Despite being one of the more polarizing players on the San Antonio Spurs, Devin Vassell has quietly [given them what they've needed this season](https://airalamo.com/devin-vassell-proving-spurs-right-for-risky-gamble-critics-hated). That has been huge for the Spurs, who desperately needed him to step up and live up to his role.
With a lack of shooting, the Spurs needed him to regain his shooting form after having a down year last season. Thus far, he certainly has, drilling 36.2% of his 6.3 3-point attempts and 47.2% of his 2.4 mid-range jumpers per game, a welcome sign for the Spurs.
Better still, he has been noticeably better defensively, with his increased activity helping the Spurs rank fifth in defensive rating. In fact, his +10.2 net rating is the highest on the team, highlighting just how effective he has been.
Devin Vassell has quietly made himself valuable to the Spurs
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With him having a bounce-back season, it has quieted calls to trade him—mostly, at least. During the offseason, it seemed as though he was going to be traded for star Kevin Durant. That might have been a good deal for the Spurs.
But having Vassell play well and keeping the 14th pick—which would have been included in the deal and turned out to be Carter Bryant—has also worked out for San Antonio.
Vassell reemerging as a two-way player who can reliably knock down threes, score off pull-ups, and defend on the other end of the floor has helped to solve two major potential issues for the Spurs. Had Vassell not shot the ball well this season, the Spurs would be much worse off, with them having only a handful of shooters on the roster.
Devin Vassell's reemergence has helped make the Spurs a contender
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Better still, he is one of just three players on the team to have played every game thus far, a big deal for Vassell, who has often had injury issues. Having him in the starting lineup while coach Mitch Johnson has been forced to shuffle players in and out of the starting five has given the Spurs some stability on both sides of the ball.
Even without Victor Wembanyama in the lineup for the last few games, Vassell has made an impact on defense, including forcing two turnovers in the fourth quarter against the Atlanta Hawks to help shut down their comeback. That has been a recurring trend with him coming up with big steals in crucial moments this season, signaling that he is locked in.
He may not be the same caliber of defender as a Stephon Castle or Jeremy Sochan on the perimeter. However, his length, athleticism, and timing make him the perfect help defender who can muck things up if opposing teams overlook him.
It's been a long time since we've seen that version of Vassell on defense, but it's been a welcome sight and bodes well for this team. After all, he is the team's second-highest-paid player, but he isn't the team's second-best player.
No one's expecting him to outplay Victor Wembanyama, De'Aaron Fox, or even Stephon Castle. But him being an above-average starter who can impact both sides of the ball is what the team needs from him, and he has more than lived up to that new role thus far.