Scott Wachter-Imagn Images Wesley has been in the league for three years but never had the consistent playing time to prove he’s an NBA player. The rest of the season should offer some answers. The main silver lining from De’Aaron Fox being out for the season was that it would give Stephon Castle the minutes and the increased role necessary to lock down Rookie of the Year and show what he could do as a lead creator. So far, the results seem good, as Castle is thriving. A by-product of the rotation changes that didn’t feel all that significant at the time was that it would open up some minutes for Blake Wesley. After a few games, now it seems like the opportunity to get playing time could be crucial in speeding up Wesley’s development or at least give the Spurs a better idea of what he can do. Wesley is just 22 years old but already wrapping up his third season in the league. He declared himself eligible for the 2022 draft after just one year at Notre Dame. It was the right choice for him financially, but not for his development as a player. Wesley was as raw as they come, an intriguing athlete with a high motor but no refined skills. He still hasn’t logged 1,000 minutes with the big team and has spent a lot of time in Austin. The most important improvement he needed to make to push for playing time was to become a reliable shooter and he hasn’t been able to do that. Other more promising youngsters joined the team and he lost ground in the rotation. No one can blame the Spurs for not finding a use until now for a guy who was often a liability on offense. Things have changed. Injuries and trades, combined with the play-in looking like an impossibility, have created a situation in which playing Wesley is not only viable but also desirable. With Chris Paul starting, Tre Jones gone and Fox out for the season, someone needs to play backup point guard. And if the Spurs lose the Wesley minutes, so be it. They are not playing for anything at this point. San Antonio picked his (and Malaki Branham’s) player option for next season, so it’s in their best interest to see if he could actually fill a role when everyone is healthy. It’s dangerous to trust March numbers, as good teams are already focusing on the playoffs and bad teams don’t have their best players on the floor often and are giving opportunities to guys who didn’t get minutes earlier, like the Spurs are doing with Wesley. With that caveat out of the way, Wesley seems to be making the most of his opportunity. Since cracking the rotation five games ago, he’s averaging 6.6 points, two rebounds, three assists and 1.5 steals in 18 minutes a game while shooting well from beyond the arc, sinking at least one three-pointer in three of his five appearances. Numbers from a handful of games can be more deceiving than the eye test. Watching Wesley play reveals that he’s helpful on the defensive end, where he pressures full court and gets steals, but still has ways to go as an offensive player. Opponents still don’t respect his outside shot, and his 3-for-3 performance against the 76ers feels fluky. He still struggles to finish inside and doesn’t seem to have the tightest handle or lead guard-caliber court vision. His best attribute is his motor, as he never stops moving or playing hard, which in his defense allows him to negate his weaknesses at times. Nothing suggests Welsey has made a leap, but that’s why he should at minimum continue to get the 18 minutes a game he’s been averaging in the past five games. As mentioned, he’ll be on the books next season and has played three years in the NBA. It’s time to see if he’s someone who could start the next training camp as the incumbent backup point guard or if he’s a project that still needs time to develop. There have been flashes in the past and they have been less sporadic in the recent stretch, but Wesley has never been consistent. It’s hard to be on the tiny role he’s played for most of his career and while being on a short leash, but those obstacles should be gone now. Can he make opponents pay for leaving him open? Can he run the offense, or at least reliably get the team into its sets? Is he actually an above-average defender or does he just run around a lot? The next 13 games are Wesley’s opportunity to answer those questions and audition for a role on a roster that should change significantly in the offseason. Up until recently, the Spurs didn’t seem in a rush to make any major decisions regarding their young players and their reclamation projects. After the Fox trade, there should be urgency to start trimming the fat. The mantra during the rebuild has been “we are not skipping steps.” But the next step is to actually build a winner, to craft a roster of real contributors with as few liabilities as possible. There are more important decisions awaiting the Spurs than figuring out if Blake Wesley is fit to play 10 minutes behind Fox next season, but they won’t be able to make them until the offseason. For the rest of the year, making sure they get a real sense of where the fringe guys like Branham, Sandro Mamukelashvili and especially Wesley stand should be a priority. ...read more read less