NBA preseason is done for the San Antonio Spurs, and one of the clearest takeaways is the way rookie Tarris Reed Jr. attacked the glass. In just 17 minutes per game, he averaged 9 rebounds and piled up 15 offensive boards, numbers that have already put him on the radar.
That kind of rebounding has Spurs fans thinking back to DeJuan Blair, another second-round pick who made his mark in San Antonio. Blair spent four seasons with the team in the early 2010s, and even at 6'7", he was a load on the boards. He pulled down 20 rebounds twice as a rookie and eventually started for the Spurs for about two seasons before Tiago Splitter and Boris Diaw took over in the rotation.
Blair’s place in team rebounding history still stands out, and Reed Jr. is already showing the same kind of instincts on the glass. He looks as good as, if not better than, Blair in that area.
The Spurs have not had a rebounder this productive in years, and that could change the shape of this team. Last season, San Antonio ranked 15th in offensive rebounding.
If Reed Jr. gets meaningful minutes, that number could climb into the top 10. And even though the Spurs were only middling on the offensive glass, they still finished fifth in offensive rating, which leaves room for growth.
If Reed Jr. keeps this up once the games count, he could force his way into a bigger role than expected. That’s the same kind of early momentum Blair created as a rookie.
For now, Reed Jr. sits third in the rotation behind Victor Wembanyama and Luke Kornet, but there are ways for him to matter. The Spurs could lean into more two-big lineups with their size, including more French Vanilla with Victor Wembanyama and Kornet playing together, which could open more minutes for Reed Jr. Even if that doesn’t become the norm, he could still carve out spot minutes on a regular basis, in a role similar to Carter Bryant’s last season.
In Other News...
Spurs Just Got A Bigger SGA Problem Than Last Season
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is already a headache for the Spurs, and this preseason suggests the problem may be getting bigger rather than smaller. Oklahoma City is folding more off-ball movement and catch-and-shoot looks into his game, which adds another layer to a scorer San Antonio had already worked to slow down. The Thunder are also getting Jalen Williams back as a secondary playmaker, giving their offense another way to create pressure before Gilgeous-Alexander even catches the ball.
For San Antonio, the challenge is no longer just about picking up SGA at the point of attack and hoping the defense can hold up after that. The Spurs now have to track him through actions away from the ball, while also finding ways to clog Williams' passing lanes and keep Oklahoma City from turning simple movement into easy looks. It is a tougher assignment than last season, and one the Spurs will have to solve if they want to make life uncomfortable for the Thunder again. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Hit With Early Tobias Harris Setback Fans Feared
Tobias Harris arrived as one of the Spurs bigger offseason additions, brought in to add scoring punch and a veteran voice to a young locker room. But the first chapter of his San Antonio stint will have to wait a little longer, after the forward suffered a left calf strain in the preseason and has been ruled out for the season opener.
Head coach Mitch Johnson said Harris is still progressing, but he needs more time on the court before he is ready to go. For a team that signed him to help steady the rotation and provide leadership, the early absence is a reminder that the Spurs will have to open the year without one of the most experienced pieces they added. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs 2022 Draft Class Just Took Another Brutal Hit
The Spurs 2022 draft class has taken a rough turn as preseason roster cuts continue to reshape the league. Jeremy Sochan, Blake Wesley and Malaki Branham, all first-round picks from that class, were waived by their respective teams as clubs trimmed down ahead of the 2026-27 NBA season, a reminder of how quickly early draft momentum can fade when a young player never quite finds a long-term fit.
Sochan was waived by the Knicks after earlier stops with the Spurs and the Blazers, while Wesley and Branham were let go off Exhibit 10 deals and could wind up with G League affiliates. For San Antonio, the bigger picture is hard to miss: the franchise has already moved on to players who bring more versatile offensive tools, leaving that once-promising draft group looking more like a cautionary tale than a foundation. [Read more 🡒]