San Antonio Spurs' Sir'Jabari Rice Shines in Limited Action vs. Oklahoma City Thunder

San Antonio Spurs rookie guard Sir'Jabari Rice made his preseason debut in Monday's 122-121 road loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

San Antonio Spurs rookie guard Sir'Jabari Rice hardly seems like he's set to play his first season in the NBA, but it's not necessarily due to the fact that he's the sixth-oldest player on the roster at 24.

Rice, a Houston native who put himself on the national radar last season with the Texas Longhorns, went undrafted in June but joined a rookie class that includes Victor Wembanyama and Sidy Cissoko after signing with the Spurs. 

All three made their NBA preseason debuts in Monday's 122-121 road loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Even though Rice's first minutes didn't come until the game's final frame, he showed his poise and experience while being a main reason the Spurs nearly pulled off the late comeback win.

Rice entered the game for the first time with 6:41 left in the fourth quarter and the Spurs trailing 113-103. This lead ballooned to 116-103 a few possessions later, but thanks to Rice, the Spurs got made things interesting.

He finished with six points on 2 of 4 shooting to go along with two assists. All six of his points came on back-to-back possessions, as he got the defender to bite on a pump fake and an ensuing and-one before hitting a corner triple to make it a 118-111 game.

San Antonio Spurs guard Sir'Jabari Rice (11) shoots the ball while defended by Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (50) during the second half at Paycom Center / © Rob Ferguson, USA TODAY

Rice then assisted Devonte' Graham on a pair of 3s that brought the Spurs within one at 120-119 with 1:19 to play. The Thunder held on for the win, but Rice had been responsible for 12 total points despite coming off the bench late in the game with no warmup.

One of my favorite players to see last night outside of Chet v Wemby was Sir’Jabari Rice

7 Minutes⏰
6 Points🎯
2 Assists 🪙

One of the most underrated pieces the Spurs have🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/WCcxeEkTFx

— SochansSon (@SochansSon10) October 10, 2023

He'll likely spend most of his time this season in the G League with the Austin Spurs, but he's shown the coaching staff and front office that he's a valuable piece worthy of contributing to an up-and-coming young core.

The Spurs host the Miami Heat for their second preseason game on Friday at 6:30 p.m.