Bond persists for 2022 draftees
Fighting for minutes, Branham, Wesley support each other
TORONTO — Malaki Branham took pride in being part of a half-court trap that sparked perhaps the Spurs’ best sequence in their 123-103 loss at Brooklyn on Saturday night.
“We executed that perfectly,” he said of forcing newly acquired Nets guard Dennis Schroder into a turnover along the sideline.
Branham’s partner in crime was Blake Wesley, who raced down court with the ball for an emphatic one-handed slam over Schroder and center Nic Claxton.
“He went up strong,” Branham said. “He is athletic, man. When you don’t think he is going up to dunk it, he dunks it.”
Branham’s praise of Wesley is indicative of their tight bond. Even as the two members of the Spurs’ 2022 draft class compete for minutes off the bench, they remain good friends who root for and push each other constantly.
“That’s my guy,” Branham said. “We came in together and I want to see him succeed.”
The Spurs selected Branham 20th overall after his one-anddone career at Ohio State. Five picks later, they grabbed Wesley, who left Notre Dame after his freshman season.
After an injury-plagued rookie season and some seasoning in the G League, Wesley has pulled ahead of Branham in recent weeks by showcasing his tenacious defensive skills and athleticism. But after falling out of the rotation after starting several games this year, Branham has new life since the Spurs traded veteran Doug Mcdermott to Indiana last week.
“I’m just trying to be aggressive. That’s what they want me to do,” Branham said of his marching orders from the coaching staff.
And Wesley wants to help him do it.
“First and foremost, I am going to miss Doug,” Wesley said. “I am happy for him. He’s in a good position (with Indiana), but this is a good thing for Malaki. He’s been up and down. But he came in ready tonight to play his role. I push him all the time and he pushes me. That’s our bond.”
Branham finished with 19 minutes Saturday, his most
since logging 28 against Oklahoma City on Jan. 24. In the eight games in between, he sat out three of them and played under 11 minutes in two others.
Unfortunately for Branham, his lack of playing time showed in Brooklyn, where he missed 6 of his 8 shots from the field, including going 1 for 5 from 3-point range, on his way to five points.
He’ll get more opportunities to regain his stroke when the Spurs, who have lost seven in a row and are off to an 0-3 start on their nine-game rodeo road trip, face the Raptors on Monday night.
“My shot isn’t falling right now, but I am going to continue to let ‘em fly,” he said.
While it’s defense that has allowed Wesley to become Tre Jones’ backup at point guard, he had some solid play in Brooklyn on the offensive end as well. In 16 minutes, he scored six points on 2-for-3 shooting from the field and dished out three assists without committing a turnover while driving and kicking passes out to open teammates on the perimeter.
“That’s what Pop tells him to do,” Branham said, referring to Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. “And he listens. He’s coachable – that’s the big thing. And I always make sure he is doing the right thing. It’s like when he gets down on himself, I tell him, ‘Next play.’ “
Popovich said he likes what he’s seeing from Wesley as a floor general.
“He’s trying to make decisions, still working on his shot, but he’s figuring out some of the responsibilities at that point position more and more,” Popovich said.
He’s also showing progress finishing at the rim, a weakness for much of his pro career.
“My mentality now is to dunk it,” Wesley said. “I’ve been laying the ball up too many times, so when I have a clear lane, I try to dunk everything.”
It’s a strategy his teammates endorsed.
“He has all the bounce in the world,” Spurs forward/center Dominick Barlow said. “It’s like he’s a pogo stick. And he doesn’t need to really wind up. He’s explosive as hell. We see (him dunk) in practice all the time, so it was cool he got one in the game.”
Branham agreed, saying he’s going to keep reminding Wesley to show off his skills.
“We push each other,” Branham said. “At the end of the day, it’s about getting paid and winning games. We know how to do that and we know how to compete again each other, but it’s a friendly competition.”