Tarris Reed Jr. is already carrying a little Dan Hurley voice in his head, and that may be exactly what the Spurs want from him.
After pulling down 17 rebounds in his third NBA preseason game, Reed said Monday in San Antonio that he was still thinking about the numbers he left on the table.
“I knew I could have got 20, 25,” Reed told reporters on Monday in San Antonio, where he was drafted in the first round after leading UConn’s run to the 2026 national title game. “Immediately after the game I was thinking about what Coach Hurley would say to me and he would’ve been ripping me, man.”
Reed’s answer caught fire online, and Hurley made sure to share the clip on X.
“This is what makes the vocation of Coaching special,” Hurley wrote, sharing the clip on X. “Helping these talented young men during a critical developmental stage of their lives. A relentless mentality is a competitive advantage.”
That relentless streak is part of what Reed is bringing to a Spurs team that opens its season Tuesday with a rematch of the Western Conference Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He’s battling for backup center minutes behind Victor Wembanyama, and his preseason line shows why San Antonio has reason to keep giving him a look. In five preseason games, Reed averaged 17.9 minutes, 9.5 rebounds and 5.0 points while shooting 50%.
Reed said the lesson is about pressing harder, not easing off.
“I feel like that’s the part where I’ve got to grow,” Reed went on. “Just keep my foot on the gas, you know?
I had like 10 rebounds in the first eight or 10 minutes, like I could’ve easily ended up with 20. So, being even more persistent, more tenacious on that part and yeah, keep going.”
He’s not the only former Husky with a real opening-day path. Here’s where the rest of the UConn crowd stands as rosters lock in.
Donovan Clingan is already entrenched in Portland after starting 77 games for the Trail Blazers last year. His offensive role took a jump, and so did his reputation as one of the league’s top rebounders and shot-blockers. Portland added Ja Morant, while Damian Lillard is set to return from an achilles tear.
Cam Spencer also looks positioned to stick in Memphis. He turned in a strong preseason, and with the Grizzlies moving on from Ja Morant in the offseason, he should be in the rotation. Last season, Spencer averaged 11.1 points per game, shot 44.9% from 3-point range and ranked 25th in the league in assists per game at 5.6, while starting 20 of 72 appearances.
Jordan Hawkins landed with the Bulls on a two-way deal after spending the final stretch of camp back in Storrs with Hurley and his staff. He made the most of his preseason chances, knocking down 6 of 8 from deep across two games and averaging 10.0 points, 1.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 steals in 14.4 minutes per game.
Andre Drummond also looks set for a prominent role, this time with the Knicks. The Middletown native is coming off an emotional championship season and is lined up to back up Karl-Anthony Towns after Mitchell Robinson signed with Boston. Drummond averaged 8.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.8 blocks in 14.9 minutes per game this preseason.
There’s also real intrigue around a few other Huskies trying to carve out spots.
Alex Karaban dealt with an ankle injury and didn’t produce much after coming back in Summer League, but he stayed healthy through all five preseason games. For Sacramento, he averaged 4.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.0 steals in 15.8 minutes per game, and could work his way into the Kings’ rotation early.
Tristen Newton got a training camp deal with Sacramento and made a push by scoring 15 points in 19 minutes against Portland. He finished that game 4 of 9 from the field, 1-for-3 from 3, with two rebounds, three assists and a steal. Now he waits to see whether it’s enough to earn an opening-day roster spot.
Liam McNeeley is another name to watch in Charlotte. He played well in his chances last season, posting 19.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists over 20 games in the G League and appearing in 32 NBA games. With LaMelo Ball, Josh Green and Miles Bridges gone, the Hornets have opened the door a little wider for the UConn one-and-done.
Stephon Castle, meanwhile, is already in the middle of a much bigger Spurs picture. He’s coming off a championship run at UConn and a fast rise into a contender’s backcourt, but the challenge now is how San Antonio handles the logjam with De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper, the 2025 second overall pick out of Rutgers.
In Other News...
UConn Football Faces A Brutal CFP Path Under The New Format
The College Football Playoff is headed for another overhaul in 2027, and for UConn the change could make the road to the postseason even trickier than it already is. The proposed 24-team field would still start by protecting the Power Four champions and the top-ranked Group of Six team, which means independent programs are left to navigate a format built around conference hierarchy rather than the kind of profile UConn can lean on every week.
For a Huskies team that does not have a conference championship to chase, the selection path could become more dependent on how the schedule is built and how the committee weighs resume against access. There is also a broader ripple effect to watch: the new setup is expected to squeeze the bowl picture, which could mean fewer postseason openings across the sport and less margin for teams like UConn when the regular season ends. [Read more 🡒]