The Spurs came into the offseason looking for someone who could take some of the interior burden off Victor Wembanyama, and Tarris Reed Jr. is making a pretty direct case that he can be that guy.
The rookie backed up a 17-rebound showing against the Utah Jazz with another sturdy performance against the Phoenix Suns, finishing with three blocks and nine rebounds in 21 minutes. He didn’t light up the scoreboard, and that hasn’t been the point. Reed has been doing the work San Antonio needed: battling on the glass, protecting the paint and making life harder for anyone trying to finish around the rim.
Against Phoenix, that showed up in a big way late in the third quarter. Reed swatted a CJ Huntley layup attempt, then came right back on the next defensive possession with an emphatic block on Koa Peat. A few possessions later, Kennedy Chandler tried to go over him too, and Reed sent that away as well.
That kind of presence is exactly what San Antonio has been after. Wembanyama can dominate, but he can’t carry the whole load by himself, and the Spurs need rebounding and rim protection behind him to avoid overtaxing him. Reed is starting to look like a real answer in that spot.
He’s also saying the right things after his strong start. Following his big night against the Jazz, Reed told Tom Orsborn of San Antonio Express-News, "I've just got to keep my foot on the gas," and added, "Being even more persistent, even more tenacious".
That fits the way he’s playing. Reed hasn’t gotten distracted by early success, and he’s staying locked into the gritty stuff that centers have to embrace. He’s not piling up flashy scoring numbers, but he is showing the kind of physical, reliable interior play the Spurs wanted when they went looking for more depth.
There’s still room for him to grow, and the preseason only tells part of the story. But right now, Reed is giving San Antonio exactly the sort of rugged paint play it hoped to find.
In Other News...
Spurs Camp Cuts Put New Focus On A Roster Battle To Watch
The Spurs have begun trimming camp bodies ahead of the 2026/27 season, waiving Taelon Peter, Malik Williams and Terry Taylor as the roster picture starts to come into focus. It is the kind of early housekeeping that often gets overlooked outside the building, but for San Antonio it helps clarify which players will keep getting a longer look as the calendar turns toward the real competition for spots.
Around the league, the churn continued as teams across the NBA made their own adjustments, including Atlanta signing Giorgi Bezhanishvili to an Exhibit 10 deal, Utah adding Chance Moore and Cleveland parting with Jaxson Robinson. The Lakers, Clippers and Nuggets also waived Cole Swider, DeAndre Williams and Steven Crowl, a reminder that this part of the offseason is less about headlines than about opportunities, with each move nudging another roster battle a little closer to the front of the stage. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Rookie Battle Is Heating Up After A Brutal First-Round Setback
A rough first-round setback has already changed the Spurs rookie outlook, with Jayden Quaintance now expected to miss most or all of his first season after meniscus surgery. That leaves the rest of the class with a bigger opportunity than anyone in San Antonio probably imagined when the draft ended, and it has quickly made preseason production matter a lot more than pedigree.
Tarris Reed Jr. and JaKobi Gillespie have both flashed enough to keep the conversation going, and coach Mitch Johnson has singled out Gillespie for the energy and competitiveness he has brought so far. San Antonio is still sorting through how its lineup will settle in as the season approaches, and with second-year players like Carter Bryant expected to take another step, the rookie competition has become one more layer in a roster that already carries real expectations. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Just Added A Camp Body And The Next Cut Matters
The Spurs have filled their final preseason roster slot by signing forward Terry Taylor to a non-guaranteed training camp contract, a move that comes after waiving RJ Davis and pushes San Antonio to the league maximum of 21 players. Taylor brings NBA experience from multiple teams and is expected to spend time with the Austin Spurs, giving the organization another veteran body to evaluate as camp gets underway.
For San Antonio, the signing is less about immediate rotation help than about keeping options open as the roster sorts itself out over the next round of cuts. Taylors deal fits that camp competition, and it also mirrors the kind of depth maneuver other teams are making right now, like Sacramento bringing back center Viktor Lakhin on an Exhibit 10 contract to bolster its frontcourt after injuries. [Read more 🡒]