Spurs' core flaw is finally being fixed by the last person you'd expect

After going 9-3 without star Victor Wembanyama, the San Antonio Spurs are back near full strength. During his absence, they were surprisingly great offensively, playing at a top-five level, with guard Devin Vassell playing a big role in that success.

Without Wembanyama, he averaged 17.2 points while shooting 44% on 6.3 3-point attempts per game. That offensive jolt helped jumpstart the Spurs offense without two of their three best players.

In fact, with Vassell as the second option, the Spurs managed to solve a key flaw: turnovers. As his usage increased, his turnover was still surprisingly low, with him barely averaging a turnover per game.

The obvious caveat is that Vassell is a score-first guard who isn't relied on to pass. Point taken, but compare that to Stephon Castle or Wembanyama, who both average at least 3.5 turnovers, and it helped the Spurs reign in their turnover issues.

Spurs' core flaw is finally being fixed by Devin Vassell

Not only does having fewer turnovers lead to more offensive possessions with a shot, but it also makes it harder for the other team to score in transition. Fast break opportunities mean teams had to score against San Antonio set defense.

The Spurs were competent enough without their two best defensive players to get stops when it mattered. Factor in their elite offense without Castle and Wembanyama, and that resulted in their strong play without those two.

Having a player who can drill threes and hit pull-up jumpers at better-than-average levels without turning the ball over was a huge help. Take, for instance, the Spurs' road win against the Denver Nuggets.

Devin Vassell is the Spurs' ultimate wildcard

They had just 8 turnovers, with Vassell having only one, yet he torched Denver. He scored 35 points on just 17 shots, including delivering two haymakers to the Nuggets by drilling back-to-back threes in the final minutes of the game.

With the Spurs' rotation now fully intact for the first time, Vassell will have to take a step back offensively. Fortunately, his game is scalable; he can absolutely fit in as a fourth option who can average at least 15 points while knocking down threes at an above-average clip and seldom turning the ball over.

Just ask the Oklahoma City Thunder, who watched as Vassell got hot late in their NBA Cup semi-finals game. He chipped in 23 points on just 13 shots and had one turnover to boot while still technically being the team's fourth option behind Fox, Castle, and Wembanyama.

But, if San Antonio needs him too, he can still have big games, making him their wild card.