Ranking all San Antonio Spurs through 15 games

With the San Antonio Spurs' first 15 games now in the books, the team’s hierarchy is becoming increasingly clear. There are a number of interesting surprises with several players posting career years and helping the team remain competitive in a transition year. 

On the other hand, other players have underperformed relative to expectations and have caused the team to struggle with consistency. So where does each member of the Spurs rank? Let’s take a closer look.

San Antonio Spurs Tier 3: 15-11

Zach Collins has yet to play this season, though is expected to make his debut in late December or January. When ready, he'll likely see time at backup power forward and compete with Keita Bates-Diop for minutes. It’s a big question mark as to how he will play, though he's definitely talented and could eventually help the Spurs.

Jock Landale played sparingly this season before being placed in the NBA's health and safety protocols. It doesn't appear likely that he'll play much this season, though his shooting ability and experience playing internationally make him a solid depth piece at center.

Joshua Primo has also played sparingly in the NBA after being selected 12th overall in the 2021 NBA Draft. Despite his lack of minutes and being sent down to the G League, Primo appears to be far closer to being a rotation player than most would've expected for the youngest player in the NBA.

After all, through two G League games, he's averaging 21 points and 5.5 assists while shooting nearly 52% from the field. Primo may still find minutes in the NBA later this season, though for now, he'll have to earn that playing time by lighting it up in Austin.

Tre Jones missed the preseason with an injury but has gotten spot minutes in the majority of the team's regular-season games. He's proven to be a good defender, an effective driver, and a smart passer though hasn't shown any improvement shooting from outside. Until he does, he'll likely struggle to find consistent minutes this season despite some solid play.

Despite a sizzling preseason, Bryn Forbes has played limited minutes so far this regular season. When he has played, he has shot the ball well from three, though he's still a tire fire on the defensive end. At this point, he is what he is and Coach Gregg Popovich has responded accordingly by playing fewer than 12 minutes per game, though perhaps even that is too big a role for Forbes.