San Antonio hosts Phoenix for a second preseason meeting tonight, with five players already marked Day-To-Day. Away from the box score, the week's biggest move was a roster cut, not a signing.
Why did the Spurs waive R.J. Davis?
Davis signed in September on an Exhibit 10 contract, and RealGM, Hoops Rumors and The Spot Up Shot all confirmed the move on October 14. Hoops Rumors grouped it with minor cuts across the Southwest and beyond. It is a camp-roster trim, not a signal about the regular-season group; the contract type made him one of the first names cut once the preseason schedule wound down.
Is Tarris Reed Jr. forcing his way onto the roster?
The Spot Up Shot logged Reed Jr. with 17 rebounds in 22 minutes against Utah on October 12, eight of them offensive. Air Alamo framed him and Ja'Kobi Gillespie as two players auditioning for jobs that get reviewed again next summer, and paired his interior scoring with Victor Wembanyama as a potential frontcourt duo. The rebounding is real; whether it survives the regular-season rotation is still open.
Does Dylan Harper's rise mean Devin Vassell comes off the bench?
Air Alamo raised the sixth-man question after Harper's recent surge. But Vassell's own minutes have climbed too, up nine a night over his last three games with his scoring barely moving, the same stretch that lifted Harper. Both are also listed Day-To-Day for tonight's game against Phoenix. Nothing in the pattern points to Vassell losing his spot; it points to a lineup still being pieced together.
Has Julian Champagnie settled the forward spot for good?
Air Alamo ran two pieces this week on Champagnie, one crediting his attitude with earning Mitch Johnson's confidence to start, another comparing his rise favorably to Jeremy Sochan's time in San Antonio. Last season he played all 82 games, hit 38.1 percent from three and grabbed 5.8 rebounds a night. That durability and shooting profile back up the outlet's case for a real role, not just camp buzz.
Why are the Spurs wearing throwback jerseys this season?
The Athletic and ESPN both reported the Spurs will wear ABA-era throwback uniforms this season, part of a 50th-anniversary tribute shared with the Nets, Pacers and Nuggets. San Antonio's franchise actually started in the ABA, as the Dallas Chaparrals in 1967, before joining the NBA in the 1976 merger. The jerseys tie a marketing rollout to real franchise history, not an invented angle.
Did the Spurs sign or waive R.J. Davis?
They waived him on October 14, after he had signed in September on an Exhibit 10 contract, as RealGM and Hoops Rumors both reported.
Is Devin Vassell becoming a bench player?
Not based on his own minutes, which have risen along with Harper's over the last three games; it is a question Air Alamo has raised, not a change that has happened.
More from The River Walk Report
all Spurs news →
Morning · Wed, Oct 14Davis Is Out, Six Starters Uncertain as Phoenix Returns
Rumor check · Tue, Oct 13Rumor Check: Davis In and Out, While Trade Chatter Stays Empty
Around the beat · Sun, Oct 11Around the Beat: Fox's Level, a Ball-Handling Debate, Brown's Flicker
Around the beat · Tue, Oct 6Around the Beat: Keldon's Price Tag, a Crowded Backcourt, Castle's Ceiling
Around the beat · Sat, Oct 3Around the Beat: Wemby's Betting Stance, the Lineup Debate, Camp Reps
Around the beat · Mon, Sep 28Around the Beat: Harper's Ceiling, Castle's Turnovers and a Roster Now Set