Devin Vassell was simply sensational for the San Antonio Spurs this past season: second on the team in scoring with a career-best 18.5 points per game on 43.9% from the field, 38.7% from 3 (on 7.0 attempts per game), and 78.0% from the line. Not bad for a player who had a career best usage Cleaning the Glass.
Vassell’s increased versatility is what impresses. He came into the league as a 3&D player but has evolved into more of a three level scorer. Devin is money from the midrange, shooting 42% on high volume (he ranks in the 87th percentile for wings in terms of shooting frequency from middies). He attempts a lot from the long mid (in the 98th percentile for wings) and he cashes out at 47%. His contemporaries at converting from shots outside 14 feet at that clip are Austin Reaves, Jaylen Brown, Michael Porter Jr, Cade Cunningham, Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Huerter, and DeMar DeRozan.
He reminds some of the midrange maestros that have donned the silver and black before him. Zach Lowe wrote in a 10 things column from late March:
“Vassell has hit only 21 of 75 pull-up 3s, but he's comfortable jacking 2s on the pick-and-roll. Vassell has tripled his pick-and-roll volume this season, per Second Spectrum. The Spurs have scored 1.05 points per possession when Vassell shoots after using a ball screen or whips it to a teammate who launches -- 46th among 207 players who have run at least 100 such plays, per Second Spectrum. Given San Antonio's ad hoc roster, that number is massively encouraging.”
All clips are from the 22/23 season
If you want a video of purely his midrange: • Devin Vassell - Midran...
www.espn.com/nba/insider/insi...
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