Devin Vassell’s breakout season should give Spurs fans hope for the future

Vassell is having a breakout year for the Spurs

Vassell is having a breakout season, similar to the one he had in college, and is now averaging 19.9 points, 4 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1 steal per game, compared to his 12.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.9 assists from last season. This is not necessarily a Ja-Morant-like leap to the All-Star level that will put his name into the conversation for the Most Improved Player award, but it is a solid improvement, and Vassell is providing a much-needed boost for the struggling Spurs.

One reason for this leap is that he sees more playing time now that Dejounte Murray and Derrick White are gone, and the Spurs have more leeway to develop their young players. Instead of fighting for minutes in a stacked backcourt, Vassell can now be a second or third scoring option depending on the lineup, and he appears eager to accept that challenge.

He is already second in scoring averages for the Spurs behind only Keldon Johnson, as both of them welcomed the opportunity to take over the reins on the court and show how high their ceilings really are.

Vassell seems to be a much more comfortable ballhandler and passer now, especially in pick-and-roll situations, which is evident in the fact that he almost doubled his assist numbers from last season. He also seems much more comfortable in isolation and creating shots for himself.

Compared to last season, Vassell almost doubled his pull-up jump shot attempts and now leads the Spurs in that category. In the mid-range, Vassell’s scoring on pull-up jumpers is above league average, which earned him the title of “mid-range killer” from his teammates.

From three, his efficiency is still much better on catch-and-shoot attempts, though. He shoots 41.9 percent on catch-and-shoot threes and only 24.1 percent off the dribble. This marks an area where he still has room to grow, and it is surely not the only one, but the fact that he is still willing to take shots off the dribble after missing them before shows his willingness to learn.

Besides that, the frequency with which he gets to the rim and draws fouls is also something he needs to improve to become a more complete scorer, and we will see him working on it over the course of the season. The leap he has made in the first few months of the season, however, is already impressive enough to turn him into one of the Spurs’ most important pieces for the future.