The San Antonio Spurs have called up Malcolm Thomas from the D-League’s Los Angeles Defenders.
Thomas will have a friendly face waiting for him when he lands in San Antonio in former San Diego Aztecs teammate Kawhi Leonard.
Thomas and Leonard were the Aztecs’ best defensive players and paired together nicely. With Leonard very active on the boards, Thomas usually did his job, sealing off his defender or boxing out.
With the D-League Showcase tipping off today in Reno, the Spurs didn’t wait to long to make their move, calling up Thomas two games into the first day of the Showcase, according to Pro Basketball Talk.
Like Leonard, the 6-9 Thomas is also a lanky forward that can play both forward positions, and also similar to Leonard, he has a 7-2 wingspan. Last season at San Diego State, Thomas put that wingspan to good use, averaging eight rebounds and two blocks per game.
Through six games with the Los Angeles D-Fenders, Thomas is averaging 14.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game.
Like the Larry Owens signing last season, Thomas will likely be signed to a 10-day contract, and with Manu Ginobili injured and Cory Joseph out, the Spurs have one active roster spot open that will be occupied by Thomas.
Last season, the Spurs used that one spot to audition several players, so Thomas will have to impress early, especially in practices, since he’ll more than likely see only sporadic playing time. There are also several other D-League players the Spurs could be looking at with that open spot, including Toros forwards Lance Thomas and Leo Lyons, who both had workouts with the coaching staff this past summer.
