Three games into a rebuilding year, the San Antonio Spurs are, once again, overachieving. Following a thrashing at the hands of a Charlotte Hornets team sans LaMelo Ball, the Spurs defeated the Indiana Pacers and Philadelphia 76ers in back-to-back contests on the road, increasing their win total to 2-1 on the backs of an unlikely wing tandem.
The names Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell don’t mean much to households outside of Bexar County, but to those paying attention, these two players are one of the most exciting storylines of a fresh season. Averaging a combined 40 points through three contests, Johnson and Vassell are the unquestioned top scoring options for the Spurs this year despite being relegated to off-ball roles in seasons past.
The absence of Dejounte Murray, Derrick White and Lonnie Walker — each of whom departed the team via trade or free agency since the 2022 trade deadline — illuminated the yellow brick road for the 22 & 23-year-old wings. Famed head coach Gregg Popovich doesn’t just trust them to handle usage on par with some of the league’s greatest stars. He’s designing his offense to make sure the ball gets back in their hands at every opportunity.
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Vassell & Johnson create the foundation of a San Antonio Spurs rebuild.
Guards are flashy and centers are crucial, but today’s NBA is largely dominated by the wing. Before Stephen Curry won the honor this past year, the Finals MVP was won by a forward in 11 consecutive seasons, and with the exception of Giannis Antetokounmpo, a perimeter player has won the Finals MVP every year since 2006.
The fact of the matter is that forwards and wings are the lifeblood of most teams contending for a championship, which is the ultimate goal the San Antonio Spurs seek in every season — even in a tanking year like this one. By investing in Johnson & Vassell, two bright young players with two-way tenacity, finishing talent and great promise as shooters, the Spurs are building toward their next championship window.
Given their innate skill level and uncanny capacity for growth, this duo has a chance to be at the core of a team competing at the highest level for years to come.
Keldon Johnson has become the offensive fulcrum for the San Antonio Spurs.
From very early into his career, there’s been a level of trust between the Spurs coaching staff and Keldon Johnson that’s hard to find over the last two decades. His early insertion into the lineup, starting role by year two and inclusion on the most recent Team USA Basketball team shows that Popovich is heavily invested in Keldon and what he brings to the table.
It doesn’t matter that he slipped to the 29th pick in his draft, or that he’s only about 6-foot-5 playing small forward. This is a player whose demeanor, work ethic and consistent evolution make him a building block in the River City.
There are wide-sweeping improvements that Johnson showcased through the preseason into regular season games. First and foremost, he’s solidified himself as a quality three-point shooter and one of the best catch-and-shoot specialists in basketball, nailing 41.2% of his 17 attempts thus far. Johnson was two-tenths shy of 40% on 5.3 triples per game a year ago and hasn’t shown any sign of slowing down.
More importantly, his handle is far tighter than it’s been in years past. He’s now slipping between double teams and exploiting gaps in the coverage with his refined frame (Johnson dropped 20 lbs in the offseason while maintaining the mass of a barreling subway car). His passing vision is also far better than before as he’s noticing coverages and kicking out to teammates in a more productive manner than ever before.
Defensively, Johnson is more active and engaged through the early going. He’s breaking up passing lanes, anticipating movement and visibly thinking the game through more clearly. These are some of the key indicators when a player takes that next step toward producing at an All-Star level, or at least something close to it. It’s still unclear what outcome Keldon’s future ultimately holds, but with the way he’s performed since the start of his third season, there’s no ceiling on how far he can grow.
Encouragement from the Spurs helps Devin Vassell shine early in his season.
Overlooked in the departures of the aforementioned perimeter players in San Antonio is the role it creates for third-year wing Devin Vassell. Largely relegated to an off-ball role during his first two years, Vassell has the green light to fire away from distance and get more creative with the ball in his hands. It’s largely been successful with a few duds mixed in as the 22-year-old averaged 17.4 points per game through three regular-season games and four in the preseason.
He’s visibly confident shooting 3-pointers, entering his shooting motion fluidly upon receiving the ball while pulling up off screens or dribbling without hesitation. Vassell is also shooting his highest volume of field-goal attempts since his senior year of high school at Peachtree Ridge in Suwanee, Georgia. It’s a testament to the level of trust that San Antonio’s coaching staff has in its rising star to elevate his play in the face of a challenge and be the player they drafted him to be.
Vassell’s excellence begins on the defensive end, where his natural instincts and constant effort have been a shining example for the rest of San Antonio’s roster. He’s the first to jump in a passing lane or close out on a shooter, but also has the wherewithal to blitz a driving player to swat their shot attempts when he sees an opening. Without going too far into detail he’s not a fun player to be matched up against on a team that’s been lackluster on defense in recent years.
Shooting and defense are the baselines for Vassell, but the key improvement areas have been in his playmaking and in-between game. By making decisive dribbles, he’s able to get to his spots and into the shooting motion with a fluidity that was previously lacking. Using ball fakes within the flow of his offense, Vassell is embracing the Spursian style of making a decision as soon as the ball touches his hands. That means more precise actions and in turn, increased playmaking volume since so much of the offense is running through him these days.
The next key will be to remain as engaged on offense as he is on defense through the full 48 minutes of an NBA game. We’ve seen some tremendous scoring outbursts through quarters or halves, but Vassell has yet to assert himself in such a manner through the entirety of a game this year. In part, it’s because of the prerogative of San Antonio’s system, but it’s also something that great players transcend when they reach a certain plain of talent.
Like with Keldon, the Spurs aren’t going to put a cap on just how far Vassell can grow with this opportunity. But at the rate they’re growing, Johnson and Vassell have a chance to become one of the best wing tandems in basketball on both sides of the floor.