Malaki Branham Leads Spurs to NBA Summer League Win Over Grizzlies
The San Antonio Spurs entered Saturday's NBA Summer League action losing all four games. They finished off their schedule with a 90-87 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.
Malaki Branham found a major rhythm from deep when the Summer Spurs needed it the most. He finished with 23 points after converting four of his five made 3s within the final 5:30 of action. His hot shooting helped to turn the momentum into San Antonio's favor after trailing 80-76 with 4:13 left to play.
Going forward, the Spurs would surely like to see Branham attack more aggressively as he's shown the capability to turn it on in bunches. While playing with an unselfish mentality shouldn't be frowned upon by any stretch, he has the talent to make a strong impact as an offensive focal point.
It was a struggling performance from the Spurs' other active first-round pick, Blake Wesley, in this game. He finished with nine points on 2-17 shooting from the floor while missing all nine of his two-point field goals. He did add five assists without recording a turnover, but regardless, his scoring efficiency was poor.
DJ Stewart offered strong complementary contributions to the Summer Spurs. He racked up 16 points and three rebounds, with he and Branham being the only players on the team to reach double-figures in scoring.
The Summer Grizzlies received a significant impact from Kenneth Lofton Jr. and David Roddy. The two players combined for 46 points, with Lofton accounting for a game-high 27 while chipping in 12 rebounds and three assists.
Overall, the Spurs received a significant opportunity to look in-depth at Branham and Wesley. Jeremy Sochan missed all of the team's NBA Summer League action, while Josh Primo was shut down midway through after testing positive for COVID-19.
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