The San Antonio Spurs’ young wings are making the leap

Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

How Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson have upped their scoring and pick-and-roll usage

There are essentially two types of players in the NBA: those who create their own shot and those who rely on others to create for them.

Most players fall into the second category… at least by NBA standards. There’s a small group of scorers talented enough to score 18 points per game; there were only 36 who did so last year. For most teams, getting two high-caliber scorers to fill the leading role rarely happens.

As the San Antonio Spurs seemingly embarked in a youth movement and retooling effort after trading away Dejounte Murray this summer, the organization faced serious questions about who would be able to create their own shot and take the reigns of the offense. Keldon Johnson was the only player on the roster to average above 14 points per game a season ago, and he took 83 dribble jumpers in 81 games. That’s not the typical profile for a number-one option and trusted shot creator.

Sitting at 5-6 through the first few weeks of the season, the Spurs have played at the fastest pace in the NBA, a sharp departure from the norms of Gregg Popovich’s culture. Pop is embracing speed as a way to help his teams generate points and turning up the intensity in the full-court.

In the half-court, two players have emerged as breakout candidates, auditioning for the long-term role as frontman. Keldon Johnson has increased his scoring load a tad but drastically changed the manner in which he plays, handling pick-and-rolls and serving as a reliable three-point threat. Devin Vassell, a 2020 first-round pick, has become their mid-range maestro while continuing to drill shots from deep and play sensational defense. Both have come out of the gates and hit that respectable 20-point-per-game mark.

The Spurs are turning up the pace, mainly by setting early drag screens in semi-transition atop the key. Jakob Poeltl is one of the best screeners in the game and helps spring these guys open for early paint touches. Keldon, in particular, is great at taking the space and playing without much of a top speed but always being within one bounce of the rim.

Regularly, Keldon will probe off the drag screen and find his way to contact for an and-one:

Johnson is serving as the de facto top option for the Spurs, mainly because he’s the best rebounders of their guards. When he secures one of his 4.7 defensive rebounds per game, he gets out in transition and darts up the floor, taking the middle and seeking out these Poeltl screens. It’s a convenient way to mask some of the flaws he has in half-court creation.

One of those flaws is that Keldon is severely right-hand dominant. Defenders will individually shade him to his left hand, hoping he’ll end up going that way.

Thus far, we’ve seen Keldon work on a few counters (quick crossovers, spin moves, in-and-out dribbles) to get back to his right hand and continue to do what he does best: bulldoze his way to the bucket.

The increase in pick-and-roll reps for Johnson has resulted in more playmaking opportunities for others. While Poeltl is a strong roll threat, the Spurs need to create a ton of catch-and-shoot looks for their perimeter floor-spacers if they’re going to hang in games with the league’s top teams. The Spurs are 9th in three-point attempts despite having a non-shooting center in Poeltl.

Keldon is a huge reason for that. He (and Vassell) are firing unabashedly from deep. However, it’s Keldon who is the more creative and hitting open guys to create those spot-up looks for others. He’s making adequate reads and delivering the ball on-time and on-target.

Spacing the floor on the perimeter for Keldon is Devin Vassell, knocking down 40% of his catch-and-shoot attempts so far this year. He’s still a consistently strong off-ball player, though it’s the development of his pull-up jumper that has propelled Vassell to become a 20-point-per-game scorer.

Through only seven games he’s played in, Vassell is 20-40 (50%) on dribble jumpers, according to Synergy Sports. For all NBA players to take at least 40 this year, he’s tied with DeMar DeRozan as the most efficient league-wide.

I was fortunate enough to speak with one of Vassell’s skill trainers who has worked with him in each of the last two offseasons. Among the emphases of Vassell’s summer training regimen this year was, “elevating the release point of the jumper, tightening the handle with less wiggle in front of a smaller guard, utilizing physical bumps to create space for jumpers, and a great deal of pick-and-roll work.”

All of those elements are now showing up in Vassell’s game on a nightly basis. He’s toying with the ball less, appearing much more decisive with the ball when he attacks. His long arms lend themselves well to a high release point, and he’s knocking in these wonky and almost stiff pull-ups that are elevated:

Out of ball screens, Vassell is already good at creating contact with his primary defender and utilizing that to create space. His passing reads haven’t been as advanced as Keldon’s, but he’s much more polished as a two-speed player who slows down to play with craft in the mid-range. As a guy who primarily scores in the mid-range off pull-up jumpers, using those tricks really helps him get enough space to hit these shots.

From a technical perspective, Vassell plays rather square on his jumpers and leaps into his shot off two feet. He tends to have a slower release in that mid-range area when a defender is there to contest. Raising his jumper above his forehead helps mitigate a few of those concerns.

Another strategy he’s utilized is what is known as a bump. Vassell utilizes his shoulders well to lean into physical contact, a strategy for space-creation that allows him to rise easily into his pull-up.

While bumping for space and raising his release point help, they don’t overwhelmingly negate the challenges Vassell’s body mechanics face as a shooter. He is always going to have to be a tough-shot-maker.

Luckily, Vassell has shown a propensity to knock down those shots. He’s a natural at compensating with his lower body on step-backs or tough turnarounds where his momentum is taking him farther away from the rim.

Vassell still has his areas to improve. He’s never been an efficient finisher at the rim, and he’s 11-28 (39.3%) there right now. He takes a lot of mid-ranges and rarely collapses defenses enough to involve others at a high level. He excels as a scorer near the elbows and a spot-up threat. He thrives in both roles, though he’ll still need to add more to his bag to become a true top option.

These young guys are off to a blistering start. Both are on track to make over 270 3-pointers by the end of the season, which would shatter the Spurs single-season record held by Danny Green (191). The last time the Spurs had two player average 20 per game was in 2018-19 with DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge. That also happens to be the last year they made the playoffs.

While this year’s iteration of the Spurs may not have the staying power to become a postseason bunch, the scrappy youngsters will fight like hell to stay in the race. More importantly, as they engage in the first step of identifying which current players can fill top scorer roles long-term in the NBA, Johnson and Vassell are comfortable stepping up to the plate.