New hire shows the San Antonio Spurs are focused on youth movement

The San Antonio Spurs announced five staff additions or promotions on Friday, and one in particular shows they’re serious about developing young players.

The San Antonio Spurs are fully embracing their youth movement as the 2020-21 NBA season approaches. Friday, they added someone to their basketball operations team to further drive that point home.

In a press release, San Antonio announced staff additions and internal promotions in their basketball operations department, headlined by the hiring of former Spur Danny Ferry as Basketball Operations Consultant.

While the Ferry hiring isn’t a total surprise since the Spurs frequently hire former players, another overlooked move they made hints at a greater focus on developing the young guys.

The Spurs have announced additions and promotions to their basketball operations staff: pic.twitter.com/wqrGXDhFmF

— Paul Garcia (@PaulGarciaNBA) December 18, 2020

Upon looking into Samson Kayode, there’s reason to believe he’ll be an exciting addition when it comes to scouting for future talent as well as working with the current young guys on the squad. As reported, Kayode will now serve as the Spurs’ Director of Player Evaluation while also handling the role of Austin Spurs Assistant GM.

How Kayode can be crucial with the San Antonio Spurs’ youth development

Two months ago, The Athletic named Samson Kayode (subscription required) one of their 40 most influential people in college basketball under 40. At just age 35, he’s established himself in USA Basketball, with his main focus being working with their Men’s Junior National Team program.

In that role, Samson helped decide which players should be invited to the program while also developing a curriculum that goes beyond basketball to keep the young guys mentally prepared. According to The Athletic’s profile, he also was involved in “identifying which NBA and NBA G League players should be invited to try out for Team USA.”

Kayode has also worked in the video department of both the Golden State Warriors and Detroit Pistons in the past.

Having someone in important roles that’s the same age as LaMarcus Aldridge can only benefit the young guys who may not connect so easily with some of the team’s older staff. The fact that Kayode has also worked with guys at all levels of the game will also be huge for both the San Antonio and Austin Spurs as he brings his experience to the role.

With the Spurs’ current average age at 25.6, guys like Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, and Lonnie Walker will need to continue to develop to their fullest potential in the Alamo City, and the team is well aware of that.