The San Antonio Spurs may have found a sneaky way to tilt games in their favor this season: offensive rebounding.
It’s not the flashiest part of the sport, but it can swing possessions, bend a defense, and punish teams that aren’t locked in for 48 minutes. For the Spurs, it could become a real difference-maker against the Oklahoma City Thunder and the New York Knicks.
A big reason for that is rookie Tarris Reed Jr., who has already hauled in 16 offensive boards in just 72 preseason minutes. But this isn’t only about the bigs. San Antonio is getting a lot of its glass work from players on the perimeter, too.
Dylan Harper showed real promise in that area last season, collecting at least three offensive rebounds seven times while coming off the bench. Keldon Johnson did it even more often, grabbing at least three offensive boards 19 times last season. Add in wings like Stephon Castle and Julian Champagnie, and there’s a clear path for the Spurs to keep punishing teams with extra possessions.
That approach matters even more when you look at the matchups that have given San Antonio trouble. Against New York in the NBA Finals, the Spurs’ offense bogged down and could have used a lift from second chances. The Knicks had already beaten them in the NBA Cup Finals by owning the offensive glass, and San Antonio could have answered with Harper and Wembanyama doing the same damage.
Harper, in particular, has a knack for sliding in and stealing extra points when defenses are focused elsewhere. That kind of timing could matter again if the Spurs are looking for an edge.
The Thunder are another example. In Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, San Antonio leaned into this idea with great results.
Victor Wembanyama attacked the offensive glass against Alex Caruso and finished with nine second-chance boards. That shifted the way the series played out, since Oklahoma City then moved away from using a guard on Wembanyama.
If opponents try that again, the Spurs should make them pay. Wembanyama crashing the boards would create more possessions for San Antonio and force defenses to commit extra bodies just to keep him off the glass.
The bigger picture is pretty straightforward. San Antonio already finished with the NBA’s fourth-ranked offense last season, and adding more second-chance opportunities would only raise the ceiling. The Spurs were 15th in offensive rebounding, but they were within 0.5 rebounds per game of cracking the top 10.
That kind of jump is well within reach. Houston showed how dangerous a team can be when it treats offensive rebounding like a weapon, even without elite shooting. San Antonio doesn’t need to copy that exact formula, but the lesson is there: extra possessions can cover a lot of imperfections.
With Reed Jr., Wembanyama, Luke Kornet, and a group of active wing rebounders, the Spurs have the tools to make the offensive glass a defining part of their identity. If they do, they won’t just create more second-chance points. They’ll make life harder for opponents, keep them from running in transition, and strengthen their case as a team built to go after bigger things.
In Other News...
Mavericks Make Another Early Camp Cut As Roster Decisions Begin
Training camp decisions are starting to take shape around the league, and there has been movement that matters for teams trying to sort out the edges of their roster. The New Orleans Pelicans brought back center Hunter Dickinson on a non-guaranteed camp contract with Exhibit 10 language after waiving him from a two-way deal in August, while the Spurs added Kendall Brown on a training camp agreement and the Kings signed David Muoka on a similar one.
For San Antonio, the Brown addition fits into the broader early-camp churn that always comes with this part of the calendar, when teams are testing depth and looking for low-risk evaluations. Elsewhere in the West, the Mavericks have already started trimming their own group by requesting waivers on Jorge Diaz Graham after his recent preseason appearance, a reminder that more roster moves are likely to follow as camp jobs get sorted out. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Suddenly Have More Riding On This Season Than Ever
The Western Conference is shaping up to be a moving target, and the Spurs are right in the middle of it. With Minnesota shaking up its roster, the Lakers resetting around Luka Doncic after LeBron James departure, and plenty of eyes on a crowded race of rising teams, San Antonio suddenly feels like a club with a lot more to prove than just progress. Even the Spurs coaching setup is part of the conversation, with Billy Donovan in the lead assistant role as the organization tries to turn its promise into something sturdier.
There is plenty of league-wide noise around individual breakouts and title expectations, from Cooper Flaggs All-NBA buzz to the possibility of Doncic chasing the scoring crown, but the Spurs own path may be the most interesting of all. The sense around the West is that Oklahoma City and San Antonio could be among the regular-season powers, yet the bigger question is whether that kind of rise actually translates when the games get tighter and the stakes get higher. For the Spurs, this season is starting to feel less like another step forward and more like a test of how real the climb actually is. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs May Have Found An Early Answer Behind Wembanyama
The Spurs went into the preseason looking for a little more certainty behind Victor Wembanyama and Luke Kornet, and rookie Tarris Reed Jr. has given them a promising early look. Acquired in a trade after being drafted by the Nuggets, Reed has stood out with his rebounding and work on the defensive end, the kind of low-drama contributions that can quickly earn trust in San Antonio.
Devin Vassell has already noticed, and that matters for a young player trying to carve out a role before the games count. Reed appears to have the edge right now for the third big-man spot, especially with fellow rookie Jayden Quaintance still coming back from a knee procedure, but the Spurs will still have to decide how much of that preseason momentum turns into real minutes once the rotation tightens. [Read more 🡒]