In the ever-analytical world of basketball, opinions about players’ skills, strategies, and performances are plentiful. The ongoing NBA season is intensifying the same, drawing reactions from various fans and analysts. Amongst them is NBA on TNT co-host and former basketball legend Charles Barkley. Getting back into his 23-year-old role, Barkley has been busy this season in either uplifting or diminishing the performances of certain teams/players. The latest individual to come into his crosshair is San Antonio Spurs guard Devin Vassell.

It all started a few days ago when Vassell?s San Antonio Spurs faced off against the Oklahoma City Thunder. This ?Battle of the Young Stars? was a highly anticipated game, putting many of the newest crop of the NBA field in a test against each other. Throughout the game, the Spurs struggled to maintain a lead over their opponents. In the end, Vassell?s opponents took home the victory with a score of 123-87.

Charles Barkley goes after Devin Vassell?s ?shot selection?

In the aftermath of the game, Charles Barkley took it upon himself to discuss the same with his co-hosts Shaquille O?Neal, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson. He believed that certain aspects of the players were pushing the whole team down. When touching base on the concept of ?Shot Percentages?, the Philadelphia 76ers legend decided to call out Devin Vassell.

“There’s some players in this league — there’s one on the Spurs who’s a good player, Vassell. He takes the worst shots ever,” said Barkley during the segment. “That’s why he’s always going to be streaky. You can’t survive taking bad shots. You can be a good player, not a great player.”

Through his comments, Barkley emphasized that there is no point in being a good player if that particular individual was not taking good scoring shots. Given the influence that Barkley?s comments have on NBA fans throughout the country, his recent remarks can raise important questions about the impact of shot selection on a player’s overall performance and career trajectory.

Charles Barkley is someone who is occasionally known to form a ?controversial? opinion about a player?s game. While some may agree with the same, others believe that sometimes there is more than that which meets the eye. When taking his recent remarks into consideration, the author believes that Devin Vassell is not as bad of a shooter as he has been called out to be.

Devin Vassell currently holds a memorable shot percentage

Even though the current season is not looking as good for the Spurs as expected, the 23-year-old is still doing his best to keep his team in a respectable position. Throughout the 10+ games that he has been a part of this season, Vassell has managed to keep his shooting percentage at 48%, while averaging 17.4 points per game. At the same time, his teammate and supposed franchise cornerstone Victor Wembanyama is averaging 19.5 points. Barkley has spoken out earlier about giving some time to Wembanyama before making any final decisions about his performance, but won?t engage in the same for Vassell.

Such shooting percentages are very rarely seen in a swingman, i.e. a player who plays in the shooting guard and the small forward positions. For someone taking bad shots, making almost half of them is a decent job, especially considering who he shares the floor with. Out of the nine games that the Spurs have lost over the past few weeks, most of them were lost due to Vassell?s absence from the game due to sustained injuries.

Barkley?s criticism of Vassell may or may not be restricted to the latter?s performance during the current season. However, when taking a look at his games during the previous seasons, Vassell still maintains to leave an acceptable impression.

Vassell was selected as the 11 overall pick by the San Antonio Spurs back in 2020. He went on to have a memorable rookie season. He shot 40.6% from the field and 34.7% from the three-point arc. Moving ahead, Vassell improved upon his shot percentage and took a much bigger role on offense.

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He developed an improved jump shot and averaged the second-most points for the Spurs. By shooting 38.7%? from three and 43.9% overall, he established himself as a rising three-tier scorer. While criticism was placed on the games he missed due to injuries, there was always a glimmer of hope for the Spurs whenever the young player showed up for a game. Moreover, the 23-year-old has improved his numbers every year since he joined the league. So there is something he is doing right.

The Final Verdict

Charles Barkley is an NBA legend who is in a better position to judge the current NBA players than any other analyst out there. However, according to the author, his take on Devin Vassell is something that can be considered a bit exaggerated. After all, he is one of the few players performing well this year in San Antonio.

Throughout his NBA career so far, Devin Vassell has carried enough ?streakiness? for the Spurs. His efforts till now, however, aren?t proving enough to place his team in a competitive position with the best of the best. While there are areas where the young player needs to improve, he is safe in the shooting percentage part. For now.

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Editorial Disclaimer:?The?views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of EssentiallySports.