Extra Point: How Much Does Devin Vassell's Return Help Wembanyama?

With a salty scorer back on the court, how much pressure has been taken off of the young French phenom's shoulders?

Mar 17, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) and guard Devin Vassell (24) react during overtime against the Brooklyn Nets at Moody Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images / Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

With any young player trying to shape themselves into one of if not the league's best, the supporting cast matters as much as anything, and the San Antonio Spurs got a big piece of theirs back in their last game.

Devin Vassell returned to the Spurs lineup and poured in 21 points in 22 minutes of play on 8-13 shooting. His +/- for the game finished at around -13 due in large part to fiver personal fouls, but a legit outside scoring threat might be exactly what Wembanyama and company needed to bolster the offense even further.

With Vassell courting some attention on the perimeter, Victor Wembanyama was able to free himself up in a bit more space at times down low. The Frenchman finished with 24 points in the one-point loss to Utah and swatted seven shots in the process. That stat line stood as a marked improvement over his previous two games, where Wembanyama did not manage to break the 20-point mark.

Vassell suffered an injury in March of this year that led to a surgery this offseason before he could rejoin his teammates on the floor. The former Florida State Seminole spoke to media following the team's close loss to Utah.

"It's been a long time," said Vassell. "I haven't played in a long time. During the offseason I was kind of frustrated, because at the end of the day I just wanted to be out there with my teammates and play with them, have training camp and everything, but I was able to get through it."

The Spurs resume play tonight against the Sacramento Kings, who visit San Antonio on the back half of a back-to-back slate. Tip off is scheduled for 7 p.m.