Devin Vassell: Spurs 'Don't Have KD Talent,' Must Rely on Defense After Preseason Loss to Rockets
Once upon a time, the San Antonio Spurs might've had a chance at signing future NBA Hall of Famer Kevin Durant. The summer of 2016 saw the team secure a free-agent visit with Durant before he infamously signed with the Golden State Warriors.
But that was then. This is now. And now, the blindingly obvious reality is that the Spurs don't have Durant. They have the roster that, fortunately, probably couldn't have played much worse in Sunday's 134-96 preseason loss to the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center.
Third-year forward Devin Vassell, who led San Antonio with 13 points, recognizes the clear and present fact that the Spurs' current roster doesn't possess Hall-of-Fame talent and played poorly against their Southwest Division rival. Not meant as a knock on the team, he gave an honest assessment about the Spurs' offense after Sunday's loss and the changes that can be made to make up for it.
"We don't have KD talent," Vassell said. "Can't sit here and rely on the offensive end. So we just got to hang our hats on the defensive end, and we'll be fine."
Indeed, the Spurs don't have the NBA's 21st all-time career scoring leader in their midsts, but they do have Vassell, an important player for coach Gregg Popovich and the team this season. He's expected to take a major leap along forward Keldon Johnson.
But despite his team-high scoring efforts on 4 of 13 shooting, even he couldn't overcome the abysmal shooting night that the Spurs had, as San Antonio went 11 of 42 (26.2 percent) from the 3-point line and 35.5 percent from the floor.
"We're young, I don't think we hit many shots to start the game off neither," Vassell said with a smile. "I think what we could take away is that if we're not hitting shots we got to still be competitive ... Like I said our first preseason game we're young, and we weren't making shots. So we'll be fine."
The defense showed small signs of potential, but the 134 on the scoreboard says otherwise. Still, San Antonio was able to force 20 Houston turnovers and scored 26 points off these takeaways. Of course, good defense doesn't add up to much if the ball can't find the hoop.
NBA preseason certainly brings with it a slew of overreactions, though they are usually not always warranted. But expect more when the Spurs travel back home to face the Orlando Magic on Thursday at the AT&T Center for the second of five preseason games. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. C.T.
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
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