hard and has been working and how much he has improved since his final season in Spain (2014-15).
And do you yourself feel pressure this year coming in as a rookie?
DB: No, not at all. Really I’m just happy to be here. And if I don’t get many minutes on the court I will just try to learn. And get better. Hopefully next year I will get a bigger role but I will take whatever Coach Pop gives me. One of the best things on this team is that everybody accepts their role and no one is getting frustrated with the minutes they get.
How do you think it will be for Kris and Willy Hernangomez being reunited again after playing together two years ago?
DB: I think when Willy gets more comfortable and gets more playing time they will be a really great duo. And of course they have great chemistry between them and all that size. When Willy gets more experience in the NBA he’s going to be a great force.
What’s the biggest adjustment you have found yourself making so far this season?
DB: Probably the biggest adjustment is being on the bench so much and just waiting for the opportunities. But I’ve been in that situation before, like when I was 18 and moving to Slovenia and I knew that you just have to go step by step to get a more important role on the team so I know what it’s like when you just have to start all over again.
When you went to Union Olimpija and then to Partizan, was it that you were on their radar, or that you and your agent sought that out for you? How did that come about?
DB: At that time Olimpija was known as a good place for young players and young players could usually get some minutes there. And they were a Euroleague team back then and also playing in the Adriatic League. And getting to play in Euroleague back then at age 18 and 19 was a big deal.
Knowing that other players who were successful but in the beginning had to be patient for their opportunities, does that help you?
DB: Well definitely that helps but I think it helps more that I’m on a really great team and the team’s goal isn’t to make the playoffs, it is to win the championship. On a winning team you’re always happy, whether you get minutes or not.
Well the Spurs have had some historic games here in the Miami Heat arena. I was at the Game 6 when it looked like the Spurs could start celebrating a championship and they Ray Allen stepped back to take that three-pointer and…
DB: No… don’t say it!
Today Sean Elliott does the radio broadcast of Spurs games, but as a longtime player himself Elliott was part of the 1998-99 team that won the first of five NBA Championships, and had his own jersey retired by the team. This is what Elliott had to say about Bertans.
“He has a tremendous upside. The coaches are really high on him. The sky’s the limit for him. He’s got great size, he’s got a good basketball IQ, he’s a little more athletic than I thought he was and actually he’s been a surprise athletically to a lot of people. We all knew he could shoot the ball and he’s only going to become a better shooter with more confidence. His ability to get into the game and make his shots immediately is remarkable. That is hard for guys coming over here to San Antonio because so many times players come here and they want so badly to be a part of it that they will forget who they are as players and they will end up passing the ball instead of taking the shot. Pop wants him out there to score; that’s what we brought him here for. Manu and Kahwi are doing a lot to pass along the culture of the Spurs to him, showing him and the other young players how to be a professional on and off the court.
“I have no doubt he is going to be in a Spurs uniform for a long time.”
Call him Tiago Splitter 2.0. Like Splitter before him, Latvia’s Davis Bertans navigated his way through injuries and contract issues to make the same trip from Spanish powerhouse Saski Baskonia the San Antonio Spurs. And like Splitter, Bertans left his own native country as a teenager to seek his basketball fortunes abroad with teams known for developing young players. Venturing first to Slovenia’s Olimpija at age 18, then on to Partizan Belgrade, Davis developed his game in the Balkans before heading to Spain, before finally joining the Spurs in the final days of the 2016 NBA Summer League.
HOLDING COURT WITH …caught up with Bertans at the start of the current season, and again in recent weeks. First the interview that appeared in early November on the Spanish website Solobasket.com
You’ve been waiting for the day for a while.
DB: Yes, for about five years. It feels great to be here.
You had your first game in the Alamodome in pre-season exhibition play, and more recently saw action in the season opener against the Warriors. That must have been an exciting game for you.
DB: Definitely – even though it was not so competitive at the end, it was still great to get on the court in the very first game and to score my first bucket.
Although you have only had limited minutes so far you seem to be finding your rhythm the moment you step onto the court. Against the Warriors you went 2 for 2 and then a couple of games later against the Heat you started off draining your first two shots… and in all of these cases it happens within 30 seconds or less of entering the game. Most NBA rookies struggle in their first few games as they are fighting off nerves. Was that typical for you, or were you just having great nights or what?
DB: I’m just staying ready. You never know when you’re going to get minutes throughout the game so I stay warm and if I get a chance I have to use it.
You’re not exactly new to playing at this high level, between Euroleague competitions with Saski Baskonia and playing for the Latvian national team in European Basketball Championships, but even so this is the NBA(!!) Do you ever find yourself thinking: I can’t believe I am on the same court with this or that player that maybe you watched on TV over the years?
DB: Maybe before or after the game you think about players you have watched on TV for five or ten years, but once you are on the court you forget about all of that.
The much greater number of games in the NBA – up to four games a week – can take a toll, though I probably need to ask you this in February or March.
DB: Well the (five-star) hotels make it all good. It’s a lot of travel but our team plan is very comfortable, we don’t have to go through normal security checks, so there are a lot of things that ease that for us.
As you say, there are many “perks” available to NBA players even compared to the better teams in Europe? What else have you noticed?
DB: The staff that are part of the organization, like whenever you are on the court you have someone to rebound for you, and whatever you need there is someone to help you out, so that is probably the biggest difference.
There are more and more European and international players in the league with every passing year, but you are probably on the best team for an international player, given the number of international players that have played for the Spurs during Gregg Popovich’s time as head coach and the culture he has built here, and even having Ettore Messina who is an accomplished veteran of European basketball.
DB: It is really perfect, plus even some of the American guys have played in Europe before getting on an NBA roster, so all of that makes it easier. Even if there are some things that I need to get used to I have players to turn to, for example Manu spent a few years playing in Italy before coming over here.
With that, was there any player on the team that you knew personally before coming here?
DB: Not really.
What did Gregg Popovich say to you when you first got here?
DB: Just welcome to the team. He was talking to the whole team in training camp, telling us what he expects of the team and for everybody to accept their roles and that was pretty much it.
And since that time what is the most memorable thing he has said to you?
DB: Fresh in my memory is what he said to me in last night’s game (against ) when I stepped onto the court and I didn’t take an open shot and I tried to pass the ball and ended up turning it over and he said that’s a good lesson for me (laughing).
You are in touch with Kristaps Porzingis?
DB: We got in touch after I signed with the Spurs and texted before the season opener – he wished me good luck and I wished him the same. Hopefully when we go to New York we will get some time and we will go for dinner.
He had a surprisingly amazing season last year. People weren’t expecting this, and saying things like he lacks the physical strength to succeed in this league.
DB: I didn’t expect that it was going to be THAT good. I knew that it was going to be better than what people were predicting from when he went in the draft. I knew that he was ready and that I knew that he might average like 10 (points) and eight (rebounds). People thought he wouldn’t really be ready for the league for the first couple of years. But I believed that after he was playing in the ACB for two or three years that he was ready and would do better than all the people predicted. I knew that he could play and could average 10 (points) and eight (rebounds per game). But I didn’t expect that he would do as well as he did so quickly and average like 15 or 16 points per game.
He did comment on how much it helped him that then-coach Derek Fisher let him play through mistakes.
DB: Well that might be the hardest thing to overcome, for example if you make a turnover and then you get subbed out. But still you can see how hard and has been working and how much he has improved since his final season in Spain (2014-15).
And do you yourself feel pressure this year coming in as a rookie?
DB: No, not at all. Really I’m just happy to be here. And if I don’t get many minutes on the court I will just try to learn. And get better. Hopefully next year I will get a bigger role but I will take whatever Coach Pop gives me. One of the best things on this team is that everybody accepts their role and no one is getting frustrated with the minutes they get.
How do you think it will be for Kris and Willy Hernangomez being reunited again after playing together two years ago?
DB: I think when Willy gets more comfortable and gets more playing time they will be a really great duo. And of course they have great chemistry between them and all that size. When Willy gets more experience in the NBA he’s going to be a great force.
What’s the biggest adjustment you have found yourself making so far this season?
DB: Probably the biggest adjustment is being on the bench so much and just waiting for the opportunities. But I’ve been in that situation before, like when I was 18 and moving to Slovenia and I knew that you just have to go step by step to get a more important role on the team so I know what it’s like when you just have to start all over again.
When you went to Union Olimpija and then to Partizan, was it that you were on their radar, or that you and your agent sought that out for you? How did that come about?
DB: At that time Olimpija was known as a good place for young players and young players could usually get some minutes there. And they were a Euroleague team back then and also playing in the Adriatic League. And getting to play in Euroleague back then at age 18 and 19 was a big deal.
Knowing that other players who were successful but in the beginning had to be patient for their opportunities, does that help you?
DB: Well definitely that helps but I think it helps more that I’m on a really great team and the team’s goal isn’t to make the playoffs, it is to win the championship. On a winning team you’re always happy, whether you get minutes or not.
Well the Spurs have had some historic games here in the Miami Heat arena. I was at the Game 6 when it looked like the Spurs could start celebrating a championship and they Ray Allen stepped back to take that three-pointer and…
DB: No… don’t say it!
Today Sean Elliott does the radio broadcast of Spurs games, but as a longtime player himself Elliott was part of the 1998-99 team that won the first of five NBA Championships, and had his own jersey retired by the team. This is what Elliott had to say about Bertans.
“He has a tremendous upside. The coaches are really high on him. The sky’s the limit for him. He’s got great size, he’s got a good basketball IQ, he’s a little more athletic than I thought he was and actually he’s been a surprise athletically to a lot of people. We all knew he could shoot the ball and he’s only going to become a better shooter with more confidence. His ability to get into the game and make his shots immediately is remarkable. That is hard for guys coming over here to San Antonio because so many times players come here and they want so badly to be a part of it that they will forget who they are as players and they will end up passing the ball instead of taking the shot. Pop wants him out there to score; that’s what we brought him here for. Manu and Kahwi are doing a lot to pass along the culture of the Spurs to him, showing him and the other young players how to be a professional on and off the court. Davis is an intelligent young man and I have no doubt he is going to be in a Spurs uniform for a long time.”
HOLDING COURT WITH … caught up with Bertans again just before the All Star break. Here is what he had to say with half a season under his belt.
The more time that passes the more I am getting used to being here and learning the system.
We talked before about your great shooting percentage and how when you take the shot you have total certainty that it’s going in.
I had Coach (Dusko) Vujosevic at Partizan who used to tell me “If you miss a shot you just forget about it right away and you focus on the next one and that one is going in. So that’s what I have been doing.
I’ve always had confidence in my shooting but with more playing time I am feeling more comfortable being out on the court and being more aggressive both offensively and defensively. That comes with more games and more minutes on the court.
Bertans’ inaugural NBA season includes a 21-point performance to lead the Spurs to victory over Charlotte back in January.
HOLDING COURT WITH … caught up with Bertans again just before the All Star break. Here is what he had to say with half a season under his belt.
The more time that passes the more I am getting used to being here and learning the system.
We talked before about your great shooting percentage and how when you take the shot you have total certainty that it’s going in.
I had Coach (Dusko) Vujosevic at Partizan who used to tell me “If you miss a shot you just forget about it right away and you focus on the next one and that one is going in. So that’s what I have been doing.
I’ve always had confidence in my shooting but with more playing time I am feeling more comfortable being out on the court and being more aggressive both offensively and defensively. That comes with more games and more minutes on the court.
Bertans’ inaugural NBA season includes a 21-point performance to lead the Spurs to victory over Charlotte back in January.
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