Grading splash debut: Vassell immediately shows why he's so valuable to Spurs

Devin Vassell touched down like when Thor arrived late to the battlefield in Avengers: Infinity War. He was electric in his 2024-25 NBA season debut, and fans of the Silver and Black were happy to have him back on the floor. The San Antonio Spurs have struggled on the offensive end, and fortunately, offense is Vassell's specialty. His presence immediately benefitted SA's attack.

It wasn't pretty in the first quarter. Vassell entered the game at the 5:35 mark and missed his first few shots. He deflected a ball out of bounds on the defensive end, but other than that, it was a pretty lackluster start. That's to be expected when you haven't played in an NBA game in seven months

It didn't take him long to shake off his rust and find the shooting touch fans have been waiting for, but it's not just his feathery stroke that makes Vassell special, and the Jazz got a demonstration of what that characteristic is.

Vassell's ability as a three-level scoring triple-threat separates him

The former Seminole is one of the few players on the roster who can get his shot off whenever he wants. Vassell's value is in his ability to be a playmaker off the dribble to create shots for his teammates and draw fouls, all while being able to flat-out score the basketball from all over the court.

It makes the game easier for everyone else when there's a threat like that for your opponent to contend with. He was sorely missed, and it didn't take long for the promising young guard to show Utah why.

Devin Vassell played 21 minutes, dropped 21 points on 8/13 from the field, and added two assists in his first game of action this season. He showed off all the tools in his bag, from the stepback three to his post-up fadeaway. He said he was eager to get back on the floor, and that anticipation spilled all over the floor at the Frost Bank Center.

Unfortunately, it didn't result in a victory, as San Antonio dropped the game 111-110, allowing Utah's second win of the season, but the beginning of something special is brewing. Victor Wembanyama woke up from his offensive slumber and chipped in 24 points, mostly due to establishing a new career high in 3-pointers made—he buried 6/9 from deep in the late afternoon contest.

You would think the Spurs would win a game like that, but their turnover problem only worsened with 20 on the stat sheet. Vassell had three of them, but again, his rust is expected, so you excuse those. His impact was way more positive than negative, and the game may not have been as close as it was without his abilities.

Integrating such an important player takes time, and once the Silver and Black redevelop their chemistry with Dev in the fold, this will be a much different team. Add Tre Jones and Jeremy Sochan to the picture, and San Antonio has everything they need to take this league by storm.

Vassell will be a star in that effort, and he's off to a great start. He must lose a few percentage points for the turnovers, but other than that, it was a pretty flawless debut.

Grade: A-