Spurs Season In-Review: Devonte' Graham Struggles To Find Footing

San Antonio Spurs guard Devonte' Graham faced a drastic decrease in usage and production in his second year, which kept him from truly finding a rhythm.

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For any team, the ability to have a veteran presence in the locker room can be one of the greatest tools in the development of young talent.

It's not rare for teams to keep players solely for the role of veteran leadership or having an experienced voice to lean on. Players like Udonis Haslem or Andre Iguodala, at the end of their careers, helped show that there is more to earning a roster spot than being able to produce on the court.

What is unusual is for the veteran leadership on a team to be just 29 years old, however.

That's something that the San Antonio Spurs experienced this year after the departure of Doug McDermott. Devonte' Graham and Cedi Osman became the oldest players on the Spurs by at least three years for the majority of the season.

Another unusual thing about Graham's season with San Antonio is the fact that he held the third-highest salary on the roster, only $60,000 behind first-overall pick Victor Wembanyama. Graham is made this year and is set next year to make more money than freshly extended guard Donte DiVincenzo who is a major part of a Knicks team looking to push themselves into the Eastern Conference Finals.

While money has not been a worry for a team as young as the Spurs, you can't afford to pay a guard who only appeared in 23 total contests over nine percent of the total salary cap if you want to compete in a league as competitive as the NBA.

That's not to say that Graham hasn't been working on his craft and improving as a player. Graham, despite his lack of minutes, continued to keep his head down in practice, working hard and gaining the respect of his teammates along the way. Through mid-season trade rumors, serving suspensions, and a reduced role in the rotation the Spurs organization still has great things to say about Graham.

“We’ve had to compliment him a couple of times, just because we understand he’s got to be extremely frustrated not playing,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said of Graham. “But he practices hard. He’s up off the bench with his teammates. He’s very respected.”

Graham has shown an ability to be a successful guard in the NBA, averaging 15 or more points per game multiple times in his first three NBA years with the Hornets. Graham would finish fifth in Most Improved Player voting in his sophomore season, showing his versatility with 14.8 points per game and 7.5 assists to pair. Graham also found a groove during his short stint in San Antonio to end the season last year, averaging 13 points and four assists off the bench for the Spurs last year.

Apr 5, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Devonte' Graham (4) reacts to making a three point basket against the New Orleans Pelicans during the first half at Smoothie King Center. / Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

When Graham played this season he was fine but not spectacular, with his production dropping to just five points per game and 2.5 assists per contest. This was impacted by his minutes being cut by almost half, but even his per 36-minutes numbers neared his worst since his rookie season. That's not to say that he didn't have his moments on the court, including his game-winning floater in a comeback win against the Nuggets this season, but at least right now it doesn't seem the Spurs have long-term plans for Graham.

Despite his immense amounts of talent and a proven history of being able to produce, the timeline just doesn't seem to fit between Graham and the Spurs. It will be interesting to see how the Spurs approach Graham's contract situation this offseason, as the last year of Graham's contract is not guaranteed and it will come at a hefty price to retain the almost 30-year-old guard.

With the fourth and eighth picks in the draft, it's no secret that the Spurs will be looking to find their guard of the future. Whether that be by draft or by trade, it's hard to see a scenario where Graham finds more playing time in the upcoming season than he did last year, if anything the opposite looks to be true.

It would be hard to defend paying almost anybody who played less than 30 games for the team in the last two seasons over 12 million dollars, especially when looking to turn the corner and compete behind Wembanyama.

Final Grade: D+