San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
Texas-ex Rice has energetic showing in debut
LAS VEGAS — Sir’Jabari Rice was back in his element Friday night and loving every second of it.
In his debut in a Spurs uniform after missing most of summer league due to an iron deficiency that showed up in blood tests for his physical, the undrafted rookie guard finished with 11 points, three steals, two rebounds and one assist in a 7973 loss to Detroit at the Thomas & Mack Center.
The loss knocked the Spurs (2-2) out of championship contention. They will end summer league play against Oklahoma City at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday at Cox Pavilion that will be broadcast on NBA-TV.
“It felt good to actually play again, to be in the flow of the game, to feel the excitement of the game, to run up and down and also cheer on your teammates from the bench instead of courtside,” Rice said. “It’s a different feeling, being around the game, all the anger, the different emotions.
“I just love the game of basketball, so it was a blessing for me to be back.”
In 16 minutes off the bench, Rice sank 4 of 8 from the field, including 1 of 5 from 3-point range.
“He’s definitely crafty,” said Spurs summer league coach Matt Nielsen, using a description often applied to the 6-foot-4, 170pound Texas-ex.
“He finds ways to put the defense under pressure,” Nielsen added. “And he’s a good teammate, very communicative. He was like that when he wasn’t playing. He’s a good all-around basketball player and a good teammate.”
Rice, a Houston native who signed a two-way contract with the Spurs earlier this month, said his chatter on the court is just part of his up-beat nature.
“If the bench is dead, who are the people on the court going to turn to?” he said. “I jut try to be that sixth man, on and off the floor, and try to bring excite
ment. If anybody is going to be the one that is happy and always bringing everybody up, it's going to be me.”
Dominick Barlow turned in another strong outing for the Spurs, finishing with a gamehigh 19 points on 8-of-12 from the field, a team-best 11 rebounds and two blocks.
One of the second-year forward's best moments came after rookie Ausar Thompson, the fifth overall pick in the draft, dunked on him. Undaunted, Barlow calmly sank a mid-range turnaround jumper to beat the shot-clock buzzer on the Spurs' ensuing possession.
Thompson shook off an early game injury to his wrist to finish with 18 points and 14 rebounds.
“He's been really, really active,” Nielsen said of Barlow.”That's the role he has got to live in. He gets to the spots he should. For the most part, he's rolling, and every now and then, he gets a little isolation from a fake handoff or something like that. He's been really effective and he's playing in the right spirit.”
The Spurs also got another solid, all-around performance from second-round rookie Sidy Cissoko, who finished with six points, five rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal. The 6-7, 225-pound forward's highlights included a powerful throw down dunk and a feed to a teammate for an easy layup in transition after he wrestled the ball away from a Piston on the defensive end.
“He plays at a good speed and obviously has a strong body,” Nielsen said. “The combination puts the defense under pressure. He's a bit wild at times, but he has a good basketball IQ. He sees things other players don't.”
The Spurs faced the Pistons (3-1) without second-year guards Malaki Branham, who the club ruled out for the remainder of summer league after he pumped in 29 points in a win over Washington on Tuesday, and Julian Champagnie, who suited up but didn't play.
Second-year guard Blake Wesley had a rough shooting night for the Spurs, missing 14 of 17 shots from the field, including all three 3-point attempts, en route to 10 points.
The Spurs faced Detroit (3-1) without second-year guards Malaki Branham and Julian Champagnie. Branham's summer league stint ended with a 29point performance against Washington last Tuesday. Champagnie suited up but didn't play.