How Devin Vassell Can Continue Growing With The Spurs

Key Highlights:

• Vassell could become more aggressive as a driver and one play from Tuesday’s win exemplified how to do that
• Generating more efficient shots are important for his scoring development
• His free throw rate has nearly doubled to .333 compared to his previous career-best mark (.168)
• The Spurs’ rebuilding phase should allow him to experiment with his game

In the fourth quarter of the San Antonio Spurs‘ furious second-half rally to defeat a shorthanded Phoenix Suns squad and earn their first win of the young season, Devin Vassell dazzled with his shot-making. The fourth-year wing scored 10 points (4-of-9 shooting), including a wicked stepback triple, and starred alongside Victor Wembanyama, who found his footing after a slow, mistake-prone initial three quarters to mystify for a handful of minutes.

For all the highlights those two produced, a singular play from Vassell resonated more than anything else throughout San Antonio’s dominant closing period. It represents an example and opportunity for growth as Vassell aims to sustain his breakout third season and progress to stardom, averaging a career-high 20 points (61.2 percent true shooting), 3.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals after the opening week of hoops.

Midway through the fourth quarter, Vassell, with the pestering, brawny Josh Okogie mirroring him, curled right, hit the breaks, dribbled between his legs and pivoted left toward a Zach Collins screen. As Okogie prepared to wiggle over the pick and stayed tethered to the gangly forward, Vassell rerouted again via a hesitation crossover. Both Okogie and Collins’ man, Jusuf Nurkic were left out of position. With the right wing vacant, a runway inside awaited him, so he boogied to the basket for an impressive finish through contact from the late arriving Nurkic.

Why Was This Play From Vassell Important?

This is the defining play of Vassell’s 18-point outing for me. I’ve seen him bury pull-up jumpers for years. He’s a very good shooter. The sidestep three he knocked down is valuable and important stuff, but it’s not new, nor was it a one-off occurrence Tuesday night. He did it last year. He did it at amid his star-studded sophomore campaign Florida State. This drive and bucket, however, are not frequent parts of Vassell’s game. Incorporating them would elevate his offense to a new level.

According to Cleaning The Glass, 21 percent of his shots are occurring at the rim this season (40th percentile among combo guards). That’s a career-high, squeaking past the 16, 17 and 19 percent of his first three years. He’s never been a high-volume at-rim scorer, hamstrung by some burst and handling limitations. But to evolve as an offensive creator, altering his shot profile and forging ways to generate easier shots, whether they be around the rim or at the charity stripe, are vital.

Prior to 2023-24, he’d never eclipsed 55 percent true shooting or come close to league average in that category (2.6 points below in 2021-22). This year, his 61.2 percent true shooting clip is 5.1 points better than league average (56.1 percent). The primary factor — along with some early season shooting luck — is his free-throw rate of .333. That’s nearly double his previous best of .168.

While his ball-screen manipulation pops, his decision to forego a rhythmic, patented midrange pull-up is the illuminating decision of the entire sequence. Vassell loves midrange pull-ups. It’s his primary means of off-the-bounce scoring. The space is available to take one, yet he elects instead to challenge Nurkic inside and reaps the benefits. More of that may behoove him.

Not every possession will unfold in a similar manner to invite results like the one above. That wing won’t always be unoccupied. Vassell won’t so empathically shake free the sort of very good point-of-attack defenders he’ll see nightly as San Antonio’s foremost perimeter scorer. The process, though, is the crux of the video. Vassell should embrace more fruitful risks like that. The Spurs are in a developmental phase. As good as he already is, he’s also in a developmental phase. Maximize those on-ball opportunities to gauge the scope of his creation.

The pull-ups will be there; they long have been. The drives have not been. They still can and should be more frequently for him to simplify a star ascent. Maybe, Vassell tries replicating this play over the next few months, only for a string of turnovers, wonky drives and futile finishes to follow. Even if they do, a greater understanding of how exactly he thrives on the ball and what to address in the offseason will be discovered. Those are relevant, worthwhile outcomes for himself and the Spurs’ rebuild.