It has been 616 days since the Austin Spurs last took to the hardwood at the HEB Center in Cedar Park. A lot has happened in that time, as two more NBA Drafts have come and gone, and Keldon Johnson, a rookie in that last game, is now a productive starter for San Antonio. Continuing with the approach of sending rookies to the G League for development, Joshua Primo is now the player being groomed for San Antonio.
Trusting the process, he hopes to find the success that Johnson, Dejounte Murray, Derrick White, Bryn Forbes, Tre Jones, Drew Eubanks, and Derrick White have. “So many guys have come through here and seen so much success,” he told the media in October “I think it’s only just helpful coming here [to Austin].” Primo, the 12th selection in this year’s NBA Draft, is one of three players on the San Antonio roster that expect to see time in Austin. San Antonio’s second-round pick Joe Wieskamp and former Los Angeles Laker Devontae Cacock, the Spurs’ two-way contract players, are the other two.
In past seasons, former Austin Spurs alumni have stopped by the opener to show their support for the affiliate club. At the last home season opener in 2019, Murray and Walker were on hand, along with DeMar DeRozan who was with San Antonio at the time.
New to the 2021-2022 G League season is the Showcase Cup. An in-season tournament, each team plays 14 games, after which the top teams in the Cup play in the G League’s Winter Showcase in December. During the Cup, the G League Ignite and the new Ciudad de México Capitanes will be participants. The two teams will not be a part of the regular season that begins after the conclusion of the Winter Showcase
What to know for Sunday’s Austin Spurs Home Opener
- When: Sunday, November 14, 2021 @ 5 p.m. CST
- Where: HEB Center at Cedar Park – Cedar Park, Texas
- Opponent: Ciudad de México Capitanes (2-2)
- How to Watch: FREE on GLeague.com (CLICK HERE)
Game Preview
With almost the feel of a homecoming rather than just a home opener, the Austin Spurs (0-1) will play in front of friendly fans for the first time this season. In the team’s Showcase opener last weekend, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Houston Rockets) defeated the traveling Spurs 127-117 in Edinburg, Texas. Eight Spurs scored double-digit point totals, and the team shot well from the perimeter, but the 24 turnovers were a bit too much to overcome. This weekend, they’ll play hosts to the new Ciudad de México Capitanes.
The Capitanes are the development league’s first international expansion affiliate. Led by former NBA talents Alfonzo McKinnie and Gary Clark Jr., the team got a victory in their first regular-season game, defeating the Memphis Hustle (Memphis Grizzlies) 95-90 last weekend. The Hustle defeated the Capitanes two nights later, and this last week, the team from Mexico split a two-game series with the Lakeland Magic. In a losing effort on Thursday, McKinnie went off for 29 points, another high-production night in his fast start during which he is averaging 25 points and nearly 10 rebounds per game.
A tough matchup for Austin, getting the victory would be great to not only build up their record for the Showcase but to treat the local fans. The team hasn’t won a home opener since 2017, one of just three since 2014.
2021 – 2022 Austin Spurs Stat Leaders
| Points | Rebounds | Assists | FG% | 3PT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaylen Morris - 17 | Damyean Dotson - 10 | Joshua Primo - 8 | Devontae Cacock - 83% | Anthony Mathis - 66.7% |
| Aric Holman - 16 | Devontae Cacock, Joe Wieskamp - 5 | Damyean Dotson - 5 | Jaylen Morris - 66.7% | Denzel Mahoney, Joe Wieskamp - 60% |
| Damyean Dotson, Joe Wieskamp - 15 | Jaylen Morris, Nate Renfro - 4 | Anthony Mathis, Nate Renfro - 3 | Denzel Mahoney - 62.5% | Aric Holman, Damyean Dotson, Jaylen Morris, Joshua Primo - 33.3% |
| Devontae Cacock, Joshua Primo - 14 | Aric Holman - 3 | Aric Holman, Devontae Cacock - 2 | Anthony Mathis - 60% | N/A |
| Denzel Mahoney - 13 | Anthony Mathis, Joshua Primo - 2 | Denzel Mahoney, Jaylen Morris, Joe Wieskamp - 1 | Damyean Dotson - 53.8% | N/A |
