Tarris Reed's 7-minute stretch should start a new Spurs conversation about backup center

Tarris Reed Jr. got busy in his limited action on Saturday night against the Mavericks. It's no coincidence that the Spurs blew the game open once his infectious energy spread throughout the floor. San Antonio's 26th overall pick stepped on the court and secured three rebounds, a putback, and dove on the floor for a loose ball. It was immediate impact.

It was the kind of production fans have craved from their backup big. "That's my game. That's what San Antonio brought me here to do. To rebound. To be a physical force with competitiveness," the Bear told SI's Matt Guzman after the win.

Reed was the lightning rod the Spurs needed to close out the Mavs

Tarris has been consistent about why he was brought here, going back to Air Alamo's exclusive interview in July. He gave exactly what fans expected when he got in the game. Reed was a +9 in just under three minutes to start the fourth quarter.

You could almost feel the Silver and Black's energy pick up after the former UConn star. All of a sudden, they were flying around on defense, finally controlling their North Texas rivals. That was a struggle before, as the Mavericks scored at least 29 points in each of the first three quarters.

Almost nine minutes into the final period, they had only put seven more on the board. It was only a three-point game at the end of the third, 89-92. With 3:57 left to play, the score was 116-96. The spark came from the Tarris Reed minutes fans have been craving since they saw him gobble up rebounds in the preseason like Pac-Man.

Luke Kornet's job should be under the microscope

The calls for him to take Luke Kornet's spot will only get louder now. The 2026 playoffs shone a spotlight on the need for more from the second center. Luke's regular season was solid, but his postseason play wasn't, and the difference was glaring. It hasn't felt like he's really picked it up to start this campaign either, leaving much to be desired when Victor Wembanyama takes a break.

The numbers back that up. Kornet finished the game with a -18 plus/minus. He's a -6.3 on the season through three games, according to Basketball Reference. I asked Mitch Johnson what he thinks about how Korn on the Lob has played this year, and his answer was very nuanced.

“Luke's been great. Yeah, I mean, he does what he always does for us. He's a connector. He's a great screener. He's a great team defender. And you know, there's some stuff in there where we're starting to try to get him in some better spots to be impactful offensively for us... And looking forward to kind of growing that.” - Mitch Johnson

The first half of that response was complimentary, but it was very basic. The real insight came in the second part, where Coach Johnson began hedging his words. The inference is that Kornet has not been very impactful offensively, and they're trying to figure out how to change that. I don't expect a Mitch to trash his players on the podium. That may be Steve Kerr's style, but it's not how Johnson operates.

The truth is that there have been struggles from everyone on both ends of the floor, so it's not all on Luke. However, there are limitations to No. 7's game that make his shortcomings more glaring.

He doesn't have great foot speed, so he can only play drop coverage on pick-and-rolls, opening up shooting opportunities for opposing guards. Kornet doesn't rebound very well. Coach is right about his abilities as a screener and connector, but they need more on offense from him, and I don't know how they manufacture that.

The answer might simply be to play more Tarris Reed Jr. If the Bear is going to play like his life is on the line every time he enters the game, you want him out there. He's a rookie, so he'll have his share of growing pains too, especially when the competition ratchets up, but his knack for rebounding is special. You want special on the floor.

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