Sir’Jabari Rice proving doubters wrong in NBA Summer League

Former Texas basketball standout shooting guard/wing and defending Sixth Man of the Year, Sir’Jabari Rice, has opened some eyes in his first two games in the 2K24 NBA Summer League with the San Antonio Spurs. Rice made a big impact on the Spurs in his first two games in the Las Vegas Summer League, making two-way contributions in a reserve role.

Rice came up big for the Spurs in their fourth win in Summer League, on July 16 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, by a score of 98-94. In the four-point win over the Thunder, Rice was the only bench player for the Spurs that scored in double figures, with 13 points on 5-of-12 shooting from the field, 1-of-6 from beyond the arc, and 2-of-2 from the free-throw line.

On the defensive end, Rice was extremely disruptive and pesky for the Thunder guards/wings. Rice came up with a game-high four steals.

Rice’s impact on this game was felt in the plus/minus he posted in the win over the Thunder on July 16. He led all bench players for both teams in that game at a +12.

Former Texas basketball standout sixth-man Sir’Jabari Rice off to a stellar start in Summer League with the Spurs

What’s crazy is that Rice was able to score 13 points and grab four steals, along with one offensive board, while playing just 17 minutes off the bench.

He’s proving to be a two-way force for the Spurs in his first two games in Summer League since signing a two-way contract with San Antonio earlier this offseason.

This is the second straight game that Rice has scored in double figures off the bench. Rice also led all bench players in scoring when the Spurs fell short of the Detroit Pistons in Summer League action on July 14, 79-73.

It’s also worth noting that Rice leads all Spurs bench players in Summer League at +19 in the two games he’s played.

Rice posted 11 points on an efficient 5-of-10 shooting from the field, 1-of-5 from deep, and 2-of-3 from the free-throw line in the Spurs’ July 14 loss to the Pistons. Also, in that matchup against the Pistons, Rice was stellar on the defensive end, coming up with a  game-high three steals and two defensive rebounds.

Rice’s efforts on the defensive end, averaging a whopping 3.5 steals per game, have rocketed him to the top of the steal leaderboards in Summer League. He leads all qualified players in steal percentage (9.5) and is tied for the lead in steals per game.

Rice has delivered some highlight-reel plays for the Spurs while making some valued contributions on both ends of the floor in his first two games in Summer League. He’s proving to be one of the steals among the undrafted players in the 2023 NBA Draft class this summer.

If Rice keeps up this pace, it will be difficult for head coach Gregg Popovich and the Spurs to keep him in the G-League for too long during his rookie campaign.