'I feel I should've been picked higher' | Spurs' Wesley is carrying a big chip on his shoulder

SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio Spurs rookie Blake Wesley doesn't need much to play with a competitive edge heading into his first NBA season. 

All he has to do is look at NBA Draft night 2022 for all the motivation he needs to show why he belongs on the NBA floor.

In a recent interview with "The Jim Rome Show," Wesley was asked about what fuels his competitive spirit, and some of it stems from being overlooked during the first round of the NBA Draft.

"I run on a lot of fuel. I was the 25th overall pick," Wesley said. "I'm blessed to be the 25th overall pick, but I feel I should've went higher, but that's OK."

Following his selection on draft night, Wesley said his workout with the Spurs was spurred by competing against NBA prospects that were receiving more attention than him. He used that as competitive fuel to have what he calls the best workout he had ahead of draft night.

 "It was a good workout, I feel like I did everything there. I was the best player there. I feel like that was my best workout," he said.

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That edge caught the attention of Spurs GM, Brian Wright, which likely was why the team selected him in the first round.

“You are talking about speed and downhill ability and competitiveness, a motor that just keeps going,” Spurs GM Brian Wright said on NBA Draft night.

And draft night still is in the mind of the young Spurs guard. 

"All the people that went before me, I'll just try to attack them and go at them to show I could have been higher than them," Wesley said.

Despite being passed over by numerous NBA teams, Wesley says his family was happy he is a professional basketball player now as he is proud of himself for the big accomplishment.

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And it showed at the 2022 NBA Summer League where he displayed an attacking mindset, was not afraid to take shots, and averaged 17.0 points per game (team leader), 4.0 assists, 1.6 steals (team leader), and 3.6 rebounds in five games played.

Now all he has to do is bottle that motivation heading into Spurs training camp and into his first season where he'll get his chance to prove any doubters wrong.

"Just play with a lot of fuel. That's all I got to do," he added.

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