The San Antonio Spurs are officially on the clock, and the NBA universe is watching their every move. Following a fascinating draft night, fans have been desperately waiting to see how the newest rookies will mesh with Gregg Popovich’s system. Fortunately, the Summer League has already provided a massive glimpse into the future—and it looks like the front office has quietly solved the team’s most glaring weakness.
If you watched the Spurs last season, you already know the fatal flaw that held them back: a catastrophic lack of depth at the center position behind generational talent Victor Wembanyama and veteran Luke Kornet.
But instead of overpaying for an aging veteran in free agency, the Spurs did what the Spurs do best—they found their answer in the NBA Draft.
The Draft Day Gamble: High Risk, Massive Reward
Last year, San Antonio’s frontcourt depth was pushed to the absolute limit. With Wembanyama missing 18 games and Kornet sidelined for 14, the Spurs frequently found themselves exposed in the paint. They desperately needed a reliable, bruising third center.
Enter the dual-draft strategy. The Spurs shocked many by doubling down on big men, bringing in both Jayden Quaintance and Tarris Reed Jr. It was a calculated, long-term gamble that is already showing signs of a massive payoff.
Quaintance is the ultimate wildcard. Had he been fully healthy during the pre-draft process, his elite athleticism, jaw-dropping length, and defensive upside would have easily made him a lottery pick. While it remains a mystery when—or if—Quaintance will see the floor during his rookie campaign, his sheer potential makes him a phenomenal stash for the future.
But the real story of the Summer League is Tarris Reed Jr.
Why Tarris Reed Jr. is the Missing Piece
Unlike many raw rookies who spend their first Summer League looking lost, Reed Jr. is already logging highly valuable reps and proving he is ready to carve out a significant role in the regular season. Despite shaking off some understandable rust, he possesses the exact toolkit the Spurs have been crying out for.
Here is why Reed Jr. is turning heads in Las Vegas:
- Bruising Screen Setting: Wembanyama is a basketball alien, but setting bone-crushing screens isn’t his primary strength yet. Reed Jr. is a physical powerhouse who thrives on setting hard screens, creating the exact kind of space the Spurs’ guards need to operate.
- Elite Paint Presence: Whether it is battling for tough rebounds or executing crisp passes out of the post, Reed Jr. does the dirty work.
- Surprising Soft Touch: He isn’t just a bruiser. Reed Jr. has shown an impressive ability to score effectively in the paint, finishing around the rim with a surprisingly delicate touch.
The Continuation of the “Spurs Way”
San Antonio has a rich, storied history of utilizing a very specific type of big man. If you look back at the Spurs’ dynasty years and beyond, players like Tiago Splitter, Aaron Baynes, Nazr Mohammed, Jakob Poeltl, and Drew Eubanks all carved out incredibly successful roles by doing exactly what Reed Jr. does: setting hard screens, rebounding relentlessly, and playing smart, team-first basketball.
Tarris Reed Jr. fits this historical bill flawlessly. He is the quintessential “Spurs-esque” center.
The immediate hope is that Reed Jr. will absorb the system, develop rapidly behind Wembanyama and Kornet, and provide the much-needed physical anchor off the bench. Given his current trajectory, it isn’t out of the realm of possibility that he could eventually challenge Kornet for those primary backup minutes.
The Verdict: A Brilliant Front Office Move
It is glaringly obvious that the San Antonio brass firmly believes in Reed Jr.’s game. Trading up on draft night to secure him—especially after already drafting a center in Quaintance—spoke volumes about his evaluation.
While Quaintance might hold the sky-high, lottery-level ceiling, Tarris Reed Jr. possesses an incredibly high floor. He is a plug-and-play big man who brings immediate physical toughness to a roster that desperately needed it. As Summer League rolls on, Spurs fans are getting a front-row seat to the franchise’s next great developmental success story. The fatal flaw is officially fixed.
