Tarris Reed Jr.'s elite rebounding skills echo a classic Spurs second-round success

NBA preseason is now in the books for the San Antonio Spurs, and rookie Tarris Reed Jr. is already generating buzz thanks to his dominant rebounding. He averaged a staggering 9 rebounds in just 17 minutes per game. He's also grabbed an equally impressive 15 offensive boards.

Reed Jr.'s rebounding is already outstanding and reminiscent of another former Spurs second-round pick, DeJuan Blair. Blair is definitely a blast from the past, with him previously having spent four seasons with the team back during the early 2010s.

For those who remember his game, he was a talented rebounder, despite being just 6'7", and he even grabbed 20 boards twice during his rookie season. He went on to start for the Spurs for about two seasons before Tiago Splitter and Boris Diaw eventually replaced him in the rotation.

Yet his rebounding still ranks among the best in team history, and Reed Jr. appears to be as good as, if not better than, Blair was on the glass.

Tarris Reed Jr. has the rebounding instincts of DeJuan Blair

The Spurs haven't had as good of a rebounder as Reed Jr. in years. That's an exciting development, one that could give this year's team a different dimension.

Last season, they ranked 15th in offensive rebounding, but if Reed Jr. gets decent playing time, they could easily crack the top 10. Even with them being a mid-offensive rebounding team, they still ranked fifth in offensive rating, giving them room to grow in that regard.

If Reed Jr. continues to show this level of rebounding prowess during the regular season, then he could play a larger role than expected. That is similar to Blair, who quickly showed how good he was early on as a rookie. Hopefully Reed Jr. can make a similar impact.

Reed Jr.'s stellar rebounding skills could fill a needed Spurs role

San Antonio could always use a player like him, even if he is technically third in the rotation behind Victor Wembanyama and Luke Kornet. We could potentially see more two big-man lineups that utilize San Antonio's size.

Perhaps more French Vanilla with Victor Wembanyama and Kornet playing together, which could give Reed Jr. more playing time. Even if the Spurs don't play double-big-man lineups, we could still see him play spot minutes regularly, similar to Carter Bryant's role last season.

Overall, if Reed Jr. gets as much playing time as Blair did as a rookie, he can make a similar impact. The Spurs clearly haven't had this caliber of rebounder in years, and they'd be wise to play him, even in a small role, in hopes of capitalizing on his skill, particularly on the offensive glass.

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