Spurs Season In-Review: David Duke Jr Excelled Amidst Given Opportunities

David Duke Jr made the most out of his two-way contract this season, showing flashes of great offense in the NBA and shining with the San Antonio Spurs' G League Affiliate Austin Spurs.

Apr 10, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard David Duke Jr. (7) shoots in a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. / Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

Boasting the youngest team in the NBA is both a blessing and a curse.

Filled with talent, there are only 48 minutes in a game to go around and unfortunately, it ends with talented players having to find opportunities in different ways. How a young player chooses to respond to those opportunities can often be telling of character, and San Antonio Spurs guard David Duke Jr. took every opportunity he could get. 

The third-year guard only made four appearances in the NBA this season, but when he was on the floor, he made his moments count.

Averaging 6.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, and an assist in just 13 minutes of play, Duke showed flashes of very efficient offense from the floor. Duke took the last game of the season as his opportunity to shine, producing 15 points and three rebounds in his first and only game with 20 or more minutes. Duke showed his ability to score while being extremely efficient, shooting 75 percent in that game. 

But he isn't done showing what he can do.

“(I'm) trying to improve everything," Duke Jr. said of his improvement. "I wanted to just take another jump and get better this year.”

Where Duke really thrived was in his time with the Spurs' NBA G League affiliate, Austin Spurs. Duke is no stranger to spending time within the G League, spending large segments of the last two seasons playing with the Brooklyn Nets' G League affiliate.

Duke has never shied away from those opportunities, and this year was no exception. Averaging 20 points this season, Duke showed an ability to score from anywhere on the court. Though he would see a slight regression from last season in overall field goal percentage, Duke managed to make a 5.6 percent jump in his 3-point percentage, up over 7.5 percent since his first season in the G-League.

His increased ability to make shots from deep pairs extremely well with his ability to grab rebounds from the guard position, averaging almost seven rebounds a game this season. Duke has shown all the potential to be a perfect wing prototype in today’s NBA, combining scoring ability with rebounding and defense that will allow him to find more big league minutes in the near future. 

One game this season that perfectly highlighted Duke’s potential to break free of his two-way contract in the coming seasons came on March 29th against the Iowa Wolves. Duke would only play 30 minutes in a meaningless four-point Spurs win, but in those minutes, he was the best player on the floor.

Duke lit the Wolves up from every spot on the court, scoring 34 points on an almost unheard of 88.9 percent shooting from the floor. Duke has shown his increase in ability from deep, as well as already having proven performances to boast. 

Duke’s third season matched that of the Spurs as a franchise: results not telling the full story. The value in gaining experience can not be overstated in a league as competitive as the NBA is.

Duke, much like the Spurs might not have had the most statistically impactful season, but the growth made over this season will leave a resounding impact on the future of Duke and the Spurs altogether.  

Season Grade: C+