There's something about Wesley and Branham
The Spurs rookies have barely gotten a taste of the NBA, but they're already making their unique marks in San Antonio.
With about three minutes left in the third quarter Thursday night, Blake Wesley blew by Magic guard Cole Anthony with a right-handed dribble, took one big stride toward the basket to collapse the defense, and whipped a pass out of traffic to the opposite corner where Jeremy Sochan stood open for a 3-point attempt. The kick-out was well off the mark, but Sochan calmly reached down to his knee and corralled his teammate’s setup before recovering and draining the shot.
The sequence was a perfect microcosm of what the Spurs are at this point: inexperienced and flawed, but talented enough to instill belief that results will come later on down the line.
Ahead of the NBA Draft in June, any team eyeing Wesley late in the first round was doing so because he possessed one of the most valuable singular skills in basketball: the ability to self-create. While he struggled mightily at times to stay efficient and consistent both on the perimeter and around the rim, he could always count on his talent to get by players, turn a corner and burst downhill. And because of that, the pull-up jumper was almost always available to him whenever he wanted it. Simply put, he can get almost any shot he wants from wherever he is on the court.
Wesley plays with a level of fluidity that belies his herky-jerky style. Perhaps it’s the long limbs or thin frame, but every part of his being seems to be on the move before consolidating into a knifing drive or a sudden pull-up. He exemplifies the kinetic theory — a bundle of fast-moving particles flying around in random motion before potential energy is realized. He’s the kind of one-on-one weapon the Spurs need at the point right now, and frankly, one they’ve needed ever since Tony Parker left town. Dejounte Murray blossomed into a wonderfully effective, All-Star caliber pick-and-roll player in San Antonio, but he did not have the kind of giddy-up Wesley has already shown in the opening moments of his career.
“Right now that’s what he does best — he attacks the rim and he gets by people,” Gregg Popovich said. “He’s just gonna have to work on his decision-making, but he’s an aggressive ball-player.”
Despite the inexperience and obvious flaws you’d expect from a 19-years-old, Wesley has stood out as a stirring straw for San Antonio’s bench unit through two games. But defenses adjust quickly in the NBA, especially to fresh meat. The more minutes the opposing teams sees from the rookie, the more they’re going to sag off, close driving lanes and force him to shoot from the outside — because so far he has not been a threat from anywhere outside of the paint.
There are reasons Wesley slipped to No. 25 in the draft. He is a very raw player whose physical skills are well ahead of the technical aspects of his game. He’s struggled with his jumper through two games, going 4-for-13 from the floor (1-for-9 outside of 15 feet) against Houston and Orlando. Additionally, while 12 free-throw attempts in the first 38 minutes of his career is an impressive number, he’s only been able to connect on seven of them.
It’s only two preseason game to begin a career for the 19-year-old, so it feels a bit silly to point out the shooting numbers at this point. Every single player in the NBA goes through bad stretches. But Wesley’s shot is likely the biggest reason he wasn’t a lottery pick, so this isn’t exactly a one-off criticism. From his footwork to his mechanics, the inconsistency was glaring at times during his collegiate career.
But teammates have insisted he’s been shooting the ball well in camp, and three of his jumpers Thursday night simply rimmed out. When he creates space and finds a solid base and rhythm, his shot at least looks like it should go in more often than it does. Pardon the qualitative measuring here, but that stuff does matter; and if Wesley’s shot starts falling, it’s going to allow him to more easily do what he does best in attacking the rim. Developing consistency is going to take time, but the good news is he and the Spurs have plenty of it at this point of the rebuild. After all, these guys are still simply adjusting to the size and speed at the NBA level, and there’s a lot more for Wesley to work on than just his shooting numbers.
Malaki Branham, on the other hand, looks like he’s been shooting a basketball since the day he was born.
Wesley’s rookie backcourt mate has been given an interesting allotment of minutes during the preseason. Branham has seen zero court time in the first half of either preseason game, then entered each second half as if he’d just been popped out of a microwave: 17 points in 31 minutes, 7-for-11 from the field and 3-for-6 from beyond the arc.
Prior to the Vegas summer league I wrote a about why we may not see Branham’s best until he had an actual NBA team around him.
The issue for Branham over the next 10 days is that structure at Summer League is about as sturdy as a pop-up tent. He loves to operate in and out of the pick-and-roll, navigating his way into the mid-range and pulling up from his spots. He’s long and physical, and he knows how to use his body to create space, which allows him to elevate and shoot over defenders despite not being an explosive athlete. On the perimeter, while he’s not much of an off-the-dribble threat, he’s an excellent spot-up 3-point shooter who can get hot if left open.
But summer-league basketball can get messy — like really messy — so it will be interesting to see how he performs alongside brand-new teammates. A week of practices is hardly enough time to build more than a basic understanding of tendencies, and his game at the college level depended on rhythm, spacing and a solid pick-and-roll relationship with his big men. He’s steady, smart and talented enough to get buckets in exhibition-style play, but exactly how much he stands out in a relatively unorganized crowd will be interesting to observe.
In the early going, Branham is making things look relatively easy. He’s locating and relocating well along the perimeter and finding plenty of space to get off his quick spot-up release, he’s taking advantage of screens (particularly in semi-transition) to get to his mid-range spots, and he’s got great instincts cutting off the ball for easy looks at the rim.
Pop put it much more succinctly.
“He’s got a great pace about him. He’s real comfortable on the court. He’s doing well.”
The big question as it pertains to Branham right now, however, is relatively obvious: Where will the minutes come from? He isn’t a lead ball-handler, and he doesn’t have the size to play the ‘three’ for long stretches. He’s an off-ball guard, and with Devin Vassell, Josh Primo and Josh Richardson in line to soak up most of those minutes, you wonder if there will be time immediately available to him in San Antonio. There’s still a bit of uncertainty as to how the Spurs intend to utilize the injured Primo once he returns from the MCL sprain he suffered prior to the beginning of training camp, but regardless of whether he sees more time on or off the ball, Branham still faces a logjam at the position.
Still, it’s difficult to keep guys like him wrapped up for too long. If you can shoot and score efficiently, adapt quickly to the NBA, and you’ve just been drafted to a team that’s launching a major youth movement, your time will come sooner rather than later. Besides, as we’ve outlined all offseason, the roster situation in San Antonio is fluid. It may not be too terribly long before a spot opens up and an opportunity drops in Branham’s lap.
As a friend of mine put it via direct message on Twitter: “Branham’s gonna f*** around and get himself some rotation minutes.”
It’s an interesting dichotomy. One player is a wild card with a wide range of potential outcomes, while the other already plays with a defined (and refined) style and understanding of his role. Wesley and Branham are very different players, but each possesses unique skills that, if they develop, will be valuable in this league for years to come.
For now it’s about putting them in the best position to establish a base that’s built for longevity. They may not see big minutes right away, but in the NBA, it’s more about quality over quantity anyway. It’s not always about the number of minutes, but about giving players the best chance possible to be productive while they’re on the floor.
“Those guys aren’t scared, that’s for sure, and that’s half the battle as a rookie. These guys come in they are aggressive. That’s a good sign right there. And they are both going to be really good pros,” Doug McDermott said Thursday. “The game is probably going a little fast for them right now, but once they get more opportunity and the game slows down for them, I think they are both going to be really good. We did a great job drafting this year because all these guys know how to play.”
It’s going to take a little time, but McDermott might be right. The Spurs sure are hoping he is.