3 Spurs who must step up with Devin Vassell out of commission

1.) Malaki Branham

After encouraging play during the preseason, where it looked as though second-year guard Malaki Branham had taken a step forward, he has stumbled out of the gate. He has seen his minutes drop, partly due to Osman's strong play, though Branham could start in place of Vassell as he did in the second half of the Suns game. That could be just what he needs to get going, though he may not be their best option to start with Jones being a better option.

Still, Pop has been known to start players who have had minimal roles to keep his rotations in tact and he may do the same with Branham. Branham would give the Spurs another ball-handler in the starting lineup and despite his shooting numbers thus far, his shot looks better than it did last season and he even drained 47.1% of his threes during the preseason.

Whether he starts or continues to come off the bench, he is likely to see an uptick in minutes without Vassell. The Spurs could certainly use Branham's shooting if they hope to continue their encouraging offensive play and he may be able to deliver with increased minutes.