Despite the San Antonio Spurs’ strong start this season, a recent string of losses has led to questions about whether it is time to upgrade several key positions. Following their second loss to the Phoenix Suns, guard Devin Vassell’s play has come under increased scrutiny.
Although Vassell has played well this season, his production does not match his contract. After all, he is owed by the Spurs $105.6 million, including this season. This includes three more seasons in which he will make approximately $27 million annually.
Obviously, the salary cap continues to rise and that has led to an increase in contracts. Still, when the Spurs signed Vassell to a five-year extension, they did not expect him to be merely a good starting guard.
Devin Vassell is a capable starter, but not above average
To his credit, he has played well enough to avoid being a negative asset, which preserves the Spurs’ ability to trade him, and his huge salary would make a similar salary for a star. It seems inevitable that the Spurs will eventually move on from Vassell as they are forced to consolidate salary as their roster becomes more expensive.
In fact, if they were to extend Julian Champagnie on the cheap, they would already have a ready replacement on the roster. Although he is not a scorer at the same level as Vassell, he is a reliably good shooter and also has greater size and defensive versatility.
Or, more likely, if the Spurs can employ a 3-guard trio, Stephan Cassel is Vassell’s long-term replacement. This doesn’t mean Vassell doesn’t have more value as a stopgap option.
Devin Vassell is solid for Spurs, but not irreplaceable
He has been much more impressive defensively this season and has made big plays by forcing turnovers in the fourth quarter. Offensively, his 3-point shooting hasn’t quite reached the peak levels of 2022-23, when he shot a blistering 38.7% on 7.0 3-point attempts per game.
Nevertheless, he is still shooting above league average at 6.9 3-point attempts per game. Given how few shooters the Spurs have, him being a high-volume shooter is less important.
Since he was a rookie, he has seen his usage decline to an all-time low, with the Spurs having him as a distant third option and fourth option in some games against Victor Wembanyama, De’Aaron Fox, and Stephen Cassel.
In a vacuum, it’s OK for the fourth option to average around 14 points and play good defense. And it is, but he’s a very good role player now and he’s getting paid like an above average starter.
That is not sustainable. Thus, if he is not able to improve his play, Spurs should strongly consider moving on from him in the near future, given that they have internal options to replace him.
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