SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 03: Tarris Reed Jr. #10 of the San Antonio Spurs looks to pass the ball against the Miami Heat during the second half in the California Classic a NBA Summer League game at Chase Center on July 03, 2026 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) | Getty Images Going 0-3 in the California Classic is not good… I wouldn’t necessarily call it bad either. Summer League isn’t about wins and losses. It’s about seeing if your contracted young players can stand out, or finding diamonds in the rough in the G League. In Monday’s 88-84 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, the San Antonio Spurs got exactly what they needed from their new draftees. Tarris Reed Jr. and Ja’Kobi Gillespie had their best games of the summer, nearly leading San Antonio to a comeback win. Reed Jr. got a low-post seal, turned his shoulder, and finished through the contact for an and-1 opportunity late in the game, but rimmed out the free throw that would have tied it. Gillespie hit some big threes down the stretch to put the Spurs within striking distance. It was clear that both of those guys belong on an NBA court in some capacity. That’s about all you can ask from a Summer League squad. Now the team will head to Las Vegas, where Carter Bryant will join the team and almost certainly get to show the Spurs what he’s got in his offensive bag. With an NBA rotation player on his way, the team could find more success when they head to Sin City. Takeaways: Reed Jr. showed off the skills that made him a first-round pick. He played incredibly tough on the interior, making some contested shots through contact. He got a few opportunities to back a defender down in the post and use his size to seal defenders and create angles for himself. He made a nice pass to Gillespie on a backdoor cut for a bucket, flashing his playmaking upside. He had one good weakside block, but was overall a step slow rotating to play help defense. His role with the NBA team will likely be to set screens, rebound, and finish around the rim. He’s shown he can do that, finishing with 12 points and 12 rebounds in his second summer game. Gillespie finally got his shots to fall. He was super active offensively, cutting and relocating all over the place to get open. He finished with 19 points, 6 assists, and 2 steals. What’s most important is that he knocked down 5 of his 9 three-pointers. If Gillespie gets playing time in the NBA this season, it will likely be as a combo guard who can handle, but typically plays off the ball. Hitting threes, as he did on Monday, will be important to providing value in that role. Emmanuel Miller continues to show flashes, but forces it a bit too often. He had 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals in the loss. Maliq Brown has been incredible defensively to start the Summer League. He may have one defensive flaw: he leaves his feet a bit too often, jumping for pump fakes. ...read more read less