By R.L. Bynum
Two Tar Heels enter San Antonio Spurs training camp at opposite ends of their careers.
The Spurs released their 21-man training camp roster on Friday ahead of the start of camp on Tuesday. It includes Harrison Barnes, a 14-year veteran entering his third season in San Antonio, and RJ Davis, who is fighting for a foothold in the NBA after a standout rookie year in the G League and a solid Summer League performance.
Barnes, 34, with a championship ring and more than 1,000 regular-season games, signed a one-year, $8 million deal to stay with San Antonio.
Davis, 24, is trying to prove he belongs, arriving in San Antonio on a non-guaranteed training camp deal.
Barnes’ path back to San Antonio wasn’t guaranteed even after a deep playoff run. He started the majority of last season before moving to a bench role in early February, and his playing time declined further in the playoffs.
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He averaged 9.9 points and 25.8 minutes per game, his lowest season totals since his first two NBA seasons. Barnes was even scratched for three straight NBA Finals games against New York. But the front office saw enough value to bring him back for a third season alongside Victor Wembanyama.
Davis, meanwhile, is starting from far closer to the bottom of the roster. He signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Los Angeles Lakers and spent his rookie season with their G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers.
He put up good numbers, averaging 18.4 points, 4.9 assists and 3.8 rebounds in 29.6 minutes, shooting 46.8% from the field, 42.4% on 3-pointers and 86.4% at the free-throw line, earning a spot on the G League’s All-Rookie team.
Davis averaged 12.1 points in eight Summer League games for the Spurs, shooting 36.9% from the floor, 20.4% from 3-point range and 59% from the free-throw line.
Davis joins former Marshall guard Jon Elmore, former Liberty guard Taelon Peter and former Louisville center Malik Williams as camp invitees on non-guaranteed contracts, while the Spurs carry 14 players on standard guaranteed deals and three on two-way contracts. Former Duke forward Maliq Brown is on a two-way contract.
Whether Davis sticks with the Spurs after camp or plays for their G League team in Austin will be the question as training camp starts. For Barnes, the challenge is to prove that, after 14 seasons, and with a young Spurs core no longer needing him to carry the same offensive burden, he can still find enough of a role to make the veteran deal worth it for both sides.
San Antonio opens preseason play on Oct. 8 at home against Atlanta, and begins the season at home on Oct. 20 in an NBC game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Photo via @spurs
