An In-Depth Look at the Spurs 2024 Summer League Roster
Stephon Castle begins his Spurs journey at summer league (Photo via Twitter)
The San Antonio Spurs will play at least eight summer league games this year. The first three games will take place at the Sacramento Summer Classic beginning on Saturday night. Then, the Spurs head to Las Vegas to play the rest of their games. Here’s an in-depth look at the players on San Antonio’s 2024 summer league roster.
Stephon Castle
All eyes will be on Castle during summer league. The fourth overall pick of the 2024 draft has said he wants to play point guard. Will the Spurs let him run the show during summer league? We’ll soon find out. Three-point shooting has been the primary question mark hovering over him as a prospect. He’ll have a chance during summer league to show everyone what he can do from deep. A lot is expected of Castle on both ends of the court — it’ll be interesting to see how he does.
Harrison Ingram
The Spurs picked Ingram with the 48th pick in the draft and he’ll likely have a big role on the summer league team. At 6-foot-6 with a 7-foot wingspan, Ingram might be the best rebounder on the team — and the Spurs will need him to crash the glass early and often. Ingram is a good passer and has shown promise as a perimeter defender. Hopefully those attributes translate to this level. Ingram will also want to show the Spurs that he’s a knockdown catch-and-shoot three-point sniper.
Sidy Cissoko
Cissoko was a second round draft pick by the Spurs last year and enters his second summer league session with San Antonio. The 20-year-old says he lost 20 pounds since the end of the NBA season, so it’ll be fascinating to see how the sleeker Cissoko assimilates. As a rookie, his best moments were as a try-hard defender and a fast processing passer. To make it in the NBA, Cissoko is going to have to figure out how to be consistently useful on offense. That will almost surely have to include developing a three-point shot, which currently doesn’t reside within his repertoire.
David Duke Jr.
The Spurs thought enough of Duke to give him a qualifying offer in order to make him a restricted free agent. That’s a sign San Antonio wants to keep him around. Duke is primarily known as a hustle player who competes hard on defense. He’s also a good rebounder for a 6-foot-4 guard and his passing is improving. Three-point shooting hadn’t been a strength since he turned pro but he hit 37.7% last season in Austin — so there’s hope. Considering this is his fourth trip to summer league, Duke on paper should be the best player on this team.
RaiQuan Gray
Gray is currently on a two-way contract. I’m actually really intrigued by him. The 24-year-old is 6-foot-7 and somewhere around 270 pounds. He’s a big human being, no doubt, but he moves really well for his size. He was a point guard in high school and his passing ability is really advanced for a forward. Gray is also a quality finisher at the rim. Defensively, his physical presence is disruptive. To become a full-fledged NBA player, Gray will need to improve his outside shot and continue to explore and expand his innate point guard skills. Additionally, becoming a dependable defender and rebounder will help his cause.
Jamaree Bouyea
Bouyea is the other two-way player the Spurs have under contract. Honestly, I don’t really see Bouyea as an NBA prospect. He’s a skinny 6-foot-1 point guard who can’t really shoot or defend. He’s also not a notable athlete. That said, I like Bouyea as a table-setter in G League and summer league settings. He’s a really smart player who runs sets well and limits his mistakes. Bouyea might start on this team if Castle isn’t given the point guard keys right away.
Tyson Ward
Ward, 26, is the oldest player on the Spurs summer league team. Undrafted out of North Dakota State, the 6-foot-6 swingman is coming off a really impressive season in the French league. His stats don’t jump off the page but he played good defense, shot the ball well and made a lot of winning plays for a successful Paris squad. If Ward plays well in summer league, he could turn that into a training camp invite from the Spurs. Otherwise, he seems to have carved out a lucrative niche in Europe.
Riley Minix
Minix is easily the most exciting undrafted rookie on this team. Overall, of players who weren’t picked in the 2024 draft, he was one of the top 10 to 15 highest rated prospects. In fact, I saw a couple analytics models that had him graded as a late first round pick. Minix is a classic late bloomer. He hit his growth spurt late and then worked his way up from the NAIA level to Morehead State. At 6-foot-8 and 230 pounds, he’s not much of an athlete but he’s talented. He moves well without the ball, has a high release on his jumper and possesses deep range. Minix has to prove he can survive defensively but his stats say he’s a very good rebounder who can make plays on that end. If there’s one player on this team capable of coming out of nowhere to shine bright, it’s probably going to be Minix.
Nathan Mensah
Mensah actually played 25 games for the Hornets last season. A native of Ghana, Mensah will play center for the Spurs in summer league. At 6-foot-9 and 230 pounds, he’s a mobile defender who can block shots and disrupt passing lanes. Mensah can be bothered by strength and was a poor rebounder for a big at the NBA level. He also has a lot of trouble putting the ball in the basket. But, with the way this roster is constructed, Mensah should play plenty of minutes.
Seth Millner Jr.
Millner played for the Spurs summer league team last year. He was also signed to a two-way contract and got invited to training camp before ultimately getting waived by San Antonio. The most interesting thing about Millner is he’s a forward with a pretty three-point stroke.
Jameer Nelson Jr.
A 6-foot-2 point guard, Nelson is coming off a relatively disappointing season at TCU but there are enough glimpses of his father’s skill level that give hope he could make it as a pro.
DJ Horne
Horne is an undrafted guard who finished his college career at NC State. At 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds, his skill is shooting.
Tyrece Radford
Radford is a 6-foot-1 guard who plays a spirited brand of basketball. He’s not much of a shooter but he’s an elite rebounder for his size.
Darin Green Jr.
Green always sees a green light when he has the ball. At Florida State, had one of the lowest assist rates you’ll ever see for a guard — but he shot well enough to keep his hoop dreams alive.
Yauhen Massalski
A native of Belarus, Massalski is a 6-foot-9 big man who rebounds and blocks shots. He played in Austin last season.
Luke Avdalovic
Another player from Austin, Avdalovic is a high-level three-point shooter but that’s the extent of his game.
Overall Thoughts on the Spurs Summer League Team
It’s a fun mix of players. The trio of Cissoko, Ingram and Gray are big, burly, multi-talented, multi-purpose, pass-centric forwards who would be entertaining to watch play on the court at the same time. Duke should look really good. Ward has a chance to show he should be in the NBA. Minix is the wildcard.
But at the end of the day, this summer league team will be remembered for Castle’s play. When summer league concludes, we should have a better idea of how ready he is to contribute on the NBA level.