Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News reports:
The team’s infatuation with Neal, a 25-year-old shooting guard who has spent the duration of his three-year career overseas, began at a free-agent minicamp in June.
“Coming into the offseason, we knew we needed to improve our shooting,” general manager R.C. Buford said. “He came into our gym and was one of the best shooters there. He shot the ball beautifully.”
That shooting beauty carried over to last week’s Las Vegas Summer League, where the 6-foot-4 Neal led an undermanned Spurs squad in scoring at 16 points per game, made 50 percent of his 3-pointers (17 of 34) and walked away with an NBA contract.
Neal sealed his deal with a 25-point game in Sunday’s finale against Memphis, in which he buried 6 of 10 from 3-point range.
Buford wouldn’t go so far as to say the addition of Neal signals an end to the Spurs’ summerlong search for a shooter, but it might.
