Inside The Spurs

Spurs Season-In-Review: Rookie Malaki Branham Will Be 'Heck of a Player,' Says Gregg Popovich

Malaki Branham still has a long way to go before becoming a go-to playmaker for the Spurs, but his impressive play in has paved his path to stardom in San Antonio.

Matt Guzman

Nell Redmond-USA TODAY Sports
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Prior to this season, San Antonio Spurs rookie guard Malaki Branham was hardly familiar with some his teammates, but while that may be a given, the young guard was a near-perfect example of a player who was "just happy to be there." 

Branham grew up watching the Spurs, recalling his favorite memories as the NBA Finals matchups between San Antonio and Miami. So, when the rookie arrived in San Antonio to play for the Spurs, he took time to just soak it all in — expressing his joy to just to be a part of an organization as rich in history as the Spurs.

And he admired coach Gregg Popovich.

"[Popovich's coaching tree is amazing]," Branham said with a smile after the Spurs' March 29 loss to the Jazz. "It's crazy, [but] it's been good."

Since joining the Spurs, Branham has left his mark on his teammates quickly, who know him much better now than they initially did. But while the other players took some time to get to know the rookie, Popovich saw Branham's unique potential right away. 

"He's going to be a heck of a player," Popovich said. "He shoot the ball well, and he's going to be getting in charged ... He's progressed fantastically and physicality ... [and] growing in confidence, and understanding that defense has to become more important. So he's been wonderful."

This season, Branham averaged double digits points to go along with nearly three rebounds and two assists on the season. The 19-year old was a strong beneficiary of the extended minutes he got during obvious Spurs losses, utilizing the time to build up chemistry rather than build up frustration.

And in just one year together, he and second-year forward Julian Champagnie made themselves known together — especially from deep.

The impressive stat marker hit by Branham serves as a testament to the rookie's potential that Popovich saw early on, and proved what the guard could bring to the Spurs lineup with some additional training.

"We just have to keep improving, keep learning," Branham said. "[And I need] to be more sure of myself. I need to be more confident knowing I can score and [confident] playing my game. And I feel like I've really been finding myself."

As the offseason officially sets in for each of the Spurs' players, Branham will continue to focus on honing his on-court skills and off-court leadership for his team. 

After all, the guard is just a rookie with a long way to go to cement his legacy among the all-time greats that have walked San Antonio long before him, but he's getting there.

And Spurs fans should be excited about that.

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Matt Guzman
MATT GUZMAN

Matt Guzman is a sports journalist and storyteller from Austin, Texas. He serves as a credentialed reporter and site manager for San Antonio Spurs On SI and a staff writer for multiple collegiate sites in the same network. In the world of professional sports, he is a firm believer that athletes are people, too, and intends to tell stories of players and teams’ true, behind-the-scenes character that otherwise would not be seen through strong narrative writing, hooking ledes and passionate words.

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