Grades: San Antonio Spurs at Utah Jazz – Game #5
The San Antonio Spurs survived an iffy showing to win their third consecutive ballgame and improve to 3-2 on the season. The Utah Jazz were undermanned but put up a courageous fight. At times, it looked like the Spurs weren’t too interested in winning but they eventually were able to pull out a 117-111 victory in overtime.
Stats: Spurs at Jazz
Spurs at Jazz – Final Grades
Victor Wembanyama
It was great to see Wembanyama have a dominant outing. That forgettable regular season opener now seems like a long time ago. Against the Jazz, Wembanyama went for 36 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks. The superstar Frenchman was 10-for-15 on twos, 4-for-10 on threes and 4-for-4 at the line. Amazingly, he didn’t turn the ball over in his 39 minutes of play. As the numbers suggest, Wembanyama was extremely active on both ends and could be relied upon to make the smart play over and over again.
Grade: A
De’Aaron Fox
Fox struggled at times and his resulting stats were nothing to write home about. He was 5-for-12 from the field, including just 1-for-5 from deep. To go along with his 14 points, Fox had four assists and three steals. However, he turned it over three times. On both ends, he floated for stretches at a time and his efficiency was lacking. Considering he had been so efficient in the season’s first four games, it was more noticeable.
Grade: C
Stephon Castle
Speaking of inefficiency, Castle has not found his groove yet. Against the Jazz, he scored 14 points on 13 field goal attempts. A lack of free throws was once again a leading culprit. The good news is he was able to make up for it in other areas. He had eight assists, six rebounds, two steals and a block. I liked his playmaking and his effort on defense was commendable.
Grade: C+
Devin Vassell
Vassell’s line doesn’t look too great but when the chips were down, he was basically the team’s go-to scorer — or at least the team’s most reliable scorer. His ability to create off of screens allowed San Antonio to win this game. He finished 7-for-11 on two-point attempts, which helped us forget about his 1-for-7 showing from three-point range. Vassell also played really good defense and his competitiveness shined on both ends.
Grade: A-
Dylan Harper
Yeah, no, this was an ugly game for Harper. Yes, he was 2-for-4 from three-point territory and he tied for the team-high with eight assists. But he was just 2-for-13 inside of the arc. His inability to score was actually pretty shocking for someone who is naturally such a great finisher. Moreover, I thought his passing was actually pretty darn terrible. Don’t let the eight assists fool you. He was missing teammates with passes all night long and his shoot-pass decisions were wonky. Let’s consider this a learning experience for the sophomore.
Grade: D
Julian Champagnie
Champagnie didn’t make a huge impact during his 31 minutes but he also wasn’t hurting the cause. He was 2-for-4 from deep and pulled down six rebounds while playing good defense and not turning the ball over. Champagnie is clearly the shooter other teams are most worried about — and that in itself gives him value.
Grade: B-
Keldon Johnson
In 23 minutes, Johnson had nine points, six rebounds and two assists. More importantly, there were times it seemed like KJ was the only player in Silver and Black who wasn’t moving in slow motion. The Spurs lean on him for his natural vivacity and this was one game where that attribute was legitimately important.
Grade: B
Luke Kornet
The Kornet alarm is still sounding. He continues to look like a shadow of his former self. In 14 minutes, Kornet had one point and it continues to look like he has lost a step or two. He rebounded pretty well but he’s getting in the way offensively and isn’t more than a speed bump defensively.
Grade: C-
Carter Bryant
Bryant hit his first three-pointer of the season. He didn’t do much else but let’s hope that three will help him get going.
Grade: C+
Mitch Johnson
The Spurs didn’t play well for a large chunk of this game — and a lot of that looked like a lack of energy. Thus, Coach Mitch deserves some of that blame. His management of time late in regulation left a lot to be desired, as well.
Grade: D+
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