Four Spurs with the most to prove this season
As the Spurs build, some players need to prove their worth.
The San Antonio Spurs enter its sixth season since making the NBA Playoffs. One could argue how many of those seasons they spent in rebuilding mode. This year feels different than the previous two seasons.
Victor Wembanyama established himself as a star in just one NBA season. San Antonio acquired two veterans, Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes, who should elevate the young players on the roster. In year two of the Wembanyama era, this looks like a team primed to be more competitive than in years past.
When rebuilding teams turn the corner to competitiveness, it becomes sink or swim for young players. Young players previously occupying key roles will be pushed out as the Spurs add more veteran talent. San Antonio has a bevy of players in their second or third NBA seasons who haven’t quite proven to be long-term rotational pieces. To stick around with the Spurs or earn another NBA contract elsewhere, four players enter this season with something to prove.
Malaki Branham
As a first-round pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Branham has gotten ample opportunities in San Antonio. At times he’s looked like a pure shooting wing who can be a microwave scoring asset off the bench. He’s also been wildly inconsistent shooting the ball from three and hasn’t found a way to be impactful defensively. Branham finds himself in a make-or-break season as the Spurs acquire more players with overlapping skill sets.
It’s hard to find a clear role for Branham this season. Tre Jones and Julian Champagnie’s return to the bench and the 2024 first-round pick, Stephon Castle, will steal minutes from him. Last season Branham was one of San Antonio’s lead guards off the bench and spent time as a spot starter. He averaged 9.2 points and 2.1 assists while shooting 43.2% from the field, 34.7% from three and 87.3% from the line. He was in the bottom five in the NBA in D-LEBRON, a stat that uses box score and advanced on/off calculations to measure a player’s holistic defensive impact.
Branham can’t afford to be an inefficient scorer and defensive liability while not a reliable playmaker. There have been signs in his first two seasons of being a good on-ball scorer with a deep bag of moves to get into his shot or to the rim. He needs to do it more consistently to carve out a role for this team. With Castle and CP3 in the picture, the Spurs have a glut of wings and guards. Branham will have to beat them out in a pivotal season for him.
Jeremy Sochan
Sochan is the most interesting Spurs player this season. He popped in his rookie season despite battling injuries. Last year he struggled while being asked to play out of position. It’s hard to find many young guys who’ve had a weirder first two seasons in the league. Despite his production, the narrative around him has been surprisingly negative. Sochan will be extension-eligible next offseason, making this a big year for proving the doubters wrong.
The knock on Sochan is his offensive role. He shot the ball better last season, but still only hit 30% of his threes. Despite that he still improved his scoring averages, rebounding and assist numbers (11.6 PTS, 3.4 AST, 6.4 REB). He’s made strides as a cutter and connective playmaker. His effort gives the Spurs second chances (1.9 offensive rebounds a game) and generates opportunities defensively. He’s also one of the Spurs’ best on-ball defenders, as he routinely guarded the opponent’s best wing. He still needs to improve in navigating screens and defending off the ball.
Two things (or people) should benefit Sochan this season: his shooting work with Spurs shooting coach, Jimmy Barron, and playing with CP3. I expect Sochan to improve his three-point percentage once again, even if he’s not a good shooter, he’ll hit more than 32% of his threes. Having a player who has an elite understanding of space in an NBA offense should not only help San Antonio navigate the spacing issues Sochan brings but also teach him the places he needs to be to make the defense pay. I’m high on Sochan coming into this season and he needs to have a big season to earn a lucrative extension next summer.
Blake Wesley
The third and final selection for the Spurs in the 2022 NBA Draft is probably the 4th or 5th guard on the roster. Wesley finds himself behind Paul, Jones, Castle and possibly Branham on the depth chart going into the season. He is going to need to make a lot of noise early in the season to move into a role that earns him consistent minutes.
Wesley is blazing fast and works his tail off defensively. He’s awesome at the point of attack and generated chaos for the Spurs on defense that often led to fast break points on the other end. He cut down on turnovers (0.8 a game) and learned how to slow himself down. He got much better at scoring around the rim but took a major step back in shooting beyond the arc (21.8% from three). Much like Branham, we didn’t see it consistently enough.
This year is a big one for Wesley. Castle looms as a threat to his playing time and future with the team. Their skills overlap and Castle has the pedigree of a top-5 pick and NCAA Champion. The Spurs have potentially three first-round picks coming next offseason, too. Wesley will need to prove that his defense and athleticism can translate to winning basketball this year.
Keldon Johnson
Nobody is brought up in Spurs trade rumors than Johnson. As San Antonio looks to acquire major talent, Johnson offers a young player with a good contract that can be an asset in any move. But KJ seems to love San Antonio, and his passion for the franchise is evident on the court. He wants to wear the Silver and Black, and this season will be important for him to continue to do so.
Johnson will have to embrace a sixth-man role once again this year. He was much more effective as a starter than a reserve last season. His shooting percentages and counting stats were down, despite playing more minutes off the bench. He seemed to rely too much on his jump shot, rather than the bully ball he’s played in years past. He really struggled defensively last season as well.
Johnson looks to have slimmed down significantly this summer. Perhaps this could be the sign of a motivated player looking to stick around. A more athletic player who can hold his own defensively while getting back to his offensive strengths would be a key cog for a Spurs team looking to get back into the playoffs.
