San Antonio Spurs vs. Memphis Grizzlies: 3 Big Things to Watch
Coming off a 115-109 defeat against the Denver Nuggets - the San Antonio Spurs look to end a four-game skid against Southwest Division foe the Memphis Grizzlies (7-4).
After a 5-2 start to begin t 2022 campaign, San Antonio has since dropped games against the Toronto Raptors, Los Angeles Clippers and two consecutive games against the Nuggets.
With a chance to turn the tide, here are three things to watch as the Spurs host its second of a three-game home stand.
Can Tre Jones Add on to Career Night?
Despite falling to Denver on Monday, guard Tre Jones posted a career-night.
Notching 20 points on 9 of 13 shooting to go along with nine assists, three rebounds and three steals, Jones proved to the Spurs what they have in him.
"He can definitely score the ball," San Antonio wing Kelden Johnson said. "He brings a multitude of things to the game. He's definitely a point guard you want on your side. He sets us up great. But as you saw tonight, he can put the ball in the hole as well."
Scoring on all three levels - a big reason why the former Duke Blue Devil was selected No. 41 overall in 2020, Jones flashed creativity putting the ball in the basket and distributing to teammates.
"Both of the sides of the ball, he's always attacking," Spurs wing Josh Richardson said of Jones. "He's like a bulldog. He had some big steals today, he had a couple of huge assists in the fourth. I just encourage him to keep doing that, keep being him."
Who Will Fill in Zach Collins Absence?
Spurs forward Zach Collins has suffered a non-displaced fracture of his fibula, the team announced Tuesday.
The 24-year-old suffered the injury in Friday's game against the Clippers, placing the 7-footer on the sidelines for the next two to four weeks.
Averaging 8.3 points, 1.2 blocks (both career-bests) to go along with 4.7 rebounds, San Antonio needs to dive deep into its bench for more frontcourt depth.
The solution could come in the form of more minutes from forwards Keita Bates-Diop and Charles Bassey, who saw viable playing time on Monday.
Bates-Diop, a second-round pick in 2018 has emerged as a key rotation piece for the Spurs in his second season with the club, posting three +15 point outings in his past six games.
While Bassey sample size is much smaller, the second-year pro has put his teammates on notice after his second game for San Antonio.
Keldon Johnson, Devin Vassell, Embracing Leadership Roles?
In what has been an up-and-down season for San Antonio - two consistent bright spots have been the emergence of wings Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell.
"We're coming into a - me especially - coming into a bigger leadership role this year," Vassell said. "We got a lot of young guys, got a lot of new guys, just gotta try and help them out. Especially on me, I feel like it's a big year for me to step up my leadership role. It's huge for me."
After an 11-day layoff dealing with a knee inury, the 22-year-old Vassell has posted three consecutive 17+ outings - knocking down at least three triples in each game as well.
For Johnson, the 23-year-old has emerged as a legitimate MIP candidate, averaging 23.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists in ten games this season.
But what has been arguably been the most impressive is how Johnson has improved his consistency from beyond the arc.
Knocking down .427 percent of his three's on nearly nine attempts per game, the 6-5 wing has knocked down at least two three's in all but one contest this season.
“[Johnson] added the 3-point shot to his game, but he’s making better decisions with the ball, shooting good shots, concentrating on his defense. He’s doing a fine job,” head coach Gregg Popovich said.
Tipoff against the Grizzlies is set for 7 p.m. CT at the AT&T Center.
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