The most important leap of them all
A number of young Spurs have received appropriate amounts of attention over the last few months, but there's one who probably deserves more
For obvious and understandable reasons, the majority of the Spurs hive’s attention bandwidth when it comes to internal development within the team has been allocated to the likes of Keldon Johnson (quick riser, Olympian), Lonnie Walker IV (contract year), Josh Primo (polarizing 2021 draft pick) and, previously, Luka Samanic (I guess we’ll see how he does in New York). But from a “next in line” standpoint, perhaps the most critical development curve to watch this season belongs to Devin Vassell.
The Vassell pick and subsequent rookie season feel like they were lost in the shuffle of the NBA’s pandemic-induced scheduling chaos. The second-year wing was drafted just 11 months ago. Think about that for a second: Vassell has less than a full calendar year of NBA experience, and because of the pace of events over the last 19 months, so much of the conversation around this team has skipped over him to a degree and on to the newest flavor. But man, there’s still a lot to unpack with this dude.
At No. 11 overall, Vassell was the Spurs’ highest draft pick since Tim Duncan was taken atop the 1997 NBA Draft, marking the first time San Antonio had picked in the lottery in 23 years. While there was excitement around the selection, what followed was simply a less-than-ideal introduction to the most competitive basketball league on the planet. There was no Summer League for the 2020 draft crop, training camp was extremely condensed, and a logjam on the perimeter in San Antonio essentially buried Vassell on the bench. His avenues to legitimate playing time were only opened in the wake of injuries to other players and due to garbage-time situations, or when Gregg Popovich would slide him into the four spot from time to time. Again, not ideal.
And while the tumult of Vassell’s rookie season provides a little leeway when it comes to analysis, and understanding San Antonio tends to bring its young guys along slowly, it can’t be ignored that he is the highest draft selection made by the Spurs on the roster. There are expectations that come with that. Now, with DeMar DeRozan out of the picture, there’s a much clearer path toward a rotation spot for him behind Johnson on the wing; and while there have been extenuating circumstances in play during his development, this is typically when teams want to see the first significant leap.
Vassell was primarily projected and used as a stationary shooter in the Spurs’ offense last season, which makes sense considering the roles his teammates occupied elsewhere on the floor. But when you watch him play, he looks more than comfortable when he’s using his dribble to get to his preferred spots. And that’s not just an eye-test thing either.
From the start of Summer League all the way through training camp, the storyline surrounding Vassell has been focused on his development as a ball-handler and shot-creator. We saw flashes of it during those dog days of August and a little during the preseason, but on Wednesday night it all came together when the games started to count.
The Spurs throttled a beat-up, shorthanded Orlando Magic team, 123-97, and everyone got into the act. Seven different players scored in double figures, and leading the way with 19 points was none other than Mr. Vassell, who lit a fuse in the third quarter with eight points in the final 2:30 of the period. And he put his offensive skill set on display.
“Last year was a unique year, and there were a lot of different challenges,” Vassell said. “But I put a lot of work in over the offseason and I know the coaches and my teammates have a lot of faith in me, so I know this year is going to be a big year, not only for me but for the team.
“I think last year I had times where I kinda struggled coming off the ball-screens and seeing the whole court. But I think this year … it’s just being comfortable playing at my own pace and being aggressive,” he continued. “I think last year I was being very passive, and this year the coaches get on me a lot and my teammates get on me a lot about just being aggressive.”
But his defense is where the entire package comes together. He gets his hands on everything. During his inconsistent rookie campaign, Vassell’s ability to disrupt the passing lanes was evident. He managed 3.8 interceptions and deflections combined per 75 possessions, according to BBall Index, which was second highest on the team behind Dejounte Murray (of course) and ranked in the 83rd percentile of players across the league in that department.
And he doesn’t just create chaos by jumping opponents’ passes, he’s a nuisance as a help defender, crashing down on driving lanes and causing a mess. The Spurs are going to rely heavily on their defense this season, and his contributions — along with Murray’s and Derrick White’s in particular — in one of the most aggressive defensive schemes I can ever remember seeing from a Popovich-coached team should make for some very entertaining basketball this season. And if they’re able to wreak havoc on that side of the ball, it’s going to open things up in a big way on the offensive end the way it did Wednesday (21 points off 16 Orlando turnovers).
“He’s got great length. The more he focuses on defense he can really be a disrupter,” Pop said of Vassell after the game. “You can see him sticking his hands in here and there, creating a crowd, helping his teammates. He could end up being a very good defender for us.”
There are plenty of storylines to go around this season and a number of players worthy of your attention; one person’s favorite to make the next big jump might be the guy who provokes doubt for others. That’s one of the most interesting parts about this iteration of the Spurs: Sure, there may be a lot of mouths to feed and bodies deserving of minutes, but they’re all battling in an effort to set themselves apart and occupy that open spot at the top of the pecking order.
Not that that’s how the Spurs are looking at things, though.
If there’s one thing that’s been evident as this young core has come together, it’s that they enjoy the hell out of playing basketball together. There is no one-man approach by any stretch of the imagination, and they’re well aware of the fact that, without a superstar, this team and its players will only go as far as their collective effort will allow. And that much was clear against the Magic.
The ball never stopped moving, players were in constant motion, and the vast majority of shot attempts were great looks within the flow of an offense that hummed with a constant stream of energy. If the Spurs are going to exceed expectations this season, that’s exactly the kind of game they’re going to have to play.
Still, that internal development is necessary, and if we’re looking at this from a chronological perspective, the time for Vassell to begin making his mark indelible is here.
It’s just one game, and there are sure to be plenty of rough nights ahead. But so far, so good.