The San Antonio Spurs may have found another second-round gem in Ja'Kobi Gillespie.
Taken with the 43rd pick in this year's NBA Draft, the 23-year-old guard didn’t stay buried for long. His play in NBA Summer League turned heads fast, as he averaged 16 points, 4.3 assists and 2 steals across four games.
That production comes with the usual Summer League asterisk, especially for point guards. Still, San Antonio has built a reputation for uncovering value in the back half of drafts, particularly at guard, and Gillespie is giving that track record another chance to look smart.
There’s obvious precedent for the Spurs finding guards who outplay their draft slot. Tony Parker, selected 28th in the 2001 NBA draft, became a Hall of Famer.
Gary Neal and Patty Mills also fit the broader story of guards who found success around the organization, even though neither was drafted by San Antonio. More recently, Tre Jones came in as a second-round pick and carved out a solid NBA career.
Gillespie now has a path to do something similar. The Spurs are already loaded in the backcourt with De'Aaron Fox, Dylan Harper, and Stephon Castle, so he isn’t likely to see a major role next season. But San Antonio has him on a two-way contract, which gives the team more time to evaluate him while he spends time in Austin, playing in the NBA G League and potentially picking up spot minutes with the Spurs.
On the court, Gillespie looks like the kind of guard the Spurs can work with. He projects as a pick-and-roll point guard who can organize an offense, and he brings a reliable 3-point shot along with decent touch around the rim. He’s not built for every matchup, since he’s a little slight against bigger NBA point guards, but he does bring pesky defense and a knack for collecting steals.
That combination - shooting, playmaking, and disruptive defense - is enough to keep him on the radar. The Spurs could eventually have him fill Jordan McLaughlin’s role after next season, and he could also see action in blowouts or when the roster is thin. Based on what he showed in Summer League, that wouldn’t be a bad outcome at all.
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Spurs Reward Young Prospect As Two-Way Roster Tension Builds
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The return comes after the Spurs issued Jones Garcia a qualifying offer in June, setting up what should be a one-year arrangement with some financial protection. It also adds a little more pressure to a two-way group that is already tight, because the deal still has to be finalized and the roster math is not especially forgiving as the Spurs sort out their developmental spots. [Read more 🡒]