With every loss, the San Antonio Spurs continue to drift further away from the Western Conference’s Play-in picture. But back-to-back losses to a New Orleans Pelicans team that is heading into the mini-series with San Antonio ranked last in the conference gives a sense that it may only get worse for the Spurs from here.
Devin Vassell, who broke out of a slump in the second game vs. the Pelicans, spelled out that he was well aware of back-to-back losses.
“These are two games that we can’t give up, especially in the race we’re trying to fight. We can’t give up these kinds of games,” the 2020 11th overall draft pick admitted.
Spurs post-game
Devin Vassell on tonight’s 2nd straight loss to a NO team that up until these last 2 vs the #Spurs had the worst record in the West…
“…a lot of their key guys are hurt. These are two games that we can’t give up, especially in the race we’re trying to fight”
pic.twitter.com/GQ4MlGM9Jd
— Hector Ledesma (@HectorLedesmaTV) February 26, 2025
Vassell also tacitly complimented New Orleans to emphasize the severity of the Spurs setback. Or setbacks in this case.
“They’re a good team. They’ve still got a lot of people hurt. I mean, a lot of their key guys are hurt.
Devin Vassell looks to counsel Spurs teammate Stephon Castle
Before leading the Spurs with 20 points in a 109-103 loss to New Orleans, Vassell was averaging just 7.8 points per game in his previous five games. It was a notable stretch for a player who ranked as the team’s second-leading scorer in each of the last two seasons as well as this year before the trade for De’Aaron Fox.
Now it’s teammate Stephon Castle who’s struggling. And it correlates to a bad Spurs stretch.
“I’m in his ear every day. It’s nothing I’ll say right now, but I’m in his ear, and I’ll talk to him afterward,” Vassell continued. “The best thing I can say is my rookie year was up and dow,n too. I didn’t have the same role that he did. He came in as the number four pick and was able to have ball in his hands and kind of get going. When I came in, I was obviously a high pick, but I had a lot of vets around me so I was in a three-and-D role a lot of times. Sometimes I wouldn’t get the ball. Some games I wouldn’t play.”
Castle scored just six points total over the two games in the Crescent City. After playing only 22 minutes in the first game, he went in for a measly 12 minutes two nights later.
“That’s just the nature of the league, but you can’t let that dictate your effort or you can’t show it neither,” Vassell said of the national champion at UConn last year.
Castle was coming off a notable All-Star Weekend. He helped his Rising Stars squad advance to the All-Star Game on Sunday. In between, he finished second in the Slam Dunk Contest.
“I’m going to talk to him just about the little stuff. His potential is out of this world,” Vassell added.
Many consider Castle the favorite to win the NBA’s Rookie of the Year.
“I know that it’s only going to take him one game to bounce back, and he’ll be fine,” the former Florida State standout concluded.
There’s reason to believe the Spurs won’t be fine until he does.
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