Grades: San Antonio Spurs vs. Detroit Pistons – Game #82
Sandro Mamukelashvili ended his season in style (Photo via Twitter)
The San Antonio Spurs completed the 2023-24 season in victorious fashion. Even though the Spurs were without Victor Wembanyama, Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, Jeremy Sochan, Malaki Branham and Cedi Osman, San Antonio still cruised to a 123-95 victory over the lowly Detroit Pistons to finish the season with a record of 22-60.
The good guys dominated the second quarter and the game was never again in doubt. Truthfully, the Pistons didn’t put up much of a fight. They weren’t interested in winning this game at all. The Spurs, on the other hand, were playing hard and playing to win.
Stats: Spurs vs. Pistons
Spurs vs. Pistons – Final Grades
Tre Jones
Jones ended the season with a very Tre-esque game. He passed the ball well without committing a turnover. He hustled on defense and was competitive on the boards. Jones shot the three-ball more than usual but was otherwise penetrating the paint to find angles to the rim. Even with a lot of newbies surrounding him, he ran the offense well and kept it humming at a surprisingly high level.
Grade: A-
Julian Champagnie
Good stuff from Champagnie. He shot reasonably well and moved smartly without the ball. Offensively, though, his most impressive category was his passing. His overall court sense was better than normal. Defensively, Champagnie was active and doing his best to disrupt the proceedings.
Grade: B+
Sandro Mamukelashvili
Mamukelashvili gave one final glimpse of why the Spurs should strongly consider bringing him back. In 26 minutes, he totaled 18 points and eight rebounds and hit half of his six three-point attempts. Mamukelashvili is simply a smart player who plays with effort and a healthy amount of gumption. His quickness can be lacking but he competes and his inclusion in the rotation would improve the team’s collective basketball IQ.
Grade: B+
Blake Wesley
Wesley started and played 30 minutes. He didn’t disappoint in his final game of his second season in the league. He looked really good attacking the basket and also knocked down a three. On the offensive end, Wesley’s ball-handling and passing were also difference-makers. Defensively, he was electric and did well crashing the boards and playing the passing lanes. Wesley improved a lot in his sophomore NBA season — and this was a good way to remember how far he has come.
Grade: A
Zach Collins
Collins was dominant in his 16 minutes. In that time, he put up 17 points, nine rebounds and a pair of assists without turning the ball over. Sadly, Collins’ ended up leaving the game with a shoulder injury. Let’s hope it’s nothing too serious because he played solid basketball near the end of the season. He doesn’t work next to Wembanyama in the starting lineup but he has the ability to be a top of the line backup center.
Grade: A
Sidy Cissoko
The good: Defensively, Cissoko looks like he could be a beast. He’s big, thick, strong and has good feet. He had three steals and two blocks against the Pistons — and he was even more disruptive than those numbers suggest. He relentlessly pestered the opposition on that end of the court. Offensively, Cissoko has really good court vision and can deliver a large array of passes. The bad: Other than dunking the ball, Cissoko doesn’t look especially impressive when it comes to scoring the ball. His jumper needs work and he needs to improve his ball-handling in close quarters.
Grade: A-
RaiQuan Gray
I like Gray as a prospect. Hopefully the Spurs can keep him around and get him on the summer league team. At 6-foot-7 and 270 pounds, he’s a large human being who mixes strength and a knowledge of the game. He looks like he could be good at driving to the hoop due to his imposing size. He also passes the ball well and has some point guard skills. Defensively, I’m not sure if he’s quick enough but he is usually in the right spots. Gray is worth keeping tabs on going forward.
Grade: A-
David Duke Jr.
Duke already looks good enough to be a fifth or sixth guard in the NBA. He’s a smart defender and knows how to play a role on the offensive end. Duke is also athletic and light on his feet. The two main questions are whether he has enough untapped upside to be worth investing in and whether he can consistently shoot the ball straight. Versus Detroit, Duke’s shooting looked really good — so hopefully, for his sake, that’s a sign of things to come.
Grade: A-
Jamaree Bouyea
Honestly, I don’t see an NBA future for Bouyea. He’s too small without a notable amount of athleticism. The good news for him is he plays smart, he has good touch and he competes. Those traits should be enough to allow him to carve out a professional career somewhere in the world. Bouyea is also the type of player who is worth putting on a summer league team and a G League team to properly run the show.
Grade: B+
Devonte’ Graham
Graham did what he does best against the Pistons — shoot a high volume of threes. He probably has a year or two left in the NBA simply due to that characteristic alone. He can handle a little bit, pass a little bit and shoot a whole lot. In today’s league, that should keep him employed.
Grade: B+
Pop
I mean, with the draft in mind, winning games like this doesn’t make too much sense strategically. But, hell, we know Pop has always been terrible at strategic tanking. I’ll give him credit for having all of his remaining guys play together and play hard.
Grade: B+