SAN ANTONIO — Spurs rookie Joe Wieskamp didn't take long to answer which teammate he looks to as a mentor now that he is seeing plenty of time with San Antonio instead of in Austin with the G League Spurs.
"I would say, Doug McDermott. Similar games," Wieskamp said. "He's someone that I really look up to and someone that I'm trying to model my game after a little bit. Just how hard that he plays."
With San Antonio hit hard by COVID and several players in the league's Health and Safety Protocols, Wieskamp is seeing more valuable NBA minutes.
He is currently averaging 11.5 minutes per game with the Spurs and 2.9 points per game off 46% shooting (7/15) from the three-point line.
That three-point marksmanship from the Spurs rookie is what he is known for since his days at Iowa.
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Fast forward to the NBA, he is now teammates McDermott, who is quite the sharpshooter himself and is showing this season he is more than just a deadly shooter.
And Wieskamp wants to incorporate McDermott's diverse game into his own.
"Obviously, he is a knockdown shooter, but the way that he cuts off the ball, his curl cuts, back cuts, the way that he finishes is around the rim," Wieskamp said. "I think all those different things are what makes him such a great player, and so I've been just trying to learn as much as I can from him."
While in a San Antonio uniform, Wieskamp is not letting time go by without taking advantage of learning from McDermott. He goes above and beyond to pick the NBA veteran's mind.
Even if he is unavailable, Wieskamp will hit the film room to focus on McDermott's game leaving no stone unturned on how to improve his game.
"Obviously, at the games watching him, but also watching film of it afterward and just on the sidelines, if he's out of the game, just him giving me advice and things like that," Wieskamp said.
McDermott is currently averaging 11.3 points per game, 41% shooting from the three-point line, and 2.6 rebounds per game in 24.6 minutes this season.
"Communicating. Being a complete player and playing on both sides of the floor," said Wieskamp.
And with the franchise in a rebuild with their young players getting time to develop, having McDermott to help Wieskamp develop is a boon for the Spurs.
"I'm just trying to learn as much as I can from him," Wieskamp said.
Twitter: @KENS5, @JeffGSpursKENS5