The San Antonio Spurs remain winless in the preseason, falling 119-109 to the Utah Jazz on Monday. Second overall pick Darryn Peterson looked solid for Utah, finishing with 14 points and five assists on only one turnover.

However, the Kansas product was far from the best rookie on the floor. 42nd overall pick Ja'Kobi Gillespie scored 25 points, leading all scorers, and 26th pick Tarris Reed Jr. nabbed a whopping 17 rebounds, eight of them on the offensive glass.

The Spurs' rookies were expected to be end-of-the-bench depth pieces in the regular season, although both guys are flashing sky-high potential. Reed is already signed to a standard contract, and with an open spot on the roster, Gillespie's two-way deal could turn into a guaranteed one as well.

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After the NBA Draft, the expectations and roles for the Spurs' rookies were pretty well-defined.

Reed was expected to be the third-string center behind Victor Wembanyama and Luke Kornet, really only playing garbage-time minutes. Gillespie, meanwhile, was going to compete for the last roster spot, possibly becoming a depth piece behind De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper, and Jordan McLaughlin. Of course, guys like Maliq Brown, David Jones Garcia, and Taelon Peter were in the same boat.

Technically, they all still are.

With Wembanyama resting against Utah, Kornet was given the start. He finished with three rebounds and zero points in the game despite playing 22 minutes. Reed, meanwhile, offered four points, four steals, and a block to go alongside his 17 boards.

There's a very real case to be made that Reed should be considered as a backup option behind Wembanyama, and Gillespie should have cemented his spot on the roster after Monday's showing.

The Spurs have 14 guys signed to standard contracts. There's room for one more. Once the season starts, the Spurs can ink Gillespie to a one-year deal, making him available for as many games as they want and eligible to suit up in the postseason.

Having a microwave scorer off the bench can go a long way, especially for a second unit that largely lacks someone who can create their own shot off the bounce.