Sir’Jabari Rice stands out in NBA Summer League debut for Spurs

After getting picked up by the San Antonio Spurs on a two-way contract, former Texas basketball standout shooting guard/wing Sir’Jabari Rice was stellar on both ends of the floor in his NBA Summer League debut on July 14. Rice was a two-way spark for the Spurs Summer League squad off the bench against the Detroit Pistons.

Rice was arguably the Spurs’ best guard in his Summer League debut on July 14 against the Pistons. He was an efficient source of scoring on the offensive end and was highly disruptive on defense. Rice posted a game-high three steals and held his opponents to under 40 percent shooting from the field.

Meanwhile, Rice showed the efficient offensive output that the Longhorns faithful came to know and love him for on the Forty Acres last season in his 2K24 Summer League debut on July 14. Rice registered 11 points on a solid 4-of-8 shooting from the field, 1-of-5 from deep, and 2-of-3 from the free-throw line.

Texas Basketball ex Sir’Jabari Rice shines in Spurs Summer League debut

Rice has shot better from deep, but getting a feel for his spots from beyond the arc will take some time.

Another impressive stat from Rice’s Summer League debut was his plus/minus. Rice was a team-high +7 on the night.

Rice looked confident all night in one-on-one defensive matchups and even handling the ball going up the court and in transition. He wasn’t the primary ball-handler too often at Texas, but he did have excellent court vision and decision-making when he needed to take the ball up.

Despite Rice’s solid output coming off the bench for the Spurs in his Summer League debut, they still fell short of the Pistons by a score of 79-73. That should eliminate the Spurs from the NBA 2K24 Summer League, where the top four teams advance to a single elimination tournament to decide the champion.

This performance from Rice should help his case to get more minutes in the NBA during his rookie campaign, though. Since he is on a two-way contract and he went undrafted, Rice will have to fight for the minutes he does get this season with the Spurs.