EDINBURG — Ray Spalding was a force for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers during the 2019-20 season.
He, along with three other familiar names amidst a group of eager new faces, hit the floor for the first day of training camp Monday at the Vipers’ practice facility in Edinburg.
Joining Spalding as returners include Trhae Mitchell, Khalil Whitney and Shawn Occeus as the Vipers, affiliates of the NBA’s Houston Rockets, begin their quest to defend their NBA G League championship and win a league-best fifth crown.
While the other Vipers were running intense drills and scrimmaging, the 6-foot-10 Spalding was hitting the floor in a much different way — running plenty of court sprints.
Spalding ruptured his Achilles just a week after signing a two-way deal with the Houston Rockets in February 2021. He played two games before the injury and then-Rockets head coach Paul Silas said, “Prognosis is not good.”
“Everything is good now, and I was cleared three months ago to fully play,” said Spalding, who was the 56th overall pick by the Philadelphia 76ers during the 2018 NBA draft as an early entry candidate from Louisville. “It’s truly a blessing to be back here. I know I missed last season after the injury but I’m looking forward to playing hard, working hard on my body and ball-handling and jump shot — just looking to expand my game and do what it takes to help my team win and grow every day.
His regimen has included seemingly never-ending calf raises, plenty of time in the weight room and working with his masseuse and massage therapist, he said.
“It has been a grind, but the main thing is to get through it. A lot of people back home have helped me,” he said.
During his last venture with the Vipers, Spalding weighed 225 pounds. Now, he said, he’s at 252. His time in the gym shows physically.
“It’s been hell,” he said about the road to his return. “I really feel like the weight room has been huge for me in the offseason, gaining weight, eating more and lifting and staying consistent. But those things have been pretty easy to stay on with my trainer staying on me.”
Spalding averaged 15.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.9 blocks and 1.2 steals during 20 games for the Vipers in the 2019-2020 season. He upped his scoring to 18.5 during the two games in the 2020-21 season before signing with Houston, pulling down 13 rebounds per contest and showing the powerful weapon he could be for the Vipers.
Now he’s working to regain that form and more.
“There have been frustrations along the way,” he said. “There are times when I want to go run (with the team) like now, but I know my conditioning isn’t there fully and I don’t want to be out there and hurt myself or do anything I shouldn’t be doing. Frustrations just come with wanting to be out there but smooth and steady win the race.
NEW ROLES
While the Vipers have 16 players on the training camp roster, only Mitchell, Occeus, Spalding and Whitney have experience with the Vipers’ fast break, shoot often, score a lot style of play.
Last year, Mitchell did a bit of everything, averaging 10 points, 7.5 rebounds and filling in the stat sheets across the board. His defense, however, was critical to the Vipers’ championship run.
“Coming back, I feel like I have a bigger responsibility and will play a bigger role on the team,” said the 6-foot-6, 195-pound workhorse from South Alabama. “They want me to be more aggressive on the offensive end, but I’m also going to stick to my principles and let my defense lead to offense.
“I also gotta be more of a mentor to the new guys. I have a big responsibility but but I think I’m good for it.”
VETERAN VIPERS
Willie Cauley Stein, a 7-foot veteran of 422 NBA games and the No. 6 pick by the Sacramento Kings during the 2015 NBA draft is also on the Vipers training camp roster but did not take part in Monday’s session.
Stein has averaged 8.7 points, and 5.9 rebounds during his NBA career with Sacramento, Golden State, Dallas and Philadelphia. His best statistical years came with the Kings in 2017-18 with 12.8 points and 7.0 rebounds per contest, and in 2018-19 with 11.9 points and 8.4 rebounds per contest.
The Vipers play their first home game at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 11, at Bert Ogden Arena in Edinburg against the Birmingham Squadron. The night will also consist of a ring ceremony for the reigning NBA G League champions.