San Antonio Spurs rookie Jock Landale on Thursday produced 26 points during his first appearance with the Austin Spurs in the NBA G League during a win over the Texas Legends.
Landale, 26, finished the contest by shooting 12-of-14 from the field, including 2-of-2 from 3-point range, in 29 minutes of work. He also hauled in eight rebounds and dished out three assists on a game-high plus-27 on the court.
The Spurs assigned Landale to Austin prior to the contest in order to get him some reps with playing time limited in San Antonio. He has totaled just 24 minutes across eight appearances with San Antonio after dealing with injuries and health and safety protocols.
Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich explained the assignment for Landale.
Just experience. It’s his first run in the NBA. He hasn’t been able to play much all year. He had the concussion and then he had the procedure he had to through so he is really behind. The best thing he can do is just get some minutes and play.
Landale signed with the Spurs over the summer after a successful run in the National Basketball League last season with Melbourne United. He averaged 16.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 blocked shots as Melbourne claimed the NBL championship.
He previously spent four years at Saint Mary’s prior to turning pro. He was named the 2018 West Coast Conference Player of the Year after averaging 21.1 points and 10.2 rebounds as a senior. He was a consensus second-team All-American.
Landale certainly showed why the Spurs targeted him over the offseason with his performance on Thursday. He will likely continue to spend time with Austin to develop but appears to be a good candidate to eventually see a larger role in the NBA.
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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