Summer Spurs’ time in Las Vegas comes to an end with blowout loss to 76ers

After three solid games in Las Vegas, the Summer Spurs had a chance to make the semi-finals on Sunday with a win over the Philadelphia 76ers and loss from either Golden State or Miami, but instead, the sloppy, disjointed version of the team we saw in Sacramento made a return. The Spurs struggled to score and hold on to the ball in the first quarter, getting down 25-12 with six turnovers.

They made a valiant comeback attempt in the middle quarters led by Jamaree Bouyea, even briefly taking the lead in third quarter, but they ran out of gas in the fourth as the 76ers ran away with the game in the final minutes, handing them the 96-80 loss. The defeat moves the Spurs to 3-1 and too far back in point-differential if a tie-breaker is needed, so their Summer League is over regardless of any other outcomes.

Observations

• Stephon Castle can certainly make the case for being the Spurs’ best player in Summer League when he was available, but Jamaree Bouyea was their MVP. He scored 8 points in second quarter to help lead Spurs back and helped keep the Spurs alive throughout the game, finishing with 15 points and 6 steals. (In case you didn’t know, he owns a tie for a G League record of 9 steals in a game.) There is zero reason to believe he won’t remain a Spurs two-way player next season, and who knows? With both Chris Paul and Tre Jones hitting free agency next summer, he could earn himself more.
• Harrison Ingram was the only one who had anything going early for the Spurs, scoring their first six points, and he remained solid all game with 14 points on 3-5 shooting from three, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists. He is looking like a very solid pick at 48th, and I expect him to sign a two-way contract with the Spurs. He seems good enough to be more than just an Austin Spur but still could use plenty of reps there.
• Sidy Cissoko gets a bit of a pass considering he was coming off minor knee surgery, but still, he lacks an offensive game outside of passing. His only two points came from the line, and he was 0-3 from beyond the arc. His defense and flashes on the offensive side still make him a tantalizing prospect with an unknown ceiling at this point, but he will still likely start the season on the outside of the rotation and spending time in Austin to hone that side of his game.
• I like Riley Minix’s offensive game. He has a soft touch outside and moves well both with and without the ball. It wasn’t his best shooting night, shooting just 2-7 from the field, but even his misses look good when they leave his hands. I wouldn’t mind seeing him with the Austin Spurs to see if he can work his way up.
• It’s a shame David Duke Jr. never got a chance to make a case for himself in SL due to a hip issue. He looked good as a potential 3&D wing in a few games at the end of the regular season, he was part of the mass-wave that helped make cap space for Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes. He could always return on a two-way deal again, but it probably would have helped if he could have made a case for himself in Vegas.

And with that, we have officially hit the doldrums of the off-season. Barring any more unexpected moves, the Spurs have filled up their 15 main roster spots, but still have two two-ways to work with. The next actual game will be the Spurs’ preseason opener against the Thunder on October 7.

We appreciate all you Pounders do to keep us going Be sure to stick around all summer for more Spurs coverage, Victor Wembanyama at the Olympics, and any other off-the-wall content we can think of. Happy Summer!