The Spurs’ rookie class is already giving San Antonio some early reasons to feel good, even with No. 20 overall pick Jayden Quaintance set to miss most or all of his first season after meniscus surgery in July.
In Monday’s preseason loss to Utah, No. 26 pick Tarris Reed Jr. made his presence felt in a big way off the bench. He finished with 17 rebounds and four steals in 24 minutes, a stat line that jumped off the page even if Reed himself saw room for more. Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News reported that teammates have been praising Reed’s effort and energy since camp opened, but the former UConn big man wasn’t completely pleased with how he closed out the game.
“Not to nitpick, but if this was UConn, coach (Dan Hurley) would be yelling at me because I had 10 boards in the first half, (then) I eased up a little bit in the beginning of the second,” Reed said. “Could have easily walked away with 20, 25 rebounds, so I got to be better.”
Ja’Kobi Gillespie, selected 42nd overall this year, was just as productive in his own way. He scored 25 points on 9-of-14 shooting in 25 minutes, and he added three assists and three steals.
Whether there’s a regular-season opening for him in San Antonio’s crowded rotation remains unclear, but the preseason has given him a chance to make a case. Orsborn’s reporting suggests he’s doing exactly that.
“He’s a guy that in terms of what we’re looking for from every single person on our roster, the way that he’s guarding and competing, sharing the basketball, playing with pace, being aggressive, attacking, (is doing a good job),” head coach Mitch Johnson said. “He’s not perfect, but he’s playing with confidence and putting his energy in the right spots. The next thing you know, he has a lot of opportunities and advantageous spots that he finds himself in.”
Johnson’s lineup choices are drawing attention, too. San Antonio had the league’s third-best offense last season and reached the NBA Finals with Dylan Harper coming off the bench, but Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports says Johnson looks inclined to start the former No. 2 overall pick with De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle this season. It would be a notable shift, especially since none of the three are major outside shooting threats.
There’s also a different kind of pressure on the Spurs now. Michael C.
Wright of ESPN writes that expectations are much higher entering 2026/27 than they were a year ago, and the team knows defending a Western Conference title will not come easy. Even so, the feeling inside the organization is that there’s still more growth ahead.
“We’re very fortunate to have such a dynamic roster where you can really get creative in terms of puzzle pieces and how you want to build out the puzzle,” Johnson said. “We saw it at times with the three guards in addition to what you can do around Victor (Wembanyama). … There’s definite growth for those three guys just in terms of playing off each other and continuing to complement each other.”
Carter Bryant is part of that bigger picture as well. The 2025 lottery pick had a limited role as a rookie, averaging 11.5 minutes across 71 regular-season games off the bench, but the Spurs are expecting more from him in year two.
Orsborn reports that the 20-year-old is embracing a “next-play mentality” and trying not to let mistakes linger. His teammate Julian Champagnie believes the leap is coming.
“No one’s ever going to go from rookie to ‘Bron (LeBron James) in a year, but I expect him to definitely make his jump,” Champagnie said of Bryant. “He’s been putting a lot of work in all summer. He looks really good in workouts, so I expect Carter to do Carter things.”
In Other News...
Spurs Just Added A Camp Body And The Next Cut Matters
The Spurs filled the open spot on their preseason roster by bringing in free agent forward Terry Taylor on a non-guaranteed training camp contract, a move that gets San Antonio to the preseason maximum of 21 players. To make room, the team waived RJ Davis, and Taylor is widely expected to land with the Austin Spurs, where he can remain in the organization and keep working through camp.
For San Antonio, the transaction is less about the immediate rotation than about the next round of roster trimming, since camp bodies often become the first domino to fall. Taylor brings NBA experience from stints with multiple teams, and the Spurs will also be watching how other clubs manage their own depth, including Sacramentos recent decision to bring back center Viktor Lakhin on an Exhibit 10 deal as injury concerns continue to shape frontcourt plans. [Read more 🡒]
De'Aaron Fox Just Changed How Spurs Fans Will View His Finals Struggles
De'Aaron Fox has been around long enough to know how quickly the conversation can turn in the postseason, and he made it clear he does not spend much time swimming in it. After Game 4 of the NBA Finals, Fox said he steers clear of basketball chatter on social media and does not entertain the negative opinions that tend to pile up when a stars production dips at the wrong time. For fans trying to make sense of his struggles, the bigger context now matters: the guard said he was battling through a high ankle sprain he suffered in the Western Conference Semifinals.
Foxs revelation changes the way his playoff run should be judged, especially for a player whose reputation has been built on speed, toughness and staying on the floor. He stressed that he kept competing anyway, even as the injury clearly affected him deep into the postseason. For San Antonio observers, it is the kind of detail that reframes a rough stretch without erasing it, and it leaves the broader discussion where it often ends up in the Finals: somewhere between what the box score showed and what the body was quietly enduring. [Read more 🡒]
Wembanyama Just Sent A Message Thunder Fans Will Not Ignore
Victor Wembanyama is already setting the tone for San Antonios season before the real grind even begins. The Spurs star said the teams aim is to win the Western Conference and get back to the No. 1 seed, a statement that reflects both the confidence around the roster and the expectations rising around one of the leagues brightest young players.
Statistical models have backed up that optimism, projecting the Spurs for a strong regular season and deep playoff run, with a meaningful chance to reach the NBA Finals. Those forecasts are built on past performance and expected growth, though they do not account for injuries or other variables, which is where the real uncertainty still lives as the season unfolds. [Read more 🡒]