The Top 5 most surprising performances by Spurs role players

The San Antonio Spurs have long prided themselves on developing solid role players to complement their stars. From Malik Rose to Patty Mills to Boris Diaw, the organization has come to expect excellence from anyone fortunate enough to see the court in a Spurs uniform.

For every reliable role player the Spurs have had, however, there are multiple guys that only have a standout performance on rare occasions. While all of these guys have something to offer (some more than others, as you’ll see quickly), there was something surprising about each performance I hand-picked during my research.

Let’s get right into it with my most surprising Spurs’ performances in history, ranked from least to most surprising.

5. San Antonio Spurs – Lonnie Walker (2019)

I’m a bit biased here because I happened to be at this game, but this performance truly came out of nowhere. Before Lonnie Walker led the San Antonio Spurs to a dramatic comeback victory over the Rockets in December 2019, the most he’d scored in a game was 16.

In a winter visit to the AT&T Center, James Harden and the Rockets built a 22-point lead behind a combined 72 points in the second and third quarter to give the Spurs virtually no life. That was until Walker decided to single-handedly take over the game.

With San Antonio down 105-89 with just 7:20 left, Lonnie had this unbelievable stretch:

7:03 – Driving layup
6:37 – Driving dunk
5:10 – 2 Free throws
4:53 – Dunk
3:46 – 3-Pointer
1:07 – Alley-oop layup
41.5 – Made three
11.5 – Made three

Just try watching the last few minutes of these highlights without getting pumped up.

Walker’s efforts pushed the game into overtime — one he’d begin by nailing another 3-pointer. In the end, he finished with 28 points on 4-of-7 from downtown, spoiling Harden’s 50-point game in the process. Fittingly, he’d make the final free throw to seal a 135-133, double-overtime win.

At this point in his career, most Spurs fans knew Lonnie was capable of greatness, we just didn’t expect it to all come pouring out at once.

4. San Antonio Spurs – Dewayne Dedmon (2017)

With Pau Gasol out due to a hand injury, the Spurs called upon Dewayne Dedmon to contend with Detroit Pistons rebounding machine Andre Drummond in 2017. By the end of the night, he would prove he was more than up to the task.

Despite facing a Pistons team that was fourth-best in the NBA in rebounding, Dedmon pulled down a career-high 17 rebounds, a mark he’s never reached again since. Of those boards, five were offensive, allowing San Antonio some extra possessions in a 103-92 win. The seven-footer also shot 8-for-10 from the field to score a matching 17 points.

Dedmon did a serviceable job as a backup center and occasional starter for the Spurs in 2017, eventually earning a contract with the Atlanta Hawks the following season.

3. San Antonio Spurs – Charles Smith  (2002)

Now this one is old school. In fact, this game happened in the final year the Spurs logo had the iconic pink, orange and teal fiesta colors that have been so popular as a retro throwback this season. In 2002, the Sacramento Kings had their deepest playoff run since their Kansas City days.

With a loaded roster comprising of Chris Webber, Mike Bibby, Peja Stojakovic, Vlade Divac, and Hedo Turkoglu, the Kings had won 40 of their first 53 games heading into San Antonio to face the Spurs. Little did they know, Charles Smith was about to have the game of his life.

Smith could not be stopped on this night, scoring 32 points on 13-of-20 from the field and 4-of-5 from downtown. Malik Rose also had a stellar game off the bench, scoring 23 points and pulling down eight boards. On an extremely rare night in which Tim Duncan scored in single digits with nine, Smith and Rose had his back. San Antonio won comfortably, 115-92.

Charles Smith was a career 5.1 points-per-game scorer and only played in 60 games for the Spurs, making this performance a surprise. Still, there were six other occasions in which he scored 19 or more that season, so it wasn’t a total shock.

2. San Antonio Spurs – Austin Daye (2015)

Speaking of career five-points-per-game scorers, Austin Daye lands at number two on the list. Drafted 15th overall by Detroit, Daye spent the majority of his six-year NBA career as a Piston. In 2013, the Spurs acquired the 6-11 forward for Nando De Colo, but he would hardly see the floor.

On one particular night in Minnesota, Daye made the most of a rare opportunity to showcase his talents. Getting a team-high 36 minutes, Austin tallied one of his three career double-doubles in a 108-93 victory over the Timberwolves.

Burying 4-of-9 shots from beyond the arc, Daye scored a game-high 22 points and pulled down 10 boards to pace the Spurs at the Target Center. The Silver and Black weren’t exactly facing elite competition on that night, as the Wolves had lost 14 straight before the meeting.

Still, Daye had never scored more than 13 with the Spurs until this game and only eclipsed this 22-point mark once in his NBA career. At 32-years-old, Daye now plays professional basketball in Italy for Reyer Venezia.

1.  San Antonio Spurs – Joffrey Lauvergne (2018)

It’s not every day you see a guy averaging 2.8 points per game for the month suddenly explode for 26, but that’s exactly what Joffrey Lauvergne did in February 2018. Facing a Nuggets squad led by Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, the Spurs ran out of gas in the fourth quarter of this one, but that doesn’t take away from a once-a-career performance.

With LaMarcus Aldridge sidelined with a sore right knee, Lauvergne was the first big off the bench and simply couldn’t miss. Joffrey shot a ridiculous 80 percent against Denver, converting on 12 of his 15 attempts to lead all scorers with 26.

The 6-11 center also tallied 11 rebounds, two assists, and a block in his 24 minutes. Joffrey was another guy that rarely saw the floor for San Antonio, only averaging 9.7 minutes per game and making 55 total appearances in the 2017-18 season.

While his Poeltl-like offense made it easy for him to shoot a high percentage from the field, he also mixed in some impressive breakaway dunks in the game.

Joffrey Lauvergne signed a two-year deal overseas in 2018 and currently plays in the Lithuanian Basketball League.