Unlike other members of the Spurs’ young core. Devin Vassell joined the team facing significant expectations. As the highest draft selection the franchise made since Tim Duncan and picked ahead of other intriguing players, he had pressure to show right off the bat that he was worthy of the choice.
At the same time, Vassell was a rookie in arguably the strangest NBA season in years. From a compressed schedule due to COVID, to a lack of a normal G-League season, there was every obstacle in his path. The fact that the team had few minutes to give him even in ideal circumstances didn’t help, either.