Vassell missing early window of season offers opportunity for next man

The San Antonio Spurs begin training camp for the 2025 season on Oct. 1st, but they'll be without one of their key pieces for camp and a small chunk of the season. Fifth-year guard Devin Vassell is still recovering from an off-season surgery he underwent in April to repair a stress reaction in his third metatarsal head in his right foot.

Vassell played 68 games in his 4th season with the Spurs and averaged 19.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 4.1 assists on shooting splits of 47.2% FGM and 37.2% 3 PM. The former Florida State Seminole was announced out for the season after the Spurs 130-126 overtime win against the New York Knicks on March 29.

Now Spurs fans do not need to hit the panic button immediately, as Vassell's status will be updated on Nov. 1, per Marc Stein.

The former Seminole is not expected to miss much time. If he is healthy by the time his status is updated, then he'll be poised to return against the Minnesota Timberwolves at home on Nov. 2, only putting him out for five games. But his absence opens the door to a huge responsibility while he's out.

Who needs to step up in Vassell's place?

The first potential candidate to get into the starting five while Vassell is out is 3rd-year guard Malaki Branham. Branham racked up 9.2 points last season on splits of 43.2% FGM and 34.7% 3 PM. But he struggled with consistency all year and was a massive liability on the defensive end, with a defensive rating of 117, the 93rd worst in the league.

Keldon Johnson could also be considered to start in place of Vassell. He's gone through a notable transformation this off-season regarding his frame. 6-foot-5 is significantly small for the small forward position, and his work over the summer lets him naturally fit more in the two positions over the three.

But the guy who should be the number one candidate to fill in for Vassell during his short stint of absence is Stephon Castle.

The Spurs drafted Castle in June to be what the front office may consider the point guard of the future, then added veteran guard Chris Paul, who's known for mentoring young guards and elevating their game. But don't forget that Castle played a large number of minutes as the two guard during his one-and-done season at UCONN.

Even though the rookie guard classifies as a point guard, his Huskie teammate and now Pacers rookie guard Tristan Newton did a lot of the ball-handling duties in their season as teammates. During this time, Castle learned how to navigate the floor, create looks for guys without the ball in his hands, and space the floor.

This lets Castle get a heavy dose of league play right out of the gate on the defensive side of the ball. He would match up with elite guards Luka Doncic, Jalen Green and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander right out the gate. It also allows Castle to learn on the court from Paul and begin to establish his chemistry with Victor Wembanyama.

Spurs media day is Monday, Sept. 30, and begins at 9 a.m. (CDT). Fans should expect to hear more about the status of their starting shooting guard there.