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As the San Antonio Spurs continue to try and turn this season around, their two first round picks from this year’s draft are up in Austin putting in some strong performances. On Saturday, Luka Samanic posted a 26-point, 10-rebound double-double in a 114-103 win over the Windy City Bulls.
HIGHLIGHTS: @spurs assignee @SamanicLuka recorded a double-double in tonight's win with a game-high 26 points and 10 rebounds!#ATXSpurs15 pic.twitter.com/X8xAJVAqX9
— Austin Spurs (@austin_spurs) December 15, 2019
Post-ups, no hesitation to pull up from three, driving to the rim, some nice defensive plays and ball movement — Samanic could very well be shaping up to be the Spurs’ power forward of the future. The muscle and bulk he is adding to create an NBA-ready frame is visible as well.
As for Keldon Johnson, he continues to arguably be Austin’s best player and had his best performance yet on Tuesday with a 32-point, 7-rebound outburst against the Wisconsin Herd.
HIGHLIGHTS: @spurs assignee Keldon Johnson went off for 32 points and 7 rebounds tonight! #ATXSpurs15 pic.twitter.com/VMsrUUcwqb
— Austin Spurs (@austin_spurs) December 18, 2019
Johnson was known for his defense and ability to finish around the rim coming out of the University of Kentucky, but his three-point stroke is the key improvement Gregg Popovich will be looking for from him. Even though he’s only hitting them at 28% rate so far in 14 G-League games, he’s showing no hesitance to shoot them when open, which is the best way to improve. There’s still some work to do in that area, but he’s coming along.
As the Youth Movement continues, the Spurs have plenty of sparkling new toys to play with, and one day it will be exciting to see them all playing together. Just thinking of future rotation possibilities has me dreaming of a bright future.
PG: Dejounte Murray / Derrick White
SG: Keldon Johnson
SF: Lonnie Walker IV
PF: Luka Samanic
C: Jakob Poeltl