Devin Vassell and the Spurs came up short in Phoenix (Photo via X)
The San Antonio Spurs started their four-game road trip on the wrong foot by losing to the Phoenix Suns by a final score of 111-102. Early on, the good guys were playing well and actually led at halftime. Unfortunately, the Suns got going offensively in the third quarter and the Spurs were never able to regain their footing in the final period.
Stats: Spurs at Suns
spurs suns grades
Spurs at Suns – Final Grades
De’Aaron Fox
The good: Fox got to the line for 16 attempts. Considering he hadn’t been shooting many free throws so far this season, that was great to see. Fox played at his own pace and took care of the ball. Defensively, I liked his effort. The bad: Fox’s playmaking was minimal; being more aggressive would have been helpful.
Grade: B+
Devin Vassell
Vassell took a half-step back in terms of his shot-selection. There were a couple of one-more opportunities and he either didn’t pass or was late to pass. To make matters worse, Vassell was loose with the ball and his defense was sub par. While his efficiency wasn’t terrible, he could have done more for his short-handed squad.
Grade: C
Harrison Barnes
Barnes has been on fire from three-point land but finished 0-for-2 from deep in Phoenix. He had success going to the basket but the Spurs definitely missed his long-range marksmanship. Defensively, he could have been more burly in the paint but his perimeter rotations were better than usual.
Grade: B-
Julian Champagnie
Champagnie’s shooting numbers look ugly but there deserves to be an asterisk because a number of his misses were in desperation situations. All in all, I thought he played pretty well, actually. His rebounding was excellent, he ran the court with purpose and defended with effort. Champagnie keeping his energy level up throughout was a silver lining.
Grade: B-
Luke Kornet
Kornet wasn’t great against the Suns but the Spurs looked their best when he was on the court. Defensively, he guarded the rim well, he boarded well and he was in the right spots almost all the time. Offensively, he passed it well, set good screens and went 3-for-3 from the field to raise his shooting percentage on the season to 76.9%.
Grade: B
Keldon Johnson
Johnson turned it over three times and had a few miscues on the defensive end but he was otherwise stout. He put 14 efficient points on the board and seems to have rediscovered his perimeter stroke. His finishing going to the rim continues to be Johnson’s main strength this season.
Grade: B+
Jeremy Sochan
Sochan gave effort on defense but his impact was minimal — at best. On the other end, Sochan was clogging the lane too willingly. Faster and smarter passes and positioning would have helped matters. Overall, Sochan has to play a cleaner brand of basketball to have a positive impact.
Grade: C
Kelly Olynyk
Olynyk has had a couple strong games recently but this wasn’t it. In only 14 minutes of action, he managed to turn it over four times and miss all three of his shots from the field. He retained some of his value by getting to the line five times and rebounding reasonably well but this absolutely classifies as a bad night at the office for Olynyk. He’s not good enough defensively to survive unless he’s making things happen on the offensive end.
Grade: D
David Jones Garcia
Welp, after a great outing, Jones Garcia came crashing back down to earth against the Suns. He was scoreless in 13 minutes, tried to do too much during a handful of possessions and his defensive play was untamed. Jones Garcia was efforting out there but there wasn’t much substance.
Grade: D
Carter Bryant
Bryant took advantage of his eight minutes. He shot a lot but I liked his attempts; the rookie isn’t afraid to let it fly. He was also a force on the boards and hustled up and down the court. Bryant hasn’t had a breakout game but it looks like that could happen soon.
Grade: B
Mitch Johnson
Johnson was pushing buttons but couldn’t locate the right combination before it was too late. The offensive gameplan was disjointed at times and the defense wasn’t sturdy enough in important moments. I didn’t hate the rotation in real time but he could have done better in hindsight.
Grade: C-