How glorious it is to see Tarris Reed Jr. end up a San Antonio Spur. The Bear snuck into the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft, after quietly rising up draft boards in recent weeks thanks to his intriguing measurements and workouts. He’s teaming up with another former Husky in Steph Castle on one of the best teams in the league.
After watching Huskies go to poorly managed organizations like Charlotte and New Orleans in recent years, Reed going to San Antonio is a breath of fresh air. The house that RC Buford and Gregg Popovich built runs the franchise like a finely-tuned machine, drafting and developing the likes of Keldon Johnson, Tre Jones, Dejounte Murray, and Derrick White over the years, all late-round picks.
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Beyond the organizational pedigree, there’s an immediate pathway for Reed Jr.
Backup center Luke Kornet is in year two of a $41 million deal. The 7’1 former Boston big averaged six ppg and six rpg last year in a career-high 21 mpg, but averaged only 3.7 ppg in 13 mpg in the playoffs.
The Spurs desperately needed more than just size in the post to back up Wemby. There was also no one to put the ball in the basket when Wemby sat beyond Dylan Harper. Kornet offered next to nothing beyond an occasional lob, and his lack of athleticism was exposed in switches defensively.
Enter Tarris Reed Jr, who can now keep frontcourts honest. He also made massive strides as a defender, adjusting in year two under Hurley to the intensive defensive scrutiny he puts on his big men. He always had the mobility to stay in front of quicker players and the length to recover; now he can read angles and defenses.
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There’s a world where Reed can end up taking some, if not all, of Kornet’s minutes his rookie year. Not a bad baseline.
Using that role classifier below, Reed has the potential to slot into two roles as a backup big in the league. He’s already a solid post scorer, a skill that should translate to the next level albeit in a less featured role. His ability to become a serviceable roll & cut big will determine his ceiling.
How dire of a need was an athletic, mobile, space-eating big man? Reed Jr was technically part two of San Antonio’s double-down on the center position from last month’s draft.
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Six picks earlier, San Antonio took 6’10 Kentucky big Jaiden Quaintance. But Q is recovering from meniscus surgery, having only appeared in four games for the Wildcats last season. Quaintance on paper is a skilled two-way big man that can protect the rim at an elite level, but needs to stay on the court. In a perfect world, he and Reed combine to become the Bash Brothers on the bench protecting Wemby the way Kornet did from the overly physical treatment he’s begun to receive. Except unlike Kornet, Reed (and Quaintance) have higher ceilings.
The timetable for Q is unclear, and thus the draft plan from the Spurs makes sense. Let him recover without an urgent timeline, and put the older, more proven Reed out there to see if he can provide an immediate impact.
Los Spurs traded up for Tarris. There’s a plan for him. There are no other backup bigs on the roster beyond Kornet and Quaintance. Reed will have all summer to make his mark; he started the first Summer League game over the weekend, scoring 10 points on 3-of-10 shooting, with seven rebounds in 27 minutes. He followed that up with his first professional double-double, scoring 12 points (on 10 shots) and snagging 12 rebounds.
All UConn fans want to see from their guys at the next level is a plan. There didn’t seem to be a plan for Liam McNeeley with the Hornets. For the Spurs, it’s simple: beef up around Wemby. The superstar needs enforcers around him to ascend to the next level. It’s exciting there are not one but two Huskies involved in a team’s very shrewd and very intentional efforts to become the next dynasty.
