San Antonio Spurs Season Preview: Blake Wesley Following in Dejounte Murray's Footsteps
Behind Jeremy Sochan and Malaki Branham, Blake Wesley was the forgotten rookie on the San Antonio Spurs last season. In only 37 appearances he posted a measly five points, 2.7 assists, and 2.2 rebounds. Last year was more about growth for Wesley than stuffing the stat sheet, and this season will be no different.
Drafted 25th overall out of Notre Dame, the 20-year-old is still very, very raw. His 6-4 slender frame paired with his 6-9 wingspan makes him look like Dejounte Murray and the Spurs are taking a similar approach with him.
Murray was a bench player for his first two seasons behind Tony Parker. He didn’t develop into a promising young player until year four after he sat out the entire 2018-29 season with an ACL tear. Hopefully, Wesley doesn’t have to recover from a brutal injury, but the Spurs have the same luxury they had with Murray: they get to take their time.
Blake Wesley drives in the paint against Jalen Green.
© Troy Taormina, USA TODAY
Like Murray, Wesley is behind much more talented players in the rotation: Tre Jones and Devontae’ Graham. Similarly to Murray, Wesley is not an elite scorer yet, but he does have the tools to develop a good jump shot. His athleticism allows him to get to the hoop, and he can rise above defenders.
Continuing the similarities, both have defense-first mentalities. Murray was a steal champ and an All-Defensive player. Wesley has said, “Fans can expect me to be a defender [first]."
While this upcoming season will see Wesley have increased responsibility, he will not be a focal point of the rotation. He proved himself to be too good for the G-League, posting 20.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists in 11 games.
While in Austin, Wesley showcased an impressive 37% from three on decent volume, but his turnovers were a concern, giving the ball up 2.9 times per game, the same amount of times as he got an assist.
With confidence behind the arc, physical tools, and impressive defense, Wesley can be a very, very good player for the Spurs. Assuming Murray didn’t miss his entire third year, fans can assume he would have broken out in year three. Wesley is entering season two, so he’s right on schedule to use 2023-24 as a learning experience before he makes his jump.
