Tarris Reed Jr. has wasted no time making a case that he can do more than fill minutes for the Spurs. Through two summer league games, the 6-foot-11, 263-pound big man has looked like a load to handle, and that physical presence is exactly what makes him so interesting next to Victor Wembanyama.
San Antonio did not trade up for Reed because it wanted another ordinary backup center. The idea is bigger than that. If Mitch Johnson gives Reed a real chance to share the floor with Wembanyama, the UConn standout could help free the French star to do what he does best.
The comparison that fits here is Denver and Nikola Jokic. Bringing in Aaron Gordon gave Jokic a layer of protection, since Gordon can absorb the banging with other bigs and spare the star center from those constant collisions.
The point is not whether a superstar can survive those matchups. It is about keeping his energy pointed toward the parts of the game that matter most.
That matters with Wembanyama because his defensive value comes from his range. He can cover ground like nobody else, protect the rim, erase threes, close off space, and wreck possessions with his timing. But he still lacks a strong base, which can leave him vulnerable in direct physical battles or when bigger bodies shove him away from rebounds.
The league may not be built around dominant centers the way it once was, but there are still plenty of powerful bigs around. Jokic, Alperen Sengun, Ivica Zubac, Steven Adams, and Isaiah Hartenstein are all the kinds of players Reed could be asked to wrestle with so Wembanyama does not have to.
What has stood out so far is that Reed seems to understand how to use his size. Summer league numbers do not decide anything once the games count, but they can still reveal how a player operates.
Reed has been rebounding, setting hard screens, and using his bulk to open lanes for the ball handler. He has also been pinning defenders on picks to create switches, which leads to mismatches and lob chances.
His summer league teammates have not always finished the opportunities he has created, but the Spurs’ regular lineup figures to be better equipped to cash in.
Reed has also shown more mobility than you might expect from a player his size. He runs the floor, switches defensively, and in his latest outing even showed a spin move into a basket that hinted at more offensive upside than the surface numbers suggest.
The biggest obstacle may simply be the usual rookie mistakes. If he keeps those under control, Johnson will have a tough time keeping him on the bench.
San Antonio did not move up in the first round to land a flashy scorer. It did it to address real needs. Reed has already flashed the kind of impact that could do exactly that, and if he keeps developing, Wembanyama may not have to spend his nights wrestling the league’s biggest bodies or carrying the rebounding load by himself.
In Other News...
Spurs Missed On A Dream Target For One Frustrating Reason
The Spurs spent part of the offseason chasing a forward they believed could have fit neatly into their frontcourt plans, with Rui Hachimura drawing interest from San Antonio and several other teams before the market settled. Golden State, Minnesota and Brooklyn were also in the mix, a reminder that Hachimura had plenty of options as he weighed his next move.
San Antonio ultimately had to pivot after missing out, and the answer came in the form of veteran forward Tobias Harris, a steadier addition who helps address the same area of need. The Spurs would have liked to land Hachimura and keep building around a younger, more versatile look, but the search for frontcourt help did not end with one swing. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Send Tarris Reed Jr. A Tough Message Right Away
Tarris Reed Jr. already has a clear early-career assignment in San Antonio, and it has little to do with putting up points. The Spurs took Reed alongside Jayden Quaintance in the 2026 NBA Draft, bringing in the former UConn and Michigan big man with the expectation that his value will come from defense, rebounding and a physical presence around the basket.
In Summer League, coach Corliss Williamson made the message plain: Reeds lane is the gritty stuff, not a featured offensive role. For a Spurs roster that already has plenty of scoring to go around, the rookie will need to earn his way by doing the dirty work and showing he can hold up in the details, with a chance to push into the regular rotation if those traits translate once the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Suddenly Face A Lineup Decision That Could Disrupt Their Chemistry
The Spurs are staring at one of those early offseason choices that can quietly shape everything else, and it centers on the starting power forward spot. Tobias Harris brings the kind of veteran rsum that usually makes a coach think twice, while Julian Champagnie has already shown he can fit cleanly alongside the rest of San Antonios core.
Champagnies case is rooted in how well the Spurs looked with him in the first unit, where the group around De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell and Victor Wembanyama clicked at a high level. Harris still has value, especially as a scorer who could change the tone of a second unit, but the bigger question for San Antonio is whether it keeps the chemistry it found or makes room for experience at the expense of continuity. [Read more 🡒]