SAN ANTONIO — After spending the start of the new season in the G-League with the Austin Spurs, guard Blake Wesley is now getting meaningful minutes in San Antonio.
He now backs up the starting point guard Tre Jones, which has been a boon to his development. So far, you can see his positive steps on the floor.
He is showing aggression on the court, bringing instant energy and putting in the same caliber of work he did with Austin.
Jones himself has noticed.
“That's Blake for you. He's always bringing that energy whenever he gets his name and number called. He comes in ready to play," the fourth-year Spur said. "No matter if it's 20 minutes or two minutes, he's going to bring that energy. He's going to be a spark for us whenever he's out there."
Wesley has paid his dues to get the opportunity he's receiving this season, having spent 11 regular-season games with Austin during his rookie campaign while getting the occasional call-up to San Antonio. He averaged 20.7 points while seeing the floor for 29.7 minutes per game.
This season, he suited up for 12 games for Austin at the Showcase Cup Tournament, averaging 17.5 points per game along with 4.5 assists and 1.3 steals.
Those are impressive numbers. But stats aside, the most critical aspect of his time with Austin was the confidence he gained.
"It helped me a lot," Wesley said. "Going on there and playing, getting the confidence I needed to play up here, it's been great."
The second-year guard is making leaps in his development, but work still needs to be done.
He admits his decision-making is still a work in progress, but he notes his improvement in that area with the increased time with the Spurs.
"Last year I struggled with my decision-making, so a lot of people have been saying my decision-making has been getting better each and every game. Making the right reads," he said.
Jones added: "He's a professional. He comes in every day ready to work. He's getting the extra work and he's working on all the things that he needs to work on and continuing to work on the things that he's already good at."
To start the new season, the point guard spot was in flux.
Jeremy Sochan first got the starting point guard job, then it transitioned to Malaki Branham. Now Jones is back as the starter after coming off the bench.
That caused Wesley to get lost in the point guard shuffle, but now that he's getting backup minutes, Jones notes how much of a positive impact he's brought to the team out on the court.
"Just trying to tell him to stay ready and be patient," Jones said. "But when he gets his name called, he's been ready and gives us a huge spark.”
As the season moves forward, Jones has become a mentor for Wesley. He's helping as much as possible in his development and appreciates Wesley's pesky defense and slashing ability.
He also reminds him to keep his chin up and focus on making the most of the time he gets on the court.
"He's a pest defensively. Offensively, he slashes in there," Jones said. "Try and just keep him positive and keep his spirits up in this time that he could be getting more minutes."
Like any good student, Wesley incorporates aspects of Jones' game into his own and appreciates the advice he receives.
"I study his game, study what he does," he said. "I learned from him a lot. I appreciate him for everything he does for me."
"His finishing. You see his finishing, so I look at it as that," Wesley said.
Overall, Wesley is making the most of the time he is getting. No longer is he shuttling to and from Austin and San Antonio.
He's making the most of the minutes, currently averaging career-highs in field goal percentage (53%) and two-point shooting (66%).
In addition, he's averaging 75% field goal shooting at the rim and has gone a perfect 7-7 in dunk attempts this season.
Of course, there is room for growth, such as his three-point shooting (1-14 from the three-line this season), and his jump shot can be better (10-31, or 32%).
He even got the starting point guard nod against the Thunder on Wednesday night, filling in for an injured Jones. Wesley scored 12 points and handing out six assists in 28 minutes. It was his second time as the starting point guard and provided an opportunity to show his progress.
“I felt great," he said. "Thank God for the opportunity. It started with my defense, and it led to my offense... so knowing when to go up, when to pass it, two-foot jump shot and find the guy."
Welsey is being leaned on more this season with the thin point guard depth the team has on the roster, but he's not taking his increased role for granted.
This makes his mentor tip his cap at his solid job on the court.
"He's doing a great job," Jones said.