Overlooked Shooter Emerging For San Antonio Spurs

On Monday night, the San Antonio Spurs hosted the Oklahoma City Thunder in their preseason opener. The Spurs lost, 112-107, but like most preseason games, winning and losing is an afterthought behind development and experimentation. During the game, all eyes were on Julian Champagnie, who led all scorers with 22 points, and Stephon Castle, who made his Frost Bank Center debut.

Castle amassed six turnovers, but his defense, athleticism, and playmaking all shined through. As he uses the preseason to find his footing, expect him to make improvements across the board.

While Castle and Champagnie stole the show, another rookie, Riley Minix, also had a solid outing.

Minix, who went undrafted out of Morehead State, averaged 20.9 points, 9.7 rebounds, and shot 54.1 percent from the field in college. He played for the Spurs in the Summer League and landed a training camp contract. He is competing for the third and final two-way contract, and after his outing against the Thunder, he can make a strong case.

In his preseason debut, he scored eight points, grabbed two rebounds, and made two of his three shots from deep in only ten minutes of playing time.

"Riley is pretty fearless," said Stephon Castle. "He's not really scared at any moment, he can really shoot it. I feel like his defense has gotten way better even since when I first saw him in Summer League. He's just only improving."

Gregg Popovich, who doesn't want to give away roster and contract discussions, was more subdued, but still positive.

"He made his shots," praised Pop. "He didn't play very much, but he made his shots. That's good, it's better than playing a few minutes and making no shots."

The Spurs are known for finding diamonds in the rough and developing overlooked talent, and Minix is aware of that track record. After signing with the Spurs for the Summer League, he opted to stick with the organization.

"I've definitely wanted to be in this organization,  surrounded by this group of people, and I know they're really good at developing players and putting into their guys," said Minix. "I wanted to be a part of it."

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The Spurs are looking for floor-spacers who can catch and shoot after Victor Wembanyama, Castle, or Chris Paul kick the ball out to the open man. Minix shot only 34.9 percent from three in college, but he caught fire in the Summer League, making seven of his 14 attempts from behind the arc.

"That's something I specialize in, being able to shoot the ball," he explained.

If Minix can be a solid shooter and defender, there's no reason why he won't secure a two-way spot, and prolong his opportunity to prove himself in the NBA.