Tiago Splitter had to share a story of a recent encounter with a not-so-informed Atlanta sports fan.
Splitter posted on social media an exchange as he got off an elevator. He wrote:
“Guy: You play basketball?
Me: I do.
Guy: Where do you play?
Me: Atlanta Hawks.
Guy: What’s your name?
Me: Splitter.
Guy: Oh yeah, yeah. You used to play for the Spurs, right? I know you. Keep shooting those 3-pointers!”
Long-range shot attempts are not in the repertoire of the Hawks’ 6-foot-11 center. Nor will they be. In much of the Hawks’ spread system the power forward and center nearly are interchangeable. Paul Millsap has become a legitimate 3-point threat, and Al Horford set career-highs in attempts (36) and makes (11) from behind the arc last season. In Splitter, acquired from the Spurs this summer, the Hawks will have a more traditional big man to bring in off the bench.
“The interesting thing about being interchangeable at the 4 and the 5 is that defensively he is very much interchangeable,” Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “It’s interesting when you watch what Tiago can do defensively in guarding different types of bigs — guarding a Dirk Nowitzki or a LaMarcus Aldridge or some of the 4’s that (space) the court. He can go out on them and make it more difficult on some of those great bigs. Then, he can play inside against some of the bigger and better 5s. So defensively, I love his versatility. …
“The thing that we talked about, is you always have to have a big who is rolling to the basket and putting pressure on the rim. He’ll be that guy. The opposite big will be spaced. He is not going to be shooting 3s. He very much understands pick-and-roll offense and pick-and-roll spacing. You need to have pressure on the rim.”
For the record, Splitter has attempted six 3-pointers in his five-year career (and missed them all).
Splitter is in Atlanta, thanks to some salary-cap issues of the Spurs, to add depth and championship experience to the center position. He’ll be the inside presence, on offense and defense, and the rebounder the Hawks have lacked at times. Budenholzer loves the versatility that big men Millsap, Horford and Mike Muscala bring. Sometimes, it’s good to have a different option.
“My job on the court will be to set screens, roll to the basket,” Splitter said. “I’m not the best scorer in the world. I’m not the best rebounder in the world. I’m not the best passer in the world. But I can do a little bit of everything. The thing is to help the team to win.”
Splitter was on vacation in his native Brazil this summer when he got a call from Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. The team needed to clear salary-cap space with deals being worked on for free agent LaMarcus Aldridge and their own Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green. The relationship between Popovich and Budenholzer, who spent 19 years with the Spurs, helped the big man land in Atlanta.
“I think it’s a credit to San Antonio and the Spurs and how they do everything,” Budenholzer said. “At the end of the day, they were going to do what was best for their team, but if there is an opportunity to put their player in a position where, maybe, he has some comfort or level of excitement. It’s never easy to leave a place where you are very comfortable. It’s kind of a win-win and they are going to try to do something for their player.
“The fact that Tiago is comfortable with the way we play, with myself as a coach, the players and his teammates, I think Tiago feels he’s landed in a good place.”
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