I think the fact that Pop understand the point of resting players and his longevity in successfully building out teams points out how well he understands the game. Being a great coach with talent is one thing, but having talent doesn't translate into championships. See: 2012 OKC Thunder.
Totally agree, I think his management scope is a lot more significant than just attributing it to luck. 538 did an analysis and showed that based on metrics, even the San Antonio bench would be a competitive group of starters in the league. That kind of depth and how to manage it is really quite impressive because of how it goes against typical rotations in the NBA in my view.
