One season after serving as ancillary characters on a 67-win team, Kyle Anderson and Jonathon Simmons have been promoted.

Coach Gregg Popovich is counting on the two as vital parts of a bench transformed by offseason trades and signings and a delicate little process called aging.

Gone from last season’s bench: David West, who was out the door the moment the Spurs lost to the Thunder; Boris Diaw, currently sipping espresso in the Rocky Mountains; and Boban Marjanovic, now part of the Stan Van Gundy Revival Project in Detroit.

And though their roles were smaller, the disappearances of Andre Miller, Kevin Martin and Matt Bonner add to the roster upheaval.

Manu Ginobili remains, a key cog still, but he’s 39 years old and coming off a season in which he averaged a career-low 19.6 minutes. That number will likely dwindle further in his 15th season.

In the wake of all that tumult, the onus to lead the Spurs’ reserves falls on one player who averaged 4.5 points in 2015-16 and another who spent the early portion of the season shuffling between San Antonio and Austin. Combined the two have accumulated 2,406 regular-season minutes in the NBA, less than Ginobili played during the 2010-11 season.

Popovich doesn’t have many other options – Anderson and Simmons will either find their balance or teeter off into the abyss.

Knowing that, Popovich is finally prepared to let Anderson unleash the full breadth of his ability.

“It’s pretty obvious that I need to play him more,” Popovich said. “He’s gotten to that level where he’s become confident, his teammates have become confident in him, his shot has gotten better. So now it’s on me to figure out where to put him.

“He can play 3, he can play 4, he can play the point guard. He’s got enough experience under his belt where he’s ready to get his minutes and help our team.”

Anderson seems a natural fit to embrace the role Diaw left vacant. A 6-foot-9, 230-pound point forward theoretically presents all sorts of matchup nightmares for opposing coaches; Anderson’s evolution into a pliant positional piece like Diaw would allow Popovich to continue his regular-season mad scientist act.

The D-League revelation doesn’t carry the same burden Anderson does. His role will certainly increase though, especially if he gains Popovich’s full trust.

The Spurs need Simmons’ boundless energy and athleticism and defense. They need Simmons to prove he can stay on the court during critical junctures.

“It’s about not making unforced errors, mistakes that don’t have to be made because the defender maybe made a good play on you or such,” Popovich said. “Knowing what your responsibility is defensively, just becoming more of a professional on a more consistent basis, which means solid play. He went to the summer league and improved in that area and he’s doing it here.

“He’s in the same category as Kyle. We’re hopeful and we think we need to have those guys continue to improve and be on the floor to make our bench deep. If you took those two out we’re not very deep on the bench, so they’re important to us.”

Anderson and Simmons might not feel the weight of that statement just yet. How they react when they do will play a key role in shaping the months ahead.

nmoyle@express-news.net

Twitter: @NRmoyle