The San Antonio Spurs announced today that they have assigned rookies Luka Samanic and Keldon Johnson to the Austin Spurs.
The Austin Spurs begin their training camp today and Samanic and Johnson are expected to spend considerable time with Austin as they learn the Spurs’ system and get some playing time, which will be beneficial to their development.
Samanic was selected 19th overall in the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft and is just the fourth player born in Croatia to be drafted in NBA history. Samanic competed in four preseason contests with the Silver and Black, averaging 2.5 points and 1.3 rebounds in 5.6 minutes of action. The 6’11” forward played with San Antonio in the 2019 NBA Summer League where he tallied 10.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 22.1 minutes over five appearances.
Johnson, a guard out of the University of Kentucky was also a first-round draft pick, selected 29th overall in the 2019 NBA Draft. Johnson saw playing time in all five preseason contests, averaging 4.4 points and 1.0 rebounds in 9.2 minutes of action. The Rookie guard suited up for the Spurs in the 2019 NBA Summer League in both Utah and Las Vegas, appearing in five total games, averaging 12.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.00 steals in 22.2 minutes.
Look for Samanic and Johnson to join former Spurs training camp players Daulton Hommes and Dedric Lawson, and two-way players Drew Eubanks and Quinndary Weatherspoon when the Austin Spurs open their 15th season on November 8 against the RGV Vipers.
