4 exhilarating takeaways from the Spurs' finale at the California Classic

The San Antonio Spurs dominated the California Classic, winning both of their games in convincing fashion. Their matchups in Sacramento acted as a preseason of sorts for their upcoming trip to Las Vegas Summer League, and numerous players notched impressive performances that left even the most optimistic fans surprised. So what can we take away from their first action of the offseason?

Malaki, You're Too Good for Summer League

It was only one game, but Malaki Branham proved why he belongs in the NBA. After sitting out on Monday against the Hornets as a healthy scratch, Branham showed no mercy to the Lakers as he dropped 32 points on 12-of-24 shooting, including a 3-of-6 showing from beyond the arc.

Branham struggled to find his shot or create space at the beginning of the night, but he quickly found his rhythm, scoring 17 points on 54% shooting in the second half alone. He demonstrated three-level scoring ability, finding his spots in the midrange, faking out defenders while driving to the basket, and hitting threes out of the pick-and-roll with ease.

It was more than apparent Branham was the best player on the court, and he looked like a full-fledged superstar in Sacramento. The second-year swingman is too good for Summer League, and we're only 36 hours away from seeing him team up with Wembanyama in front 19,000 fans at a sold-out Thomas & Mack Center during opening night in Las Vegas.