<\/p>\n
San Antonio Spurs rookie Jayden Quaintance receives a jersey from Spurs general manager Brian Wright during a news conference at Victory Capital Performance Center in San Antonio, Thursday, June 25, 2026.<\/p>\n
Sam Owens\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n
At lunch, they made their grandparents proud by paying proper respect to the\u00a0softspoken 50-year-old gentleman with the gray dreadlocks. He\u2019d been something of a basketball player himself, back in his day.\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Or so the newest Spurs were told about Tim Duncan.<\/p>\n
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Later, their family members all beamed as they filed into the three rows of chairs reserved for them, in front of the balloons and cheering well-wishers. This was an afternoon not only for the kids, but also for everyone who\u2019d helped get them to San Antonio, and the team pulled out all the stops to let them know they were welcome here.<\/p>\n
In recent years, these displays of video montages, pomp and circumstance had become a late-June Spurs tradition, but Thursday it was different.<\/p>\n
This time, when general manager Brian Wright presented each draft pick with a jersey, it came with neither the hopes nor the dreams of a franchise pinned upon it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This time, the rookies were not being asked to reawaken the past<\/p>\n
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This time, they\u2019re just here to help carry on with the present.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s how an organization\u2019s summer priorities change once it\u2019s made an NBA Finals, especially with a core of young stars just getting started together. The Spurs did not need to add a difference-maker at last week\u2019s draft. They don\u2019t need to add one when free agency opens this week, either.<\/p>\n
Their biggest improvement will come from within. So what will they ask of Jayden Quaintance, and of Tarris Reed Jr., and of anyone they acquire on the open market in the next few days?<\/p>\n
Only to be ready to play a role, and to fill in around the margins. That should be enough.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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And if Thursday\u2019s video montages turn out to be the most extensive looks the public gets at Quaintance and Reed for the next year or so? That might be a good thing.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Spurs rookie Jayden Quaintance talks with a small crowd of people following an introductory news conference at Victory Capital Performance Center, Thursday, June 25, 2026, in San Antonio.<\/p>\n
Sam Owens\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n
Spurs rookie Jayden Quaintance talks with a small crowd of people following an introductory news conference at Victory Capital Performance Center, Thursday, June 25, 2026, in San Antonio.<\/p>\n
Sam Owens\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n
Spurs rookies Maliq Brown, from left, Jayden Quaintance, Ja\u2019Kobi Gillespie and Tarris Reed Jr. hold up their jerseys as they pose with Spurs general manager Brian Wright during an introductory news conference at Victory Capital Performance Center, Thursday, June 25, 2026, in San Antonio.<\/p>\n
Sam Owens\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n
San Antonio Spurs rookie Jayden Quaintance shakes hands with Spurs general manager Brian Wright during a news conference at Victory Capital Performance Center in San Antonio, Thursday, June 25, 2026.<\/p>\n
Sam Owens\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n
San Antonio Spurs rookie Jayden Quaintance poses for pictures with Spurs general manager Brian Wright during a news conference at Victory Capital Performance Center in San Antonio, Thursday, June 25, 2026.<\/p>\n
Sam Owens\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n
San Antonio Spurs rookie Jayden Quaintance answers questions during a news conference at Victory Capital Performance Center in San Antonio, Thursday, June 25, 2026.<\/p>\n
Sam Owens\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n
San Antonio Spurs rookie Tarris Reed Jr. attends an introductory news conference at Victory Capital Performance Center in San Antonio, Thursday, June 25, 2026.<\/p>\n
Sam Owens\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n
San Antonio Spurs rookie Jayden Quaintance answers questions during a news conference at Victory Capital Performance Center in San Antonio, Thursday, June 25, 2026.<\/p>\n
Sam Owens\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n
San Antonio Spurs rookie Tarris Reed Jr., right, shakes hands with his new rookie teammate Ja\u2019Kobi Gillespie during a news conference at Victory Capital Performance Center in San Antonio, Thursday, June 25, 2026.<\/p>\n
Sam Owens\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n
San Antonio Spurs rookie Tarris Reed Jr. poses for pictures with Spurs general manager Brian Wright during a news conference at Victory Capital Performance Center in San Antonio, Thursday, June 25, 2026.<\/p>\n
Sam Owens\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n
San Antonio Spurs rookie Tarris Reed Jr. answers questions during a news conference at Victory Capital Performance Center in San Antonio, Thursday, June 25, 2026.<\/p>\n
Sam Owens\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n
San Antonio Spurs rookie Ja\u2019Kobi Gillespie poses for a picture with Spurs general manager Brian Wright during a news conference at Victory Capital Performance Center in San Antonio, Thursday, June 25, 2026.<\/p>\n
Sam Owens\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n
San Antonio Spurs rookie Ja\u2019Kobi Gillespie poses for a picture with Spurs general manager Brian Wright during a news conference at Victory Capital Performance Center in San Antonio, Thursday, June 25, 2026.<\/p>\n
Sam Owens\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n
San Antonio Spurs general manager Brian Wright greets Spurs rookie Ja\u2019Kobi Gillespie during a news conference at Victory Capital Performance Center in San Antonio, Thursday, June 25, 2026.<\/p>\n
Sam Owens\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n
San Antonio Spurs rookie Maliq Brown sits beside Spurs general manager Brian Wright during a news conference at Victory Capital Performance Center in San Antonio, Thursday, June 25, 2026.<\/p>\n
Sam Owens\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n
San Antonio Spurs rookie Ja\u2019Kobi Gillespie reacts to a question during a news conference at Victory Capital Performance Center in San Antonio, Thursday, June 25, 2026.<\/p>\n
Sam Owens\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n
San Antonio Spurs rookie Maliq Brown poses for a picture with Spurs general manager Brian Wright during a news conference at Victory Capital Performance Center in San Antonio, Thursday, June 25, 2026.<\/p>\n
Sam Owens\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n
San Antonio Spurs rookie Maliq Brown answers questions during a news conference at Victory Capital Performance Center in San Antonio, Thursday, June 25, 2026.<\/p>\n
Sam Owens\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n
This is the way summers used to be in San Antonio. From Ian Mahinmi and Tiago Splitter to Dejounte Murray and Derrick White, prospects were drafted to be temporarily forgotten, either because they were still playing out a contract in Europe or honing their skills in the developmental league. And while the occasional July signing period brought a starter into the fold, it was mostly used to fill out the bench with backups.<\/p>\n
This wasn\u2019t because the Spurs weren\u2019t being aggressive enough. It was because they believed in what they had.<\/p>\n
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Now that belief is back, with plenty of high-profile evidence to support it. So unlike even a year ago, when there was an opportunity and a need for draftees Dylan Harper and Carter Bryant to make an immediate impact, the Spurs aren\u2019t building their expectations around newcomers.<\/p>\n
If they can find a moderately priced power forward to provide some extra muscle alongside Victor Wembanyama, and to soak up some of the minutes they gave to Harrison Barnes last year? Fine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If they want to throw a small contract at an extra shooter, or at a veteran point guard who can provide the same kind of insurance policy that Jordan McLauglin did? That would be fine, too.<\/p>\n
And if a couple of those signees turn out to be Barnes and McLaughlin, that wouldn\u2019t be the worst thing in the world, either. Harper and Bryant both are going to play a lot more next season, so the Spurs are going to add some guys comfortable with third-team roles.<\/p>\n
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The point is, if you\u2019re waiting for Wright to make a big splash this summer, you\u2019re probably going to be disappointed. There\u2019s a good chance that the most significant addition next season\u2019s Spurs will have is their own familiarity with each other.<\/p>\n
That is, after all, how championships are won. The top six scorers on the Knicks team that just beat the Spurs in the Finals were all on New York\u2019s roster the year before. In 2025, Isaiah Hartenstein was the only one of the champion Thunder\u2019s top eight scorers who wasn\u2019t around the previous season.<\/p>\n
So if the Spurs end up taking one extra step next June, it probably won\u2019t be because of a draft pick, or because they signed someone like John Collins. A newcomer or two might contribute something meaningful, but the biggest improvement will come from Wembanyama, Harper and Stephon Castle knowing a little more about how to navigate a tough playoff series.<\/p>\n
There will be a time for Quaintance, the shot-blocking teenager who infuriatingly revealed that Duncan \u201cwas (his) grandfather\u2019s favorite player.\u201d There will be a time for Reed, the Connecticut big man who said he already has a bond with his new team after making it to the final round of the NCAA tournament and coming up just short of a trophy.<\/p>\n
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But the Spurs were able to welcome the new kids without depending on them.<\/p>\n
And that\u2019s the kind of old summer tradition they don\u2019t mind bringing back.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"San Antonio Spurs rookie Jayden Quaintance receives a jersey from Spurs general manager Brian Wright during a news…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":764697,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[557],"tags":[64,63,590,85],"class_list":["post-764696","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-nba","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/764696","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=764696"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/764696\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/764697"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=764696"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=764696"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=764696"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}