San Antonio Spurs Season Preview: Malaki Branham to Find His Footing

After a strong finish last season, the San Antonio Spurs are expecting Malaki Branham to build on his success.

Last season, Malaki Branham looked like a boy among men. In his first 37 games with the San Antonio Spurs, it looked like he could have benefited from another season with Ohio State. After the All-Star break, he immediately made the naysayers eat their hat.

In his first 37 games, Branham was trigger-happy without much success. He only made 28 percent of his 3.2 threes a game and posted a poor showing of 7.1 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.7 assists. On the defensive side of the ball, he seemed lost, unable to keep up with the best in the world. Perhaps staying in the Big-10 would have been a good idea.

Then, without warning, he scored 22 points against the Kings on solid shooting. After that night, he looked like the steal of the draft. The 20th overall pick became a regular starter after his showcase against Sacramento and improved his averages to 14.1 points, four rebounds, and 2.2 assists. His shooting showed some improvement, but he still looked a step behind on defense.

Branham shoves his way to the basket against Jordan Clarkson.  / © Daniel Dunn, USA TODAY

This season, Branham will continue to come off the bench to start 2023. He and Tre Jones will headline a second unit featuring Doug McDermott, Charles Bassey, and Cedi Osman, but he will certainly get some playing time with the starters.

Presently, his offensive playstyle is similar to Keldon Johnson’s, just with more finesse. Keeping in mind that he is only 20 years old, there will be several nights where Coach Popovich has had enough and benches him for poor play, but there will be an equal amount of nights where he just can’t be pulled because he’s on fire.

His ability to catch fire, drive to the hoop, and finish with strength and athleticism is exactly what the Spurs were asking from Josh Primo. Fortunately, Branham has no off-court issues, and he was selected 20th instead of 11th. So far, he has been a total success at the NBA level, exceeding the expectations set before he entered the league. This season, fans can expect him to be a critical part of the rotation, and maybe crack the starting five if his efficiency continues to progress.