No one really dreams of being an NBA role player, but for the vast majority, it’s their best chance of having a long career.
A fourth-grade Alex Caruso probably didn’t want to be known as a defensive specialist, but after being undrafted, his grittiness propelled him to stardom, anyway.
Most first-round draft picks have goals of grandeur, of starting their career as or eventually emerging as a franchise cornerstone.
Tarris Reed Jr., picked 26th overall by the San Antonio Spurs, knows that’s not really his destiny. After all, Victor Wembanyama is already in town, and every piece on the roster has one job: make Wemby as good as possible.
For Reed, that’ll mean doing the dirty work. He won’t lead the team in scoring, as he did at UConn, but it does mean he can have a long NBA career. For him, that’s a massive win.
Tarris Reed Jr. Outlines NBA Goals
Growing up on the blacktops of St. Louis, Reed wanted to be a superstar. As he headed off to Michigan and then UConn, he never lost those dreams.
Now, he has more realistic and attainable goals: to be a winning NBA player. Despite the Spurs being winless so far in Summer League play, Reed’s rebounding and physicality suggest that he should have a long and productive career.
“This is a dream come true, I always wanted to be in this position playing in the NBA,” said Reed. “And I’m playing for a great organization with the Spurs. But like I said, you want to play at the highest level. You want to play and be in the game, and whatever the coach, whatever the guys need me to do, I’m going to do. So I feel like just having that support on your shoulder and just being selfless and relentless at times, just going out there, whatever is called for.”
Some players, like Cam Reddish and late-career Carmelo Anthony, never adjusted to being a role player. Reed, meanwhile, is already relishing it, and the Spurs are preparing him to play a key role in the regular season.
“If you’re going to be out there with Victor and these other guys we have, you’re not going to get a lot of shots,” added Summer League coach Corliss Williamson. “So the way you impact the game is through your physicality.”
At UConn, Reed averaged 14.7 points, the most on the team. In Summer League, he’s scored double figures in both games so far, but he understands that those days might be coming to an end. Instead, if he can play defense, knock some heads, and rebound, he’ll be exactly what all 30 NBA teams are looking for.
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