San Antonio Spurs rookie Devin Vassell knew he could have drawn the task of guarding James Harden or John Wall but for him, it doesn’t matter who he is matched up with. He has one simple motto: Just be disruptive.
The 11th overall pick has emerged as a strong defender during his two preseason games with the Spurs. He has shown tremendous poise on that end of the floor and has demonstrated having great instincts that allow him to deflect passes.
Vassell swiped three passes in his debut on Saturday and picked off four more on Tuesday as the Spurs lost 112-98 to the Houston Rockets. He has long been taught to keep his hands up and play the passing lanes and that has shown in the early going.
“He really takes pride in playing on both ends of the floor,” Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said after the game. “I think he understands the game really well. He thinks ahead. He obviously paid attention to Coach Leonard [Hamilton] at Florida State because that program is all about playing great D and he obviously listened to his coach.”
DEVIN VASSELL pic.twitter.com/JAHlgdA1R9
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While Popovich likes his activity on both ends of the floor, Vassell has drawn praise from his teammates for his defensive ability. He said when he first got drafted that he wanted to bring defense and effort to the floor and he has done just that so far.
“At the end of the day, people are getting paid millions of dollars to play this game and put the ball in the basket,” Vassell said. “So, however you can stop them and make it a lot harder for them to score, that’s what I’ve been taught. That’s what I bring to this game.”
Vassell finished with 11 points, four rebounds, four steals and one assist in nearly 32 minutes of work off the bench. Given his instincts and activity, Vassell has the potential to emerge as a legitimate two-way player this season and will likely earn plenty of playing time as a result.
The 20-year-old was once thought to be a high lottery pick ahead of the draft but the Spurs may have lucked out a bit that he fell to them at No. 11. He has picked up the game rather quickly so far and that could pay dividends with the start of the regular season looming next week.
San Antonio wraps up preseason play on Thursday vs. the Rockets again.
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