The Spurs have turned two-way contracts into a real pipeline, and that track record makes their current group worth watching closely. Since the NBA introduced two-way deals in 2017-18, San Antonio has repeatedly found ways to turn those spots into actual rotation value, and the list of success stories is long enough to feel like a pattern, not a coincidence.
Julian Champagnie is the headliner. He was a hero in this year’s Finals run, and he stands as the most visible example of how far a Spurs two-way player can go. But he’s only the latest name on a pretty impressive roll call.
Drew Eubanks signed a two-way with the Spurs as an undrafted rookie in 2018 and built an eight-year, and counting, NBA career from there. Sandro Mamukelashvili was discarded by the Bucks, then picked up by San Antonio and turned into a Sixth-Man-of-the-Year-caliber player before landing a sizable deal with the Lakers.
Dominick Barlow, Charles Bassey, and Keita Bates-Diop also came through the Spurs’ two-way program. There have been misses too - Harrison Ingram, Jordan Hall, and Riley Minix among them - but the overall hit rate still makes San Antonio look like one of the best places in the league for a two-way player to grow.
That’s why David Jones Garcia, Maliq Brown, and Ja’Kobi Gillespie are such interesting names to file away. The Spurs already have the kind of environment where a two-way player can turn into something more, and at least one breakout in 2026-27 feels like the kind of bet that makes sense.
All three have their own case. Jones Garcia is a toolsy guard-wing hybrid with a smooth outside shot and some real handling ability. His 2025 Summer League showing, along with his continued G League production, suggests he’s ahead of many players on the same kind of deal.
Brown brings a different kind of value. He’s the sort of player who knows exactly what he is, and that matters. He looks ready to get on an NBA floor, absorb contact, and help a team win possessions.
Gillespie rounds out the group as a smaller guard who checks a lot of boxes: he can make threes, make smart decisions with the ball, and scrap on defense.
All three are legitimate two-way prospects. But if history is any guide, San Antonio is the right place for them to turn that promise into something bigger. Keep an eye on David Jones Garcia, Maliq Brown, and Ja’Kobi Gillespie.
In Other News...
Chris Paul Still Cannot Believe What Wemby Went Through Before Spurs
Chris Paul spent part of his time in San Antonio doing more than just helping the Spurs on the floor. As a veteran voice in the locker room, he also served as a mentor for younger players, including Victor Wembanyama, and one of the most striking parts of that relationship was learning how different the French stars path to the NBA really was. Paul talked about the contrast between the American high school-to-college pipeline and the European academy system, where basketball development is built around a very different structure.
Wembanyama came up through that route in France with Nanterre 92s academy, which is a long way from the familiar U.S. model most NBA players know. For Paul, the broader lesson was less about basketball skill than about perspective, because Wembanyamas upbringing reflected a level of independence and a developmental track that simply does not exist for most young American prospects. [Read more 🡒]
Bleacher Report Ranking Spurs Sixth Is A Massive Snub
Bleacher Reports latest look at NBA starting fives gave the Spurs a spot that feels a little light for a team coming off a Western Conference title run. Even with the offseason shuffle around the league, San Antonios case is built on something a lot of contenders still have to prove: continuity. The group already knows how to play together, and compared with some of the teams slotted ahead of it, theres a strong argument that chemistry and health give the Spurs a cleaner foundation.
San Antonio also has a lineup that may not stay fixed for long, which only adds to the intrigue. Dylan Harper and Tobias Harris are both names to keep in mind as the season unfolds, and the Spurs have enough flexibility that performance could change the look of the starting five before long. For now, though, the bigger question is whether a team that just won the West really belongs chasing respect rather than setting the standard. [Read more 🡒]
The Spurs Are Becoming The Playoff Team Nobody Wants
The Spurs are starting to look like the kind of playoff opponent nobody in the West wants to see, because the roster gives them more than one way to beat you. Victor Wembanyama is already the obvious problem, a 7-foot-4 rim protector whose presence can warp a game plan, but the larger issue is how San Antonio can keep changing the terms of the matchup from one night to the next.
If teams load up on Wembanyama, the Spurs have downhill answers in Stephon Castle, De'Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper, and if the series turns into a more physical grind, they can lean on size and depth with Luke Kornet, Tarris Reed Jr. and eventually Jayden Quaintance. That flexibility is what makes them so awkward to prepare for, because they can survive a defensive slog or turn it into a faster, more open game without giving opponents much comfort either way. [Read more 🡒]