Spurs’ Devin Vassell ‘Ready to Go’ After Clearance From Adductor Strain

SAN ANTONIO — The question may have been asked and answered a thousand times over. Still, Mitch Johnson stuck to his company line.

"He's doing well," the San Antonio Spurs coach said of Devin Vassell in Houston, just two games before the shooting guard was set to make his return to the floor at home. "It's ... day-to-day. How does he respond and react?”

Vassell missed 13 games with a left adductor strain sustained on no particular play starting with a New Year's Eve contest against the New York Knicks. The game prior, Vassell went to the locker room for a few plays with pain he began experiencing that morning.

"It didn't feel right," he said. "I said I'd finish out the game (against the Cleveland Cavaliers), but it was aching. After the game, I started feeling it more and more."

Julian Champagnie helped the Spurs get their revenge win over the Knicks with 11 3-pointers, and since then, they've maintained a winning record, still holding on to the Western Conference's No. 2 seed. Vassell's return comes at the right time.

"I'm ready to go," Vassell said ahead of facing the New Orleans Pelicans amid a nationwide snowstorm. "Right back. Right back like I never left."

Dec 13, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Harrison Barnes (40) and San Antonio Spurs guard Devin Vassell (24) react during the third quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder at T-Mobile Arena. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

In his absence, San Antonio has trudged through a shooting slump across the board. Johnson's squad is connecting on only 45 percent of its shots from the field, and 33 percent from beyond the arc — a persistent issue that compounded without Vassell.

Vassell, the Spurs' purest shooting guard, has become a consistent fixture of thei offense since arriving for training camp this summer. The first healthy offseason of his career helped jumpstart what he felt was going to be the strongest season of his career.

His teammates weren't surprised, but they took notice.

"He's been playing really well," Champagnie said in November. "No matter how the game is going, he's doing all the right things ... he's playing defense. He's locked in. Even when he makes mistakes, it's no head down, no sulking, no nothing."

This season, Vassell is averaging 15 points, four rebounds and 2.4 assists on 42 percent shooting from the field. None of his figures mark career highs, but his efficiency took a step forward the way the Spurs were counting on.

“Devin has an impact on winning whether he's making shots or not,” Johnson said. “It’s good to see, and it's something we have to continue to cultivate and grow.”

Sitting on the bench for three weeks kept the shooting guard humble. As much as he could, he'd try to engage with the five players on the floor. He'd offer insight during timeouts, and words of wisdom when they joined him in a seat nearest the baseline.

Regardless of how much he itched to get his shoes dirty again, he picked up a few things watching Victor Wembanyama work his way back from a calf strain.

"When an injury like that happens, you take your time," Vassell explained. "You don't want to come back and then sit out again because it's nagging you ... you just want to sit here and, when you're back, you're back. That's what you want."

Dec 8, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Devin Vassell (24) arrives before the game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center. | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

A tedious return-to-play process forced Vassell to change into warmup gear only to redress in the clothes he wore to arrive to various arenas. He got loose in Houston and Utah, but came to a joint decision with San Antonio that returning at home worked best.

All that mattered beyond coming back was how strong the Spurs had looked.

"That's a testament to the depth that we have on this team," Vassell said. "The trust that we have in all of our guys ... it's huge."

Vassell's hope in his first game back is to bring some life to the Spurs' shooting. Finding his spots from midrange will open up his squad's offense as it looks for its fifth win in six games. But even if shots don't fall, the 25-year-old will provide intangibles.

"You can't control the ball going in the hoop," he said, "but you can control your effort and energy ... just trying to bring whatever positive, winning mentality (I can)."

The Spurs are proud of the leap Vassell took this season. Vassell is proud of himself. He's also hopeful that he can show the same patience hurdling his next obstacle as he did his adductor strain. In his first game back, he'll be on a minutes restriction.

"I already know it," Vassell said, laughing. "I'm just excited to be back out there."