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Spurs Season-In-Review: SG Devin Vassell Has 'Big Offseason' Ahead Amidst Injury Battle
The San Antonio Spurs won't be in the conversation of contending teams this year.
They also won't be in the NBA playoffs or have the best record in the league (by far), but behind all of the on-court struggles and injuries that plagued the young team stood players who proved time and again why they "belonged" in the league.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich emphasized heavily the latter to his young players, aiming to be a strong coach for them even after 27 years. And as a result, San Antonio has found a core of players who always strive to improve.
Third-year shooting guard Devin Vassell is one of those players.
This season, Vassell showcased his prime scoring ability, averaging 18.5 points to mark his highest career average to date. Though he fell just one game shy of twenty 20-point outings on the year, the shooting guard's breakout year was nothing short of impressive.
One factor severely inhibited his run at a potential Most Improved Player bid, however.
Vassell only played 38 games.
Sidelined with a knee injury that resulted in a arthroscopic procedure, the 22-year-old missed two months from January to March after showing signs of immense improvement on the floor to begin the season.
Despite missing extended time, Vassell picked up right where he left off upon returning, though he did miss the Spurs' seven games of the season due to continued discomfort. Regardless, the guard made clear that his priority would be to remain healthy for the betterment of his team.
"It's a big thing for me to just be healthy," Vassell said. "This offseason is going to be big for me to [develop] a plan and making sure I'm healthy. I don't want to play half of a season, or sit and not play back-to-backs ... ever again."
Should he be healthy next season, Vassell can also continue to work towards another one his main goals — this one coming on the court.
"I think at the end of the day, playmaking [was a big goal for me]," he said. "I want to be able to get everybody involved. Not just me ... I want to be a complete player."
Vassell did prove to be just that. In addition to his 18.5 points, he also tallied 3.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists and a steal on close to 40 percent 3-point shooting, almost all of which were career highs.
The former Florida State Seminole also emphasized the confidence he has in his own play ahead of next season.
"I feel like I've shown when I'm healthy, I can play with the best of them," Vassell said. "I don't have any regrets from this season. Everybody in the organization knows that when I'm healthy ... the team [plays] a great game."
For San Antonio, young players with confidence and the desire to make other teammates better serve as testaments to what Popovich said was the team's number one goal: individual development.
Vassell did that and more in his third season, leaving the road ahead — given his health remains intact — nowhere to go but forward ahead of next year.
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