Spurs’ Devin Vassell Emerging as Breakout Candidate to Watch
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Devin Vassell’s name has been buzzing in the San Antonio Spurs’ training camp. Will he be the NBA’s next breakout star?
The San Antonio Spurs will need some of their recently drafted standouts to show significant progress in 2022-23. The focus is on player development at the start of the rebuilding process.
One of the top Spurs to watch is Devin Vassell. The 6-foot-7 wing is coming off a season averaging 12.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 27.3 minutes per game. At just 22, he’s reaching a point where physical development and skill refinement tend to come together.
“Devin has been huge,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “His development physically and mentally (is) really impressive.”
Vassell has been a standout in training camp for the Spurs with his teammates taking notice. Josh Richardson, who has been teammates with many NBA standouts, recently highlighted Vassell among the team’s top potential breakout candidates.
“I probably say Devin [Vassell]. I think Keldon [Johnson] took a big step last year and I think he’s going to take another step this year but I think people are going to get to see what Devin can do a little bit more this year,” Richardson said. “With the ball in his hands and seeing how much of a versatile game he has.”‘
Last season, Vassell spent a significant portion of his offensive responsibilities in spot-up. Of his offensive possessions within the half-court, 50.9 percent occurred in spot-up. His efficiency was respectable at 1.031 points per possession (PPP), which ranked in the 63rd percentile.
For Vassell to take the next step in his career, he must improve as an off the dribble shooter. His output of 0.809 PPP ranked just 88th among the 95 players who attempted at least 200 of these particular shots.
“People are going to kind of get to see Devin with the ball in his hands, seeing how much more of a versatile game he has than just a spot-up (shooter),” Richardson said. “He’s coming off ball screens, shooting pull-ups, making plays for other guys, kind of stepping into a bigger role.”
There has already been defensive versatility on display from Vassell early in his career. Continuing to master both on-ball containment who guards multiple positions, pinpointing timing as the defender, and general screen navigation are key points of emphasis to make a focus.
“I think everybody is going to come into a bigger role this year,” Vassell said. “There’s a lot of potential, a lot of new opportunity for everybody. Everybody is excited. We just have to figure out how it’s going to work.”
You can follow Grant Afseth on Twitter at @GrantAfseth
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