Spurs Notes: Reed, Gillespie, Lineup, Bryant

No. 20 overall pick Jayden Quaintance is expected to miss most or all of his rookie season after undergoing meniscus surgery in July, but the former Kentucky big man was just one of four players selected by the Spurs in the 2026 draft — and the early returns on San Antonio’s rookie class as a whole have been positive.

In Monday’s preseason loss to Utah, No. 26 overall pick Tarris Reed Jr. racked up an eye-popping 17 rebounds and four steals in 24 minutes of action off the bench. While Reed’s teammates have raved about his effort and energy since camp began, the former UConn standout still wasn’t entirely satisfied with his performance against the Jazz, as Tom Orsborn writes for The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required).

“Not to nitpick, but if this was UConn, coach (Dan Hurley) would be yelling at me because I had 10 boards in the first half, (then) I eased up a little bit in the beginning of the second,” Reed said. “Could have easily walked away with 20, 25 rebounds, so I got to be better.”

Ja’Kobi Gillespie, this year’s 42nd overall pick, was the Spurs’ other standout reserve on Monday. He scored 25 points on 9-of-14 shooting in 25 minutes while also contributing three assists and three steals. It’s unclear whether there will be room for Gillespie in San Antonio’s deep rotation during the regular season, but he’s doing all he can during the preseason to make his case for playing time, as Orsborn outlines in a separate Express-News story (subscription required).

“He’s a guy that in terms of what we’re looking for from every single person on our roster, the way that he’s guarding and competing, sharing the basketball, playing with pace, being aggressive, attacking, (is doing a good job),” head coach Mitch Johnson said. “He’s not perfect, but he’s playing with confidence and putting his energy in the right spots. The next thing you know, he has a lot of opportunities and advantageous spots that he finds himself in.”

We have more on the Spurs:

• San Antonio had the league’s third-best offense last season and made the NBA Finals with Dylan Harper coming off the bench, but Johnson appears to be leaning toward starting the former No. 2 overall pick alongside De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle this season. It’s a bold tweak, according to Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports, who details why the move makes sense for the Spurs even though none of Harper, Fox, and Castle are major threats from beyond the arc.
• Expectations for the Spurs are significantly higher heading into 2026/27 than they were a year ago, and the organization recognizes that defending as Western Conference champions won’t be easy, writes Michael C. Wright of ESPN. Still, the team is optimistic that it has room to continue growing and getting better. “We’re very fortunate to have such a dynamic roster where you can really get creative in terms of puzzle pieces and how you want to build out the puzzle,” Johnson said. “We saw it at times with the three guards in addition to what you can do around Victor (Wembanyama). … There’s definite growth for those three guys just in terms of playing off each other and continuing to complement each other.”
• 2025 lottery pick Carter Bryant played a modest role for the Spurs as a rookie, averaging just 11.5 minutes per night in 71 regular season appearances off the bench. However, the club is expecting him to take a step forward in his second season, according to Orsborn (subscription required), who notes that the 20-year-old is embracing a “next-play mentality” and is determined not to let it bother him if he makes a mistake. “No one’s ever going to go from rookie to ‘Bron (LeBron James) in a year, but I expect him to definitely make his jump,” teammate Julian Champagnie said of Bryant. “He’s been putting a lot of work in all summer. He looks really good in workouts, so I expect Carter to do Carter things.”