Keldon Johnson did his part against the Jazz (Photo via X)
In a classic letdown game, the San Antonio Spurs lost to the Utah Jazz at home by a final score of 127-114. With the whole world singing San Antonio’s praises after beating the Oklahoma City Thunder three times in two weeks, the Spurs laid an egg against the Jazz.
The good guys actually came out of the gates with the appropriate amount of energy. At the end of the first quarter, the Spurs led 40-32. Unfortunately, the rest of the way, the offense went stale, the team’s collective focus was fleeting at best and the defense was lackadaisical.
Stats: Spurs vs. Jazz
spurs jazz grades
Spurs vs. Jazz – Final Grades
Victor Wembanyama
The good: Back in the starting lineup, Wembanyama was 12-for-17 from two-point range and hit all eight of his free throws. He took reasonably good care of the ball and authored a handful of smart passes. Defensively, he secured five blocks as he defended the hoop with gusto. The bad: Wembanyama had good effort in spurts but lost focus too often. His pedestrian rebounding numbers were mostly a result of him lacking some of his usual energy in that department. He also missed all four of his three-point attempts. Like many of his teammates, Wembanyama simply wasn’t as prepared for the Jazz as he was for the Thunder.
Grade: B
Stephon Castle
Castle was very good in the first quarter but then it was all downhill from there. While he was 8-for-10 from two-point range, he settled for three-pointers far too often and was way too loose for the basketball. In big moments, Castle was seemingly either shooting a bad three or turning the ball over. His defense was also far more pedestrian than usual. While this loss wasn’t completely on Castle, his poor play after the first quarter was likely the leading cause.
Grade: D-
Devin Vassell
With so many of his teammates having an off night, it would have been useful if Vassell stepped up to fill the void. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. He was 2-for-9 from three-point range and didn’t do much damage inside of the arc. To make matters worse, Vassell’s defense was nothing to write home about. He deserves some credit for some extra good passing (particularly on the move) and avoiding turnovers — but there was still much to be desired.
Grade: C-
Harrison Barnes
Harrison Barnes is another starter who underperformed. He scored three points in 23 minutes and was particularly listless. He wasn’t making blatant errors on either end but his lack of effort was glaring. Defensively, he was simply going through the motions. Offensively, Barnes didn’t do much other than fade into the background.
Grade: C-
Julian Champagnie
Champagnie is officially in a slump. In his last three outings, he is 0-for-12 from three-point range — which includes missing all three of his three-pointers versus the Jazz. I liked his rebounding effort and he was energetic on defense but his lack of shooting made life difficult for the good guys. To his credit, Champagnie was possibly the only starter who didn’t outwardly appear to be unfocused.
Grade: C
Dylan Harper
With Fox out with an injury, Harper stepped into a bigger role. In some ways, he filled in well. He led the way with 12 assists. Harper’s playmaking was legitimately very good and his passing decisions were pristine. He also chipped in with seven rebounds and three assists, as he seemed to be a step quicker than usual. Regrettably, his scoring was sub par. He was 0-for-4 from three-point range and missed a couple of makeable shots on the interior. Harper played well, all things considered, but there was still room for him to come to the rescue even more than he did.
Grade: B+
Keldon Johnson
The Spurs would have been blown out of the water without Johnson’s production. In less than 25 minutes, Johnson had 27 points and ten rebounds without turning the ball over. He shot well from three-point range (5-for-7) and two-point territory (5-for-8). Johnson tried to put the team on his back for stretches at a time with his relentlessness, enthusiasm and uncommon drive. While he succeeded in doing so, it wasn’t enough to allow the Spurs to pull out a winnable game.
Grade: A
Luke Kornet
With Wembanyama back in the starting lineup, Kornet came off the bench. He did his job for the most part. He rebounded well, set good screens and successfully finished off plays. His defense was sometimes a step slow outside of the paint but he was solid near the rim. All in all, Kornet held up well enough for San Antonio to get this win.
Grade: B
Carter Bryant
Bryant’s overall impact was positive in his 14 minutes versus Utah. He hit a three-pointer, played energetic defense and ran the court with purpose. Bryant had room to be better, though. He looked uncoordinated a few times when trying to finish off plays offensively. Defensively, Bryant lacked discipline a few times and that got him in trouble. That said, this outing was a small step in the right direction for the rookie.
Grade: B
Jeremy Sochan
Sochan got some playing time … and it didn’t go well. He turned the ball over twice and barely dented the stat sheet otherwise. I don’t know what’s wrong with Sochan but he’s a shell of his former self. He lacks confidence, lacks athleticism and just looks completely out of rhythm. Hopefully Sochan finds himself soon because this version doesn’t deserve any minutes.
Grade: D
Lindy Waters III
Waters played some minutes but failed to make a notable impact. His defense was decent but he didn’t do anything of note on the offensive end.
Grade: Inc.
Mitch Johnson
Johnson tried to push some buttons but he couldn’t wake his team in time. In retrospect, he should have played Johnson more minutes. The rookies, Harper and Bryant, could have both played a bit more. Going away from Castle as the lead playmaker could have helped the Spurs, especially in the fourth quarter.
Grade: D+