Since announcing Victor Wembanyama’s season-ending injury, the San Antonio Spurs have struggled to find their rhythm.
Since the All-Star break, they’ve dropped nine of their last 13 games, including four of the last five. After falling to the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night, the Spurs now prepare for the second game of a back-to-back against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Despite the Pelicans’ 18-49 record heading into Saturday’s matchup, they could take advantage of a fatigued Spurs squad. While some might expect San Antonio to give more minutes to their young players, the team has instead decided to send 21-year-old guard Malaki Branham to the G League.
The San Antonio Spurs today announced that the team has assigned Malaki Branham to the Austin Spurs.⁰⁰Branham will be available for Austin when they play the Valley Suns tomorrow at 3 p.m. CT at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park.
— Austin Spurs (@austin_spurs) March 15, 2025
The Spurs announced that Branham will join their G League affiliate, the Austin Spurs, on Saturday. As a result, he’ll miss the game against the Pelicans but is set to play in Sunday’s G League matchup against the Valley Suns.
Branham, the 20th overall pick in the 2022 draft, saw significant playing time in his first two seasons, averaging 23.5 and 21.3 minutes per game. However, his role has diminished this year, with his playing time dropping to just 8.2 minutes per game. Given his limited opportunities, the Spurs may not be seeing the development they expected, making this G League stint his first since the 2022-23 season.
MALAKI BRANHAM 🤯 pic.twitter.com/rTFS431CZd
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) February 24, 2024
So far this season, Branham is averaging 3.9 points per game while shooting 43.8% from the field, 40.7% from three, and 81.8% from the free-throw line. With minutes hard to come by in San Antonio, the team is opting to give him extended playing time in Austin rather than having him remain on the bench.
De’Aaron Fox Suffers Season-Ending Finger Injury
The San Antonio Spurs, known for their promising young core, bolstered their roster by acquiring Kings guard De’Aaron Fox ahead of the 2025 NBA Trade Deadline.
However, in a tough setback for the team, Fox will now undergo season-ending finger surgery. The news, first reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania, comes just after Fox put up 32 points in 41 minutes against the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday.
Fox had been averaging 25 points per game with the Kings before his trade, but his scoring dipped to 19.7 points per game across 17 appearances with the Spurs.
San Antonio’s playoff hopes had already taken a massive hit when Victor Wembanyama was ruled out for the season, and Fox’s injury only adds to their challenges.
Earlier in the year, the Spurs were firmly in the postseason mix, but after a rough stretch—going 3-7 in their last 10 games—they now sit at 27-38. With both of their biggest stars sidelined, the focus will likely shift toward building for the 2025-26 season.
Looking ahead, San Antonio is expected to land a top-10 pick in the upcoming draft, setting them up to make a serious push next season. As for Fox, the 27-year-old will aim to return to the form that saw him average a career-best 26.6 points per game in 2023-24.
