Borrowing a term usually reserved for international soccer play, the “Group of Death” title fell on the Western Conference's Group C of the NBA Cup. The San Antonio Spurs won a pool that included the Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors, Portland Trail Blazers, and Denver Nuggets. That they advanced to the Quarterfinals of the knockout stage from a division where three of the four other teams are expected to make the playoffs isn't lost on Spurs guard Devin Vassell.
“This is huge. Whether people want to try and downplay it or not, we were in the toughest group,” the 11th overall pick of the 2020 draft said.
Vassell went into more detail, considering San Antonio has been shorthanded at the highest levels.
“To come out, it shows (even though) we don't have Steph [Stehon Castle], we don't have Vic [Victor Wembanyama], and we just got Harp [Derek Harper] back. Just the resilience of the team, everybody's stepping up, everybody coming in and having big minutes.”
Victor Wembanyama hasn't played since a November 14 Group C loss to the Warriors. Reigning Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle suited up in the following game after, but hasn't seen the court since. When Harper returned to the lineup in a November 26 victory in Portland, Oregon, it marked his first action since November 2.
Spurs win NBA Cup C despite injuries
The Silver and Black have actually been dealing with injuries since the start of the season. De'Aaron Fox missed the team's first eight games. Rotational players Luke Kornet, Jeremy Sochan, and Kelly Olynyk have all missed several games.
“Lindy [Waters], Jeremy, I mean I could go down the line,” Vassell continued about the contributions they're getting. “It was Carter [Bryant], anybody who came in, everybody had a impact. So, it's huge. This group hasn't played in a big game like that yet. And, I feel like these past two games were big games, and we were all able to step up.”
A perennial powerhouse, this season the Spurs have good reason to believe they'll make the playoffs for the first time since 2019. That recent win vs. the Blazers kept them in the hunt to capture Group C. A triumph in Denver, Colorado, represented a winner-take-all scenario in the toughest NBA Cup division.
“For us to be down two of our big players, and Fox didn't start the season, and Harp was out for a little bit, it really has been a show. I mean, everybody's stepped up. Whenever their number's been called, everybody's stepped up, and they've been ready. It just shows the depth that we have on this team.”
Vassell scored a season high 35 points in the 139-136 victory vs. the Nuggets. Role player Julian Champagnie added 25 points, while Keldon Johnson scored 15 and the team's leading scorer during this shorthanded time, Fox, chipped in 14. The Spurs will likely head into the Cup Quarterfinals against the Los Angeles Lakers on December 10 without Wembanyama. Castle may not be available either.
Vassell still likes the Spurs' chances.
“We're a deep team, man. And it's exciting to think that we're just scratching the surface.”
