Tarris Reed Jr. remembers exactly what it felt like to be the guy who came up short on the biggest stage. That UConn loss to Michigan in the national championship game? He still carries it with him.
“That was probably the toughest moment of my life,” Reed told reporters Thursday.
Michigan held him to 13 points that night, bottling up the big man who had been a wrecking ball in the paint all season. And then three Wolverines went in the first round of this year’s NBA draft — including Reed himself, at No. 26 overall to the San Antonio Spurs.
But here’s the thing that already makes him fit in with his new team: He hates losing just as much as they do.
The Spurs just came off a Western Conference title run that ended with a Finals loss to the Knicks. Victor Wembanyama and company got close enough to taste it, then watched New York celebrate on their floor. Reed walked off the court in April with the same sick feeling.
“Just having a group of guys that went through that last year with San Antonio, that’s going to be huge for us next year,” Reed said. “Having that chip on our shoulder and wanting to make things right.”
He sounds like a guy who already knows how to channel frustration into work. And he’s walking into a situation that seems tailor-made for bruising big men who don’t back down.
Reed loves the idea of playing next to Wembanyama too. He talked about crashing the offensive glass, being a force on defense, and just fitting in wherever the team needs him.
“I feel like it’s going to be great playing alongside, playing with Wemby, whatever my role is this year,” Reed said. “That’s going to help on the defensive end, help me grab and snag offensive rebounds on the offensive end, and just be a force on both sides of the court.”
The Spurs didn’t just get a scorer. They got a guy who knows what it takes to win a physical game in the paint. And maybe more important, they got someone who’s already hungry to prove he can close the deal.
Alex Karaban also went in the first round from UConn, so Reed won’t be the only Husky making the jump. But Reed seems intent on making his mark fast in San Antonio.
The Spurs haven’t won a title since 2014. Wembanyama changed the ceiling of this franchise overnight, but championship windows don’t stay open forever. Reed walks in with a chip on his shoulder and a clear understanding of how much losing hurts. That might be exactly what this team needs.
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