Mason Jr. adjusting to new role as Spurs retool

The results for Roger Mason Jr. so far, at least on paper, are hit-and-miss. The same could be said about the Spurs, a contender in name only as San Antonio's season nears the quarter mark.

In both cases, there's not much panic.

Mason's transition, in many ways, mirrors the team's. The unsung free-agent signing in the summer of 2008 became one of last season's surprise stories in San Antonio, developing into a dependable starter with a deadly long-range jumper. The Spurs wouldn't have claimed another Southwest Division if not for the contributions of guys like Mason, Matt Bonner and rookie George Hill.

San Antonio's brass, however, knew it needed more talent around Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker to compete for more than just a division title. And adding talent didn't mean just the offseason haul the reshaped the roster. Mason knew he had to get better. Gregg Popovich told him less would be more.

"A big thing for me was that coach Pop told me at the end of the season that he wanted to see me a little quicker, a little bit more active, so I lost over 15 pounds," Mason said. "I wanted to lean out. My body fat shrunk in half.

"My trainer and I really focused on footwork and quickness, and it's really paying off. The first few games I really wasn't getting the results, but those are the types of things you see over a long period of time."

Mason spent the summer training with the Miami workout guru who helped sculpt the chiseled physique of former All-Star center Alonzo Mourning. Shuichi Take put Mason on an intense regimen in South Florida, helping the six-year vet drop from 13 percent body fat to six.

Mason, 29, has added a much-needed burst, joking that he's still getting accustomed to his newfound foot speed.

"I guess that's taken a little bit of time to get used to," he said. "I feel much quicker, stronger and more agile. Tim mentioned to me that I'm getting to the cup easier and I'm seeing that quicker first step."

Popovich felt the loss of weight and added quickness would help Mason become a better defender.

"I thought if he put his mind to it, he could do it," Popovich said. "He's got a lot of character. He's a fine young man. As a coach you just try to put things in front of people that they can do and improve upon. You can't ask somebody to be Kobe Bryant, but there are certain things players can do to become better and I thought that was one of them. He's reacted to it very well."

So far, less Mason on the scale has also been less Mason on the court. His drop in waist size has also overlapped a shrinking shooting-percentage. He's shot 42 percent beyond the arc last season to 31 percent this season, after Monday night's 104-101 loss at Utah. Though he gained notoriety as a bomber, including a spot in the 3-point contest at All-Star weekend, he doesn't feel as though he's in a slump.

"I've missed some shots, but it's a very different role and this year I had to get adjusted to new players, new time and new everything," said Mason, just a 38-percent shooter this season. "Not to mention that my whole focus coming in wasn't shooting. It was defending and getting other guys involved. I never really thought of myself as being in a slump. I missed some shots, but that's what shooters think.

"If you look at my game, very rarely do I get an open spot-up shot. It very rarely happens. With me a lot of stuff is off the bounce. Rarely do I get my feet set and teams just allow me to just shoot. You've got to improvise and expand your game."

Opponents have read the book on Mason. In the playoffs last season, the Mavericks were determined not to give him any space. Mason was hardly a factor in the five-game loss, averaging 6.6 points and starting just three times.

"When he first came into this league he was an amazing shooter, deadeye," said Richard Jefferson, one of San Antonio's newcomers. "If he gets his feet set it's pretty much going in. I think that as team's started adjusting ... his ball-handling, decision-making [have improved]. He's become a much more complete basketball player, somebody you can [have] handle the ball, make the right basketball play and do a lot of good things."

Mason has gone from starting 71 games in 2008-09 to coming off the bench in all 17 of his appearances this season. His scoring average has been cut in half, from a career-high 11.8 to 5.9. He's also logging more time at backup point guard, a position Mason never really dabbled with until arriving in San Antonio after two years with the Wizards.

He showed signs of breaking out with four straight double-figure scoring games before a recent hamstring injury against Houston. After missing a game, Mason has played just 41 minutes in the last three games. He had half of that against the Jazz, scoring just three points and missing four of five shots.

Mason isn't going to lie. Coming off the bench with more of a playmaking mentality has been an adjustment.

"The biggest thing is you have to be right-on right away," Mason said. "Last year I was playing right around 30 minutes, so you're able to let things come to you a little bit and I was doing that early this season just out of habit from last year.

"This year it's a big difference coming off the bench. You have to be ready to go and if not, you're out of the game because we have other guys there. It's an adjustment, it's a mindset, but once you adjust to it, it's fine."

Mason isn't worrying too much about the numbers. The same holds true for San Antonio, even though the team is 9-9 and currently on the outside of the Western Conference playoff picture looking in. The Spurs, much like Mason, have yet to hit their stride.

"It happens when you have so many new guys," Mason said. "The adjustments aren't always with just the new guys. The adjustments are for the guys who have been here too, because you're playing a different style, you've got new personalities and new weapons on the court you have to adjust to."

Art Garcia has covered the NBA since 1999. You can e-mail him here and follow him on twitter.

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