San Antonio Spurs rookie Luka Samanic made his official NBA debut on Friday night on the road during a 139-120 loss to the Brooklyn Nets at the Barclays Center.
With the Spurs trailing by 25 points entering the fourth quarter, head coach Gregg Popovich emptied his bench and inserted several of his first-year players into the game, including Samanic, Keldon Johnson and Quinndary Weatherspoon.
Samanic played all 12 minutes in the final period and missed all four shot attempts from the field to finish scoreless in the game. The 19th overall pick recorded three assists and two rebounds to finish a plus-six while on the court.
Love this play from Luka Samanic as he finds Drew Eubanks for the dunk! #GoSpursGo pic.twitter.com/OGRHQhq2BS
— Joe Garcia (@twoshotspodcast) March 7, 2020
The Spurs recently called up Samanic from the G League after the rookie had spent the entire season with the Austin Spurs. In 32 games played, Samanic averaged 15.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game while he appears to be set on staying in the NBA for the time being.
Samanic recently said that he understands he has to be patient but he pointed to other teammates that were in the G League before him that are playing well now in the NBA. While he went scoreless, the performance likely just felt good for the rookie to get his first taste of NBA action.
With the Spurs on the verge of falling out of the playoff picture, playing time could open up for Samanic which could prove to be beneficial for his development as the season winds down.
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