Tarris Reed Jr. wastes no time reminding the Spurs why they drafted him

San Antonio Spurs rookie center Tarris Reed Jr. has already impressed during the preseason, reminding the Silver and Black why they acquired him. While he has only played sparingly in the team's first three postseason games thus far, he's made an impact.

Against the Atlanta Hawks, he grabbed three offensive rebounds in just 10 minutes. Against the Phoenix Suns, he was even better, scoring 10 points and snatching six rebounds in just 9 minutes. Last night in Utah, he racked up 10 boards in his first six minutes and finished with 17.

His physicality and prowess on the glass have been evident, and he looks ready to contribute, even in a medium role this season. For a rookie to potentially do so would be a huge deal for San Antonio.

Tarris Reed Jr. reminding the Spurs why they drafted him

After all, they revamped their center depth, getting rid of veteran centers and replacing them with Reed Jr. and Jayden Quaintance. Making those moves wasn't without risk. Kelly Olynyk, Mason Plumlee, and Bismack Biyombo didn't do much on the court.

That's true, but they at least provided San Antonio with veteran leadership, especially Biyombo.

Adding two rookies to the mix means there's less of a proven track record, though Reed Jr. appears ready to immediately contribute this season. If that's the case, then San Antonio drafting Quaintance and trading for Reed Jr. seems more than justified.

Reed Jr. may play a potentially significant role for the Spurs

Although Reed Jr. likely won't be a regular rotation player, he will still play a potentially significant role for the Spurs this season. Last season, Victor Wembanyama missed 18 games, while Luke Kornet missed 10 games.

Hopefully both will be healthier this season, but if they aren't, the Spurs should be able to weather potential center injuries better. That's something that the Spurs' veteran big men couldn't do last season.

That is exactly what San Antonio is hoping for from him. It should be pointed out that Reed Jr. is actually a stopgap center as the Spurs work to rehab Quaintance, who projects to have a higher ceiling.

That's true, but the Silver and Black clearly believes that Reed Jr. is ready to contribute right out of college and made the surprise move to acquire him on draft night from the Denver Nuggets. Thus far, that deal has panned out beautifully for San Antonio, with him playing exactly like they thought he would.

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