Gay's rehab is on schedule and the Spurs are hoping he will supply his scoring ability to relieve Kawhi Leonard, whose only backup was Kyle Anderson, as Josh Smith is more of a PF.
After Game 1 against the Warriors, it was clear that Kawhi had to play most of the game for the Spurs to come away with the victory. Anderson is still a quality role player, but Gay provides more security on the wing for the Spurs. He has a clutch streak in him, so Kawhi Leonard won't be the only player taking 'big time shots.'
With the league becoming more 3PT-oriented and quicker-tempo, Coach Popovich says he would like to experiment with a smaller lineup of Rudy Gay at the SF position, Kawhi at the PF position and Gasol at center, especially if Thaddeus Young should struggle from the field. Gay can shoot the ball, as well, and create his own shot, so he will come in handy whenever Danny Green has a cold night.
The Spurs' phenomenal training staff will monitor Gay's playing time and continued recovery for the time-being, as we are only one game into the season so far. Regarding his injury--arguably the worst kind that can happen in basketball--Gay said, "I just broke down. It was probably the scariest moment of my career. I never imagined something like that could happen." Gay brings a strong mentality going forward for the Spurs, saying "I’m going to have the best comeback ever. That’s the motivation of it." Despite more lucrative offers available, Gay wanted to be part of the Spurs winning culture. "Everbody knows there's a certain respect [to the Spurs organization]. I want to be part of that."
Now, he is. Gay will take his old number, 22, which was also Tiago Splitter's.