Age

23

Height

6'6''

Weight

200

Workload

MIN%

57

USG%

19

TS%

54

Per 70 Possession Stats

PTS

15.1

REB

5.3

AST

2.4

STL

1.3

BLK

0.7

TOV

1.0

Efficiency

RIM FG%

66

MID FG%

42

3PT FG%

36

FT%

84

Jump to full report

Report by: Tyler Wilson

Devin Vassell

Forward San Antonio Spurs

Havoc-wreaking wing defender with a growing perimeter shot diet

Age

23

Height

6'6''

Weight

200

Per 70 Possession Stats

PTS

15.1

REB

5.3

AST

2.4

STL

1.3

BLK

0.7

Positions Defended

Offensive Role

 

Defensive Role

   

Meet Devin Vassell:

Devin has been an impactful off-ball defender since he entered the league thanks to his surprising length and anticipation. He doesn’t have an eye-popping number of steals and blocks but is consistently getting his hand on the ball for deflections and mucking up passing lanes for offenses. Couple that with solid timing and verticality when protecting the rim and you have an incredibly high level team defensive wing capable of playing in a variety of different roles.

On-ball Vassell has occasional venus flytrap moments, engulfing smaller ball handlers with his quickness and length. He is quick laterally but can struggle to flip his hips and when navigating screens, both on and off the ball. Devin’s slender frame makes it more difficult for him to handle the contact of a well-set screen, often resulting in a difficult rear-side contest or a forced switch. He has great tools recovering to contest shots, but relying on that consistently is a slippery slope. Learning to wriggle around screens is a skill-set that comes with time, but is a necessary development for him to reach a higher level defensive outcome.

Offensively Vassell has had flashes of brilliance shooting from both beyond the arc and in the mid-range but struggled to score efficiently on a consistent basis. His shot from three is more versatile than your typical 3-D wing, as the team regularly uses actions to run him off screens and get him open on the move. Converting three point attempts off of movement at a higher clip is an essential first step towards improving his overall efficiency. He has the volume at over 7 attempts per game, but 36% from distance is not high enough to buoy the rest of his offensive game.

Devin is a talented shot-creator in the mid-range with a reliable turnaround jumper at the elbow but was incredibly reliant on it, taking over twice as many mid-range attempts as shots at the rim. He has struggled to create rim attempts with any regularity, even out of ball-screen scenarios. Vassell is a solid athlete, but an unremarkable one and this is where it shows most. Without a powerful frame or elite short-area quickness Devin has had difficulties finishing through traffic in the half court which has ultimately resulted in an unideal shot diet. He looks to have added a significant amount of weight to his frame this off-season, time will tell if that helps him alter his shot diet.

Where Devin does shine when operating ball screens is his pull-up shooting and growing passing acumen. He has a high enough release point to where contests rarely matter, he is able to shoot over nearly anyone. As he has gotten more reps he has become more consistent finding open shooters on the perimeter and creating quality looks for his teammates. He doesn’t have the scoring gravity to be a high leverage option here, but the ancillary skills are there.

If Devin is able to increase his rim frequency he could be in for a sizable leap as a creator. If that doesn’t come around Vassell should continue to profile as a valuable and versatile defensive-minded wing with quick decision making and impressive shot versatility on the perimeter.

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