Devin Vassell has gone from being one of the few bright spots in a rough stretch for San Antonio to a locked-in starter on a roster built to win. The question now is whether this version of him is the best fit the Spurs have had.
Vassell, one of the longest-tenured Spurs in this current era of the franchise, got his first real taste of success in San Antonio’s most recent season. He was not just along for the ride. He became a difference maker and a core part of what settled in as the team’s standard starting lineup.
Because he can play both guard and forward, head coach Mitch Johnson leaned on him at small forward more often than not. That made sense with so much guard talent packed into the rotation.
Vassell also gave the Spurs exactly what teams need from a steady starter: availability. He played in 67 regular-season games, marking the fifth time in his six-year career that he cleared the 60-game threshold. He started 65 of those games, the most he has ever started in a single season.
The numbers, though, tell the story of a player whose role has shifted as the team has grown around him. Like Keldon Johnson, Vassell saw his production dip a bit as the Spurs became stronger and less dependent on him to carry the load. He averaged around 14 points, four rebounds and 2.5 assists this season, all slightly down or essentially the same as what he put up two years ago.
That drop in scoring does not make him less important. If anything, it shows how his value has changed. He remains a key piece of San Antonio’s push to get back among the league’s premier teams.
That was especially clear in the playoffs, where Vassell started all 23 games in the Spurs’ first postseason run. He averaged 13 points while also ticking up to five rebounds and three assists per game.
There is a different kind of presence in his game now, one that comes with savviness and a sort of veteran feel, even if he is only in his sixth season and has just one playoff run under his belt. He is not one of the full-time mentors in the locker room, and he is no longer one of the lone faces trying to keep the franchise afloat during one of its darkest stretches.
That middle ground may be exactly where Vassell thrives. It is the spot where he can do his job, keep the offense moving and make the players around him better.
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