El Conclusión: Spurs solid in return from break, still drop back-to-back games

Victor Wembanyama provides silver lining once again, Devin Vassell goes on a rollercoaster ride, and possible lights at the end of the tunnel for Malaki Branham and Zach Collins.

Introducing (or reintroducing) La El Conclusión: a post-game format in which a somewhat-educated basketball writer grades the performances of highly educated NBA players right after a game without having a chance to go back and watch any film. It’s perfectly irresponsible.

“El Conclusión” is a play off one of Manu Ginóbili’s nicknames, “El Contusión.” The correct article would be ‘La,’ but we just wanted to keep with the spirit of the name!

Also, we grade on curves for these players, as not everyone is created equal. Just FYI.

(Programming note: As I’ve discussed in the chat (for those of you who read chat), El Conclusión is now going to be a weekly player recap that will post every weekend on either Saturday or Sunday, depending on game schedule. This will allow more time during the week for the standard articles/analysis/breakdowns many of you expect from this newsletter. Hope y’all enjoy!)

Screenshot courtesy of Bally Sports Southwest

Wemby | 23 pts, 11.5 reb, 6 ast, 5 stl, 5 blk | 40.5 FG%, 28.6 3P% | +/- 0 in 31.1 mpg

Where shall we start after Victor Wembanyama’s 5x5 night (i.e. registering at least five points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals in a single game) against the Lakers on Thursday? Because I can just throw the record book at you.

He just became the 15th player since 1972 — they did not record blocks and steals prior to that — to register a 5x5, he’s the youngest player to do it, nobody has ever done it in fewer minutes (31), and nobody in league history has ever averaged a 5x5 over a two-game stretch. The scouting report on Wembanyama leading up to the NBA Draft was, essentially, ‘We’ve never seen anything like this guy before.’ So far, that analysis of a then-teenager seems pretty damn accurate.

One thing that’s stuck out to me over the last two games, aside from all the obvious stuff he’s doing in the stat sheet, is that he’s seemed to crank up his defensive aggression in the passing lanes and against ball-handlers. I’m being a little sarcastic here, but the blocks are almost old hat at this point. We know the kind of rim-protector he is. And while Wembanyama has notched his fair share of thefts this season, the last couple of nights have looked a little different to me.

Whether it was Domas Sabonis on Thursday, Anthony Davis on Friday, or really anybody else who dribbled into his bubble, the way he’s timed his mark’s dribble when they face up or drive against him has been incredible. And furthermore, you can tell in their body language they’re not at all prepared for Wembanyama’s length when they’re handling the ball against him. Players will adjust just as they have to a degree when faced with his rim presence, but he is flatly a one-man wrecking crew. Seems almost impossible to imagine he won’t win multiple Defensive Player of the Year trophies during his career.

Grade: A (See, here’s the thing: I gotta dock him for the shooting efficiency, especially as these games grind along. Wemby’s had a bunch of hot starts recently and can’t quite seem to keep it going as the legs get a little tired, but he’ll get used to all this eventually. And here’s the other thing: I can’t just give out the highest possible score with this dude every time he does something ridiculous, because this is just the beginning. LeBron James told the media post-game Victor “doesn’t have a ceiling.” Hell, I should give him a ‘B’ for this performance. Hit your shots, kid! All joking aside, the point is, it’s truly wild to think about what he’s going to become years down the road. Maybe instead of handing out that theoretical ‘B’ I’ll just have to start giving away an ‘A++++’ or something. We’ll figure it out.')

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Vassell | 21 pts, 5 ast, 2 reb, 1 blk | 48.5 FG%, 55.6 3P% | -7.5 in 33.4 mpg

Talk about a tale of two games. Devin Vassell was out of his mind on Thursday against the Kings, scoring 32 points on 13-for-18 shooting and registering seven assists. He was aggressive in every facet of the game — he was even getting to the rim — and was easily the biggest reason San Antonio hung around in that game.

It was a different story against the Lakers on Friday. Vassell scored just 10 points on 3-for-15 shooting and even air-balled a wide-open mid-range jumper along the baseline. He just could not get things going to save his life.

Vassell has been continually elevating his game as the season has moved along, and individual development certainly isn’t linear. So this isn’t meant to be some big criticism of Dev at all. But it’s nights like these, when the jumper isn’t falling, where it’s easy to recognize the need for him to develop counters off his jump shot. His outside game has gained a massive amount of respect from defenders this season, which means they’re almost always going to be in his hip pocket no matter where he is on the floor; and if he pumps or gives a head fake, chances are pretty good he’s going to get them off their feet.

This is more of a summertime project than an in-season plan, but because he’s not one of these explosive first-step guys, it will do him a ton of good to develop a little craftiness. The jumper can be deadly, he’s just gotta learn to leverage it like his former teammate did — ya know, that DeMar DeRozan guy?

Grade: B (A solid grade, because everyone has bad shooting nights, but very few people have the kind of scorcher he did against Sacramento. It should also be noted: Despite the poor showing offensively in Los Angeles, he was super active on the defensive end with a couple of blocks and multiple deflections and poke-aways.)

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Sochan | 15.5 pts, 10.5 reb, 3.5 ast, 2 stl | 45.2 FG%, 28.6 3P% | -5.5 in 35.2 mpg

The unfolding of Jeremy Sochan’s season has been kind of funny to watch. First they place him in the very unfamiliar position of running an offense from the point, then he sort of transitions to a blend between his old role and his new one. But now he’s pretty much all the way back to the defending, cutting, diving, running Sochan of a year ago. There’s a bigger story there I’m going to dive into down the road, but as of right now he looks more comfortable on the court than he has at any point.

Over the couple of games he’s been cutting and slashing his way to the rim with relative ease, his teammates have been finding him with room to breathe, and he’s on an absolute tear dunking the ball (five in the last two games). The problem is he missed seven layup attempts combined against the Kings and Lakers. This little stretch is nothing more than a blip, even considering Sochan is a pretty average finisher around the basket. But there’s no question those misses impacted the game in the moment, especially against Sacramento.

Then there was the 3-point line against Los Angeles, where the Lakers were just leaving him WIDE open. Sochan has improved dramatically as a shooter, and the Spurs are going to need him to hit those shots, but going 1-for-6 from the perimeter when the defense is daring you to put the ball up is a punch in the gut.

Things have been a little tricky on the defensive side of the ball as well over the last couple of nights. Against Sacramento he was matching up with multiple different player archetypes in De’Aaron Fox, Kevin Huerter and Keegan Murray, and to his credit (despite a couple of lapses here and there), he held his man to just .667 points per possession as the primary defender. One night later, James, who Sochan has handled pretty well in his brief career, methodically pushed him around in order to get to his spots on the way to a very efficient night. Just another day(s) in the life of a 20-year-old being asked to defend the best players in the world from one game to the next.

Grade: B- (The missed layups and poor shooting are gonna knock some points off here, but the defense and rebounding are gonna prop him up a bit. One of the things you wanted to see a little more of from Sochan this year was an improved rebound rate, and he’s really starting to make a leap in that area of the game. He’s tallied double-digit rebound performances in four of his last 12 games; he only had one such performance in the first 44 games of the season. With all the small-ball lineups they run out there, the Spurs desperately need him to hit the glass. Progress.

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Johnson | 16 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast | 57.1 FG%, 42.9 3P% | -9 in 30.4 mpg

With so much usage going to Wembanyama and Vassell, and plenty of overlapping minutes in Gregg Popovich’s rotation, Keldon Johnson has taken a clear back seat within the offense. Eh, maybe not back seat, but middle row of the family van for sure. But frankly, that’s more than OK if he’s going to be this judicious and opportunistic.

Keldon entered the All-Star break with a brutal 1-for-11 performance in Dallas, but in the two games since has stuck to attacking rotating defenses, getting to the rim, and not forcing his 3-point shot. And hey, it’s worked. That second group is not easy to keep afloat given its deficiencies, but the Spurs’ bench largely survived against both the Kings and Lakers. Things still become problematic whenever Wembanyama leaves the court, but when the guys around him need a rest it hasn’t been all that bad. An efficient KJ who’s embraced his reserve role is going to be key in maintaining that until more reinforcements arrive this summer.

Grade: B (He’s playing smart and within himself, which is what you want from Keldon. The one area that’s still so inconsistent is his defense. Thought he was much better against Los Angeles than he was against the whirring Sacramento offense, but you really can tell whenever he’s locked in or not on that side of the ball. To be fair, he’s certainly not the only one with these issues, but that’s the next step in rounding out his role. He’ll never be a great defender but he has the ability to at least be fine on a nightly basis.

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Jones | 9 pts, 6.5 ast, 1 TO | -5 in 28.6 mpg

Tre Jones is mostly the same thing every night, and I don’t mean that as an insult. You just know what you’re going to get. He’ll get the ball to guys in spots they like, he’ll take advantage of transition opportunities or broken courts and get to the rim, he’ll take care of the ball, and any time he can sprinkle in a couple of 3s it’s just gravy. Not much to write about. Just steady, steady, steady.

But one thing that stuck out to me over the last couple of games was the reality of Jones’ height, which was one of the reasons Gregg Popovich wanted to give Sochan run at point guard to start the season and move Tre to the bench. Both Fox and D’Angelo Russell kinda cooked Jones, and he wasn’t even playing bad defense. In fact, the only time I remember thinking he had a bad defensive moment over the last couple of nights was when he went under the screen on that late backbreaking Fox 3-pointer on Thursday. But both Fox and Russell were draining pull-ups and fall-aways in the mid-range with Jones’ hand in their face, there just wasn’t anything he could do about it. It is what it is.

On a positive note, he’s become such a good finisher around the basket. Jones is shooting 67.2 percent at the rim this season, up from 59.4 percent last year. For a small guy (by NBA standards) who doesn’t jump out of the gym, that’s an impressive leap.

Grade: B (You can almost always just pencil him in for at least a ‘B’ grade. He knows his job and he performs it admirably. The numbers weren’t great against the Lakers, but the 2-for-2 from deep keeps him there. And in case you’re wondering, there will never be a deduction for simply being shorter than everyone else on the court most nights. As long as he’s playing sound defense from a technical perspective, we’re all good over here.)

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Champagnie | 8.5 pts, 4.5 reb, 3.5 ast | 46.2 FG%, 37.5 3P% | +4.5 in 20.1 mpg

I was pretty critical of Julian Champagnie’s recent no-shows in the last edition of EC, but since returning from the break he’s been extremely active and getting back to the things that made him an actual NBA player.

Over the last two games he’s been chasing space on the perimeter, cutting with purpose off the ball, and even being almost uncharacteristically vigilant and aware as a passer. Defensively he’s getting deflections, swiping down on ball-handlers when they attack the rim, being physical and doing a good job contesting shots. This is the version of Julian that can be a role player in the NBA for a long time, so long as he continues to develop.

Grade: B (If his shooting wasn’t so streaky this might’ve been bumped up a notch, but unfortunately that’s kind of what he is right now. Regardless, Champagnie is one of only two Spurs regulars to be net positives over the two games this week. The other?)

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Wesley | 4 pts, 2 reb | 42.9 FG% | +2 in 13.5 mpg

The counting stats are rarely going to blow your mind with Blake Wesley, but even in the quiet games his progress is evident. Things have really slowed down for him offensively, he doesn’t have those strings of boneheaded plays anymore, he doesn’t really force anything, and whenever he gets the chance to put on the afterburners he knows how to take advantage around the rim.

As everyone reading this already knows, his bread is buttered on the defensive end these days. Even when he’s not getting steals, the pressure he applies up the court prevents offenses from running into their sets and getting to their spots, it shrinks the shot clock, and it allows the defense to set up behind him. Little things like that matter a lot for the Spurs right now, and even when he’s not putting up numbers, Wesley is for sure impacting the game. What a difference a year makes.

Grade: C+ (I say this while scratching my chin contemplatively: Do people want to see Wesley be a little more assertive offensively, or are people OK with prioritizing ball control and limiting the risk of turnovers? The latter is almost assuredly the better option as he continues to learn, but there were a few moments throughout each of the last two games where it seemed like he had chances to attack. A little more aggression on a consistent basis and he should crack that ‘B’ plateau. Regardless, Blake’s progress has been cool to watch.

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Branham | 11 pts, 2.5 reb, 1.5 ast | 40.0 FG%, 57.1 3P% | -5 in 18.4 mpg

We’re starting to see life from Malaki Branham, even dating back to his minutes just before the break. But in a sort of bizarro twist, the mid-range area that was such a comfort zone for him has kind of abandoned him, while the 3-point line has become a very good friend.

It’s going to be interesting to watch how this evolves, though, because teams are still playing him off the dribble and crowding him once he gets to his spots, but they’re pretty much leaving him on the perimeter. Theoretically, if he keeps hitting 3s, and this isn’t just a blip (which it could be), then defenses are going to have to account for his outside shot, which should in turn open up those driving lanes again. Something to watch going forward, but as for now, he’s on a nice little run.

Grade: B+ (If he was hitting his mid-range shot this would be in the ‘A’ range, but it did get a little bump because of that nasty dunk on LeBron’s head. Man that had to feel good.)

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Collins | 8.5 pts, 3 reb, 2 ast | 58.3 FG%, 2-2 3P | -5 in 16.9 mpg

Speaking of signs of life: Hello, Zach Collins. After a rough game against Sacramento and a foul-infested first stint on the court in Los Angeles, the Spurs’ struggling backup big man came alive in the second and third quarters. He was navigating the post and scoring around the rim, rolling effectively, and even hitting 3s (!!!). Defensively he was left in the lurch a couple of times and found himself in serious early foul trouble, but I’m not even all that concerned about that side of the ball at this point. When he’s engaged and in the right headspace he’s fine on that end so long as turnstile defense isn’t being played on the perimeter in front of him. Besides, Sabonis and Davis give a whole bunch of dudes a really hard time.

If I’m San Antonio, I just want Collins to see the ball go through the basket on a consistent basis again. This season has been a nightmare for him, and you could see his body language reflecting that dwindling confidence. If he can make little bits of progress over the final 25 games, this team is going to feel a lot better about the extension they gave him in the fall. And if the confidence starts to come back, it’s not a bad bet to say his production will be along for the ride.

Grade: C+ (I’m going to just add the ‘+’ as a congratulations for finally getting off the schneid and hitting his first 3-pointer in the month of February, and then hitting another. It was still a rollercoaster of a two-game stretch, but he looked at least pretty close to the Collins of last season during those second- and third-quarter stints against the Lakers. Let’s see if that leads to anything.)

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Osman | 3.5 pts, 2 reb, 3.5 ast | 50.0 FG%, 33.3 3P% | -1.5 in 11.2 mpg

Pretty quiet two-game scoring run for Cedi Osman, but as usual he got involved in whatever way he could. He didn’t play a ton either, which makes it difficult to grade.

But it should be noted he accumulated seven assists in just 22 total minutes against the Kings and Lakers, and whenever Los Angeles ran their zone while Osman was on the floor, Pop put him in the middle of the paint to act as the hub of the zone-busting offense. As I mentioned, he does whatever he can and whatever is asked of him when he gets minutes, and while he’s not particularly great at any one thing, he’s solid across the board and doesn’t really hurt you in any specific area (though defense can be iffy sometimes). Jack of all trades, master of none.

Grade: B- (I’m sure there are some folks reading this who would go lower considering the output, but it felt like he was just following his assignments over the course of these two games. Plus, those assist numbers are pretty damn good in limited minutes. Still, now that Doug McDermott is gone, I think it’s fair to hope for a few more looks from the 3-point line. Can’t always control that, though.)

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