Spurs HC Mitch Johnson gives rookie his flowers for unreal effort in loss to Jazz
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The San Antonio Spurs are still searching for their first preseason win, but rookie Tarris Reed Jr. is giving head coach Mitch Johnson plenty to like. San Antonio fell 119-109 to the Utah Jazz on Monday at the Delta Center, dropping to 0-3 in exhibition play.
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The Spurs sat nine players, including Victor Wembanyama, De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper and Devin Vassell, which opened the door for their younger players to log heavy minutes.
Reed made the most of his opportunity. The 23-year-old center grabbed a game-high 17 rebounds, eight of them on the offensive glass, in 24 minutes off the bench. He finished with just four points on 1-of-6 shooting, but he also chipped in defensively with several steals and a block.
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After the game, Johnson made it clear that the scoring line was not what stood out.
“Rebounding is one of those where you don’t really get free ones, so if you go get 17 of them, that means you’re working,” Johnson said. “I love the physicality and the motor he’s playing with. He just has a nose for the ball and typically that’s a very valuable skill set.”
It was the second straight encouraging outing for Reed. In Saturday’s loss to the Phoenix Suns, he scored 10 points on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting and added five rebounds in just nine minutes.
The Spurs selected Reed with the No. 26 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. At 6-foot-10 and 270 pounds, he spent two seasons at Michigan before transferring to UConn, where Johnson said he “got coached really hard.” That background makes him more polished than the teenage prospects San Antonio has drafted in recent years.
His role in the regular season will be harder to pin down. Wembanyama is entrenched as the starting center, but Reed could push veteran Luke Kornet for backup minutes, especially with fellow first-round rookie Jayden Quaintance sidelined as he recovers from knee surgery.
Monday’s game belonged to Utah’s starters. Darryn Peterson led all scorers with 14 points, and all five Jazz starters reached double figures. The Spurs kept it competitive by attacking the paint, drawing 25 free-throw attempts in the first half.
San Antonio will look for its first preseason win in its next outing.
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