Grades: San Antonio Spurs vs. Houston Rockets – Game #3
The San Antonio Spurs dropped to 1-2 on the season after falling to the Houston Rockets on Monday night by a final count of 106-101. The Rockets, 2-2, hit enough big shots in the fourth quarter to hold on to the victory.
This game was the exact opposite of Saturday night’s contest between these two teams. In that game, the Spurs got up by 22 points, the Rockets rallied in the second half but San Antonio was able to execute down the stretch to get the win. Tonight, the Rockets got up by as many as 21 points, the Spurs rallied in the second half but Houston did just enough in the fourth to secure the win.
Stats: Spurs vs. Rockets
Spurs vs. Rockets – Final Grades
Victor Wembanyama
In many ways, this was Wembanyama’s best game of the season. He was a monster on the boards, he passed the ball really well, he protected the paint with honor and was very attentive defensively out on the perimeter. Wembanyama did well to show off his wide array of skills. Unfortunately, his offense was underwhelming. To be specific, his shot-selection was poor. Wembanyama failed to use his height to his advantage when guarded by players a foot shorter. When he had open driving lanes, he settled for jumpers. Wembanyama has to make better decisions on offense if the Spurs are going to be a winning team. He can’t bail out the defense with bad shots.
Grade: B
Jeremy Sochan
I was impressed by how Sochan played. He was extremely physical in the paint and his power finishes near the rim were wow-inducing. Sadly, he missed a couple easy layups; he was close to having a huge outing. Sochan gave great effort on the boards, passed the ball well and played with a palpable amount of courage. That said, his outside shot is really worrying me. He only shot one three-pointer and that three had about four different hitches in it. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a more disjointed jumper. Unsurprisingly, he didn’t shoot another one from deep despite plenty of opportunities.
Grade: A-
Chris Paul
The good: Paul’s scoring resurfaced. He looked comfortable in the midrange and even made it all the way to the rim for a few attempts. The bad: Paul’s playmaking was minimal. He was having trouble finding the right angles to make the proper passes. Defensively, the Spurs were noticeably better when he was on the bench.
Grade: C+
Harrison Barnes
Welp, yeah, that was a nothingburger. Barnes was on the court for 29 minutes and did next to nothing. His defense was subpar, he didn’t move much on offense and he wasn’t making life easier for others on either end. Let’s hope it’s just a matter of Barnes figuring out his fit on this team.
Grade: D
Julian Champagnie
Champagnie not being able to spread the court was a major issue for the Spurs. San Antonio doesn’t have many floor spacers so when Devin Vassell is out and Champagnie is misfiring, things get clogged in a hurry. That said, I thought his defense was relatively good. Champagnie is doing a good job of focusing on both ends of the court this season.
Grade: C
Keldon Johnson
I appreciate Johnson’s effort but his skill was lacking on Monday night. He was driving into the teeth of the defense without a second thought. For most players, that’s a bad idea. For Johnson, it’s a bad idea that sometimes works because he’s so strong. But being more of a playmaker rather than a brute force sledgehammer would be helpful. His three-point shot was off, which also wasn’t helping matters. To Johnson’s credit, I thought his perimeter defense was better than usual.
Grade: C
Stephon Castle
With Tre Jones sidelined, Castle was handling most of the point guard duties when Paul was on the bench. I was again impressed. He had some rookie mistakes that led to three turnovers but his passing was heady, as evidenced by his five assists in 18 minutes. Kid can really pass the ball. Castle is also a really good perimeter defender already. If he can clean up the mistakes and add a three-point jumper, it’s going to be difficult for the coaching staff to justify having him off the court.
Grade: B
Malaki Branham
With San Antonio’s offense sputtering, Branham came alive to breathe some life into the Silver and Black. He hit three consecutive three-pointers and was also cutting well with and without the ball. If Branham can become a 40% three-point shooter, he has a spot in this league. Despite his very good showing in terms of scoring the ball, there were some unfortunate mistakes. He was loose with his ball-handling duties and his defense was too handsy. But, again, this was a step in the right direction for Branham.
Grade: A-
Zach Collins
Collins is playing really, really well to start the season. Against the Rockets, he had 11 points in only 13 minutes while also rebounding well and delivering timely passes. His defense was sturdy and his reaction speed was lightning quick. Keep on trucking, Z.
Grade: A-
Blake Wesley
The good: Wesley gave big league effort on defense. His pushing of the pace was helping the offensive flow. Wesley was driving with a purpose, which is not always the case with him. The bad: Wesley’s touch is always a question mark and it was especially iffy on Monday evening. Sometimes he got going too fast and his decision-making suffered.
Grade: B
Pop
I wasn’t too impressed with the sets that were called to help Wembanyama weaponize his height advantage. In retrospect, Barnes played too much. I did like how Pop gave Branham extra minutes and how he continues to trust Castle as a playmaker.
Grade: C+