Hector Ledesma Articles - Page 4

How unlikely was it that Sandro Mamukelashvili would be the player who’d make NBA scoring history? Through his first seven games in March, the reserve San Antonio Spurs big man scored a combined 36 points. In a 120-105 victory vs. the New York Knicks, Mamukelashvili scored 34. He did it under 19:26 minutes of playing […]

As a vital part of a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament, Cooper Flagg may find himself in the Alamo City come early April. Should that happen, San Antonio Spurs fans would be tempted to keep him from getting on a return flight to Durham, North Carolina. But outside of the consensus top overall […]

Stephon Castle led the San Antonio Spurs in scoring against the Los Angeles Lakers in their Monday night showdown. It was the beginning of the game, though, playing against Luka Doncic that sticks out most to the standout rookie. Often assigned to guard the opponent’s best player, Castle drew the recently acquired Lakers superstar. The […]

It’s been a tough season for the San Antonio Spurs. Perhaps no one has felt it more than Mitch Johnson. The assistant coach who took over for Hall-of-Famer Gregg Popovich very early on has been in charge during a year that started with promise but has seen since the losses of Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron […]

Keldon Johnson is the longest-tenured player on the San Antonio Spurs. But on a team that includes Victor Wembanyama, Chris Paul, Stephon Castle, and De’Aaron Fox, he’s often overlooked. Especially as the Spurs continue to struggle. But game in and game out, Johnson continues to contribute in major ways. Though he doesn’t start and though […]

Seemingly, everyone around Stephon Castle is talking about the strength of his NBA Rookie of the Year caliber season. Some are from a distance, too. Several members of the San Antonio Spurs, including his acting head coach and one of the team’s best players, leave little doubt about where they stand. During a recent Spurs […]

San Antonio Spurs acting head coach Mitch Johnson has taken an even-keel approach to most of this season. Since taking over for the legendary Gregg Popovich in very early November, the 38-year-old assistant has stayed away from headline-type quotes. Following a 145-134 loss to the Charlotte Hornets, Johnson may have come his closest to anything […]

De’Aaron Fox discussed his coming season-ending surgery on the heels of the related San Antonio Spurs announcement. It marks the second injury that prematurely ends the year for one of the team’s All-Stars. Acquired in early February in a trade meant to boost the Silver and Black’s playoff push, Fox did more than hint at […]

The news that De’Aaron Fox will miss the final month of the season because of injury didn’t surprise his San Antonio Spurs teammates. Perhaps the announcement came a couple of days early. But it wasn’t unexpected, especially to Devin Vassell. Directly following an early March game at the Sacramento Kings, which marked his first meeting […]

As San Antonio Spurs star rookie Stephon Castle continues to impress the NBA world, he’s making even more of an impression on those closest to him. The 20-year-old rookie from UConn has emerged as the clear front runner for the league’s Rookie of the Year. To those on his team, he’s becoming synonymous with the […]

In seven and a half seasons with the Sacramento Kings, De’Aaron Fox recorded one triple-double. He nearly matched that in his sixth week with the San Antonio Spurs. The 2023 NBA All-Star scored a game-high 32 points and dished out 11 assists vs. the Dallas Mavericks. But in terms of numbers, it’s a stat he […]

In the midst of a tough stretch, since Victor Wembanyama was lost for the season, the San Antonio Spurs managed a split against another struggling franchise by knocking off the Dallas Mavericks 126-116. It’s the kind of outcome the team’s leading scorer, De’Aaron Fox, wants to see more often. “It’s definitely difficult without Vic. At […]

With five championships, six NBA Finals appearances, and a league record 22 straight playoff berths, the San Antonio Spurs represented an NBA standard for the better part of two decades. Though it’s a level of success rarely seen through sports annals, the recent editions of the Silver and Black are light years away from previous […]

A 133-129 loss to the Dallas Mavericks continues a tail spin for the San Antonio Spurs. While the Silver and Black have sputtered since Victor Wembanyama’s season-ending injury immediately following the All-Star Break, two games vs. the Dallas provided a chance for them to get right back in the Western Conference Play-in picture. Instead, Spurs […]

The San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks not only share the same home state, they also share similar trajectories right now. Albeit for different reasons. Yet, consecutive games between the two Texas teams could prove pivotal on whether either makes the Western Conference Play-in. To some it may seem like a forgone conclusion that neither […]

San Antonio Spurs star De’Aaron Fox admitted that the finger injury he’s been dealing with virtually the entire season may cut his year short. Following the team’s 127-109 loss at the Sacramento Kings in a game that represented Fox’s return to the city where he spent his first seven and half NBA seasons, the Spurs’ […]

While others around De’Aaron Fox, the Sacramento Kings and San Antonio Spurs may have focused on Fox’s return to Northern California for the first time since a February trade sent him to the Alamo City, the eight-year veteran downplayed its impact. “I haven’t. I’m not going to lie to you,” Fox answered when asked how […]

In attempting to set the record straight regarding his exit from the Sacramento Kings, De’Aaron Fox is also making another aspect clear. Victor Wembanyama is why he singled out the San Antonio Spurs as a preferred destination. “Why I wanted to come here,” is the way Fox described it to ESPN just ahead of his […]

Former Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox is ready for a return to Northern California — no matter what it brings. A little more than a month after the former Kings star requested a trade to the San Antonio Spurs, Fox wouldn’t be surprised if a homecoming doesn’t feel like it at times. “For the people […]

How big was Devin Vassell’s night in a Spurs win vs. the Brooklyn Nets? Only LeBron James has enjoyed a similar game in the annals of NBA history. With a career-highs in points (37) and three-pointers (8), the former Florida State Seminole also tied personal bests with four steals and 14 field goals. It’s a […]

Ruled out for the season in late February, Victor Wembanyama continues to be very present among his San Antonio Spurs teammates. The NBA’s latest generational talent carved a spot on the bench in the franchise’s homecoming from its annual “Rodeo Road Trip.” Teammates De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle maintain the rest of us would’ve witnessed […]

It’s safe to say Stephon Castle is no longer in a slump. After managing six points total over two games in New Orleans and 18 points through three games, including a match-up vs. the Detroit Pistons, the San Antonio Spurs rookie, who’s averaging 13.2 points per night, scored 22, 24 and 32 points in that […]

San Antonio Spurs forward Julian Champagnie as well as Oklahoma City Thunder players Kenrich Williams and Lu Dort were all ejected following an incident that could’ve turned into a brawl had multiple players not intervened. Both Spurs acting head coach Mitch Johnson and Thunder head man Mark Daigneault shared initial reactions to the altercation. “It […]

Right before the San Antonio Spurs announced that Hall of Fame Head Coach Gregg Popovich would not return to the bench this season, he addressed the team. New star De’Aaron Fox had not seen Pop in person since he joined the franchise. Harrison Barnes, like Fox acquired via trade from the Sacramento Kings, only played […]

A 130-128 San Antonio Spurs victory over the Memphis Grizzlies in the final seconds provided a positive end to the “Rodeo Road Trip.” The silver and black’s last home game before their annual excursion through the country took place on Feb. 1 vs. the Miami Heat. Between then and De’Aaron Fox’s game winner vs. the […]

De’Aaron Fox is no stranger to big shots, but he is still somewhat of a stranger to the San Antonio Spurs. The NBA’s inaugural winner of the Clutch Player of the Year Award, though, had the ball in his hands in the waning seconds of a tie game vs. the Memphis Grizzlies for the first […]

The San Antonio Spurs trade for De’Aaron Fox brought about a prediction or two of what it would mean for not only the team but perhaps for the NBA’s Western Conference playoff picture. But the anticipation of watching Fox paired with Victor Wembanyama has dissipated since the generational talent’s season came to an end. The […]

At a point not long ago, the San Antonio Spurs had won 59 more games than the Memphis Grizzlies through their total series history. Because the Grizz are among the NBA’s newest franchises, with history from the then-Vancouver Grizzlies dating back to 1995, the Spurs racked up that lead by winning 87 of their first […]

When the San Antonio Spurs traded for De’Aaron Fox, the reality that he’d be paired with Victor Wembanyama was cause for excitement. But because of this NBA season’s most devastating injury, there’s a new reality for not only the Spurs but Fox as well. “We feel that he’s not out there,” the 2023 All-Star shared. […]

One of the few bright spots in the San Antonio Spurs season that’s becoming increasingly frustrating has been Stephon Castle. The rookie from UConn’s play rose to the spotlight post All-Star Break when acting head coach Mitch Johnson limited his playing time in consecutive games vs. the New Orleans Pelicans. After combining for 18 points […]

A little more than a week after living up to the Rising Star label he earned leading up to and during NBA All-Star Weekend, Stephon Castle is having trouble getting on the court for his own team. San Antonio Spurs acting head coach Mitch Johnson played the standout rookie only 12 minutes in a competitive […]

With every loss, the San Antonio Spurs continue to drift further away from the Western Conference’s Play-in picture. But back-to-back losses to a New Orleans Pelicans team that is heading into the mini-series with San Antonio ranked last in the conference gives a sense that it may only get worse for the Spurs from here. […]

In the midst of the news that the San Antonio Spurs are going to be without Victor Wembanyama for the remainder of the season, ClutchPoints talked exclusively with one of Wemby’s teammates. Julian Champagnie has started at times for the Spurs, especially earlier in the season. The 23-year-old has been playing well lately, scoring 18 […]

Two days after the San Antonio Spurs announced that Victor Wembanyama was out for the rest of the season, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Gregg Popovich won’t return this season either. The winningest coach in NBA history hasn’t been with the team since suffering a mild stroke at the beginning of November. Unlike the Wemby […]

The San Antonio Spurs fell to the worst team in the Western Conference in a 112-96 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. The Silver and Black blew a big third quarter lead in their third game since superstar Victor Wembanyama was ruled out for the season. In his absence, one of the team’s biggest threats, […]

De’Aaron Fox has been playing with a nagging injury on his dominant hand for virtually the entire season. The San Antonio Spurs knew about his injured left pinky when they dealt for him shortly before the NBA trade deadline. But when both the Spurs and Sacramento Kings granted Fox’s wish of a trade, all sides […]

In the wake of perhaps the toughest injury news an NBA team has received this season, the San Antonio Spurs make a move to help bolster a front line that will be without generational talent Victor Wembanyama for the remainder of the season. The Silver and Black sign Bismack Biyombo to a second 10-day contract. […]

In what was probably the biggest NBA injury news the league has seen this season, the San Antonio Spurs were left with the reality of moving forward sans Victor Wembanyama. Hours after the team learned that their generational talent would miss the remainder of the year with a blood clot in his right shoulder, they […]

The San Antonio Spurs’ trade for De’Aaron Fox struck two chords with Spurs fans and most of the basketball world. General belief is that the organization has just given Victor Wembanyama a perfect mate. But another prevailing thought is that a Spurs team that was very much in the mix within the Play-in would have […]