The San Antonio Spurs rested most of their key players during their preseason clash on Monday against the Utah Jazz. Included in those who were out for that contest was star center Victor Wembanyama, which opened up a ton of minutes in the frontcourt for rookie big man Tarris Reed Jr., the 26th overall pick of the 2026 NBA Draft.

Reed impressed during his time on the court. In 24 minutes off the bench in a 117-107 loss to the Jazz, the Spurs rookie hauled in 17 rebounds — showcasing his prowess on the glass that made him such a valued first-round selection for San Antonio.

However, the 23-year-old big man is holding himself to a higher standard. In fact, he admitted, as per Tom Orsborn of San Antonio Express-News, that if he were still at UConn, head coach Dan Hurley would be yelling at him for finishing with “just” 17 rebounds considering that he already had 10 boards at the half.

“(Coach Hurley would be) yelling at me because I had 10 boards in the first half. I eased up a little bit in the beginning of the second half, could have easily walked away with 20, 25 rebound. So I got to be better with myself on that part,” Reed said.

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Reed is a relentless rebounder, as he inhaled eight of his 17 boards on the night on the offensive end. It's not quite clear how much burn he'll be getting on a nightly basis for the Spurs considering that he has Wembanyama and Luke Kornet ahead of him on the center depth chart. But if he continues to put up this kind of effort, it will be hard for head coach Mitch Johnson to deny him minutes.

His offensive game is incredibly raw, the Spurs might be inclined to bring him along slowly. But don't be surprised if, during games where the energy level for San Antonio is lacking, he'll be one of those who gets minutes to try and enliven the team.