Spurs Planning On Drafting F Livio Jean-Charles?

[BatManu20]

http://i44.tinypic.com/9tec5h.png

Alex’s Notebook: Livio Jean-Charles cracked my first round for the first time this week because I’ve heard rumblings that the San Antonio Spurs will draft him at No. 29 and stash him overseas for at least one year. This makes a lot of sense, considering the Spurs have done this before and they have some of the best international scouts in the league. At 19 years old, Jean-Charles has a lot of potential and he could fit right in alongside fellow French players Tony Parker, Boris Diaw and Nando de Colo.


http://www.hoopsworld.com/2013-nba-mock-draft-consensus-ver-8-0


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Here's his Draft Express Profile: http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Livio-Jean-Charles-6125/


Project Spurs reports:

With the NBA Finals over (as well as the San Antonio Spurs' season), it's hard to remember the NBA Draft is just a few days away. While the San Antonio Spurs are now preparing for next season, there have obviously been other things keeping Gregg Popovich, and to a lesser extent, R.C. Buford's attention.

Aside from a handful of workouts, it feels like very little has come out about prospects the Spurs are targeting. Finally, something close to concrete is starting to come out about what the C.I.A. Spurs are planning. According to Alex Kennedy of Hoopsworld (http://www.hoopsworld.com/2013-nba-mock-draft-consensus-ver-8-0), San Antonio has their eye on French forward Livio Jean-Charles and he and Steve Kyler both have them taking him with their first round pick.

Here's what you need to know about Jean-Charles, besides the fact that he has a really cool name. He was born in French Guiana and moved to France at 14 to start his basketball career there. He's spent the last two seasons playing for Asvel in France, the team Tony Parker owns a minority stake in. The 6'9" Jean-Charles plays both forward positions for the team and sports a very impressive 7'2" wingspan. However, he doesn't play a ton of minutes. This season he averaged 3.3 points and 2.7 rebounds per game in just 13.8 minutes per game.

So why, given his minimal role overseas, would a team be so high on this guy that they're willing to spend a first round pick on him? The buzz around Jean-Charles started back at the Nike Hoop Summit in April when he picked up MVP honors by torching the USA Junior Select Team for 27 points and 13 rebounds. Jean-Charles told DraftExpress' Jonathan Givony (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Livio-Jean-Charles-6125/) he feels like there's a lot he can still improve on, specifically his ball handling and exchanging the range on what is already a decent mid-range jumper. What he excels at is running the floor and cutting to the basket off the ball. He's shown to be a willing defender and provide weakside help.

Jean-Charles' potential is everything the Spurs have been looking for. An athletic forward that can guard both positions and provide rim protection. If he can get stronger and learn to hit a mid-range jumper consistently, we're talking about a Darrell Arthur type player. As Kennedy notes, the plan would be to keep Jean-Charles in France for at least another year. However, given the team's current ownership, it doesn't seem like negotiating a buyout for him will be too difficult.

This pick makes perfect sense for the Spurs if it does indeed happen. If they draft him and keep him overseas for a year, he won't affect their salary cap space for the coming year and they'll be able to develop him in a program they're very familiar with. Still, it's best not to be too hasty with these predictions. The Spurs have shown us for pretty much the past 14 years that they're a tad bit unpredictable when it comes to the draft. Here's some video of Livio Jean-Charles to get you familiar with his skillset.

http://www.projectspurs.com/2013-articles/june/nba-draft-french-prospect-livio-jean-charles-on-spurs-radar.html

[BatManu20]

NBADraft.net Profile

Strengths: Livio is a very long (7'2 wingspan) and fluid athlete who plays with high intensity and energy ... Excels in the role of garbage man, slashing to the basket and scoring on put backs ... Very agile player showing excellent speed in the open floor ... A strong defender doing an excellent job of crowding opponents using his great length, reflexes and quick feet ... A scorer more than a shooter, but shows the ability to knock down mid-range jumpers with solid form ... Crafty around the basket and shows the ability to face up and get by his man and to the rim ... Good attitude. Hard working kid who shows the desire to improve ... Fits the role well of an energy role player, providing a spark with effort, defense and some scoring, without needing plays called for him ...

Weaknesses: A tweener for the NBA. Has the size/length to play the PF position, but is more of a finesse guy who plays well in space instead of banging in the paint ... Lacks upper body strength to be able to withstand contact against NBA bigs ... Should improve upon post game .. Narrow shoulders, thin bone structure, and therefore doesn't appear to be the type that can add much upper body muscle mass. Will likely peak at 225-230 lbs ... Needs to add more range and consistency to his shot ... Not an incredibly explosive athlete, but solid and is very fluid and quick ...

[Thomas82]

No thank you.....we need some size.

[smaka]

Not another undersized big man :sleep

[chapnis]

No more soft as shit Frenchies please.

[Baam]

Pretty sure he's gonna play SF in the nba so he's big enough and could be a nice backup for Kawhi.

[Marcus Bryant]

Gotta go back to the well for the next generation.

[TrainOfThought5]

I think this guy has that "Great role player" potential that we will desperately need to surround Parker Kawhi and Baynes with a couple years from now.

[dallasmaverickslose]

No more soft as shit Frenchies please.

Diaw isn't what I'd consider "soft." With that in mind, I think we'd be better off signing Paul Millsap this offseason and drafting a SG/SF prospect instead.

Our bigs next season with this proposal:

C: Duncan, Baynes
PF: Millsap, Diaw, Bonner

Not bad.

[Marcus Bryant]

Which French Spur is "soft"? :wtf

[hyhy]

Seems like a Kawhi-type of player. cutting without the ball, tip-ins on offensive rebounds, 3 point spotting up, driving right handed to the hoop directly, not that tall, but lengthy, athletic. Pop deciding that playing small is the way to go?

[exstatic]

NBAdn with the bads, per usual. We draft at 28, not 29. :lol

[Johnny RIngo]

No more internationals please. Manu, Splitter, DeColo, Mills all sucked dick this year and Parker choked in the Finals.

[dallasmaverickslose]

No more internationals please. Manu, Splitter, DeColo, Mills all sucked dick this year and Parker choked in the Finals.

Parker got injured. Fuck you.

[exstatic]

No more internationals please. Manu, Splitter, DeColo, Mills all sucked dick this year and Parker choked in the Finals.

A) what team have you even been following?

B) Pop quote (http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/dish/201306/popovich-says-foreign-players-are-fundamentally-harder-working-most-americans)

[TimmehC]

Good option to backup Kawhi, IMO. He'll never be as good as Kawhi, but he has size and defensive chops.

[BatManu20]

He's only 19, and he's already 6'9", so if we do end up drafting and stashing him, there's a good chance he could still grow over the next couple years. A lot of guys don't stop growing until 21 or 22. He could top out at 6'10" or even 6'11". Who knows.

[dbreiden83080]

Draft a big out of college..

Enough of this European pussies..

[palangi]

what if he comes over and has good skills. could kawhi get moved to the 2 and charles the 3? that would make us pretty athletic, long, and tall on the wings. and charles has a good shot as well. and chip would only make it better.

[T Park]

No more soft as shit Frenchies please.


Stop being a fan of this team please.

[DrunkTXLabrat]

NBADraft.net Profile

Strengths: Livio is a very long (7'2 wingspan) and fluid athlete who plays with high intensity and energy ... Excels in the role of garbage man, slashing to the basket and scoring on put backs ... Very agile player showing excellent speed in the open floor ... A strong defender doing an excellent job of crowding opponents using his great length, reflexes and quick feet ... A scorer more than a shooter, but shows the ability to knock down mid-range jumpers with solid form ... Crafty around the basket and shows the ability to face up and get by his man and to the rim ... Good attitude. Hard working kid who shows the desire to improve ... Fits the role well of an energy role player, providing a spark with effort, defense and some scoring, without needing plays called for him ...

Weaknesses: A tweener for the NBA. Has the size/length to play the PF position, but is more of a finesse guy who plays well in space instead of banging in the paint ... Lacks upper body strength to be able to withstand contact against NBA bigs ... Should improve upon post game .. Narrow shoulders, thin bone structure, and therefore doesn't appear to be the type that can add much upper body muscle mass. Will likely peak at 225-230 lbs ... Needs to add more range and consistency to his shot ... Not an incredibly explosive athlete, but solid and is very fluid and quick ...

that's the part that concerns me. but his strengths are soo good.

[palangi]

that's the part that concerns me. but his strengths are soo good.
that would be plenty big enough to play the 3 position. it's the same height and weight as wilson chandler and luol deng

[AFBlue]

Hoopsworld? Aren't they one step up from Bleacher Report as far as credibility is concerned? Spurs have mostly worked out players with one skill they really covet...shooting. It could be that Jean-Charles is a target, but it could also be people reaching a conclusion based on his nationality and who he plays for in Europe (Tony's team).

They probably have the best scouting report on him, so it's possible...but their workouts to-date signal a different priority.

[RD2191]

Any news on that denmon kid? Lil undersized but a good shooter.

[BackHome]

We have Neal you want another one?

[Gibbz]

I'd love this pick--feel like he might go before SA is on the board, though. Who I really want is Nogueira, but similarly he'll probably go before 28.

[AFBlue]

As for the prospect of drafting him, seems like James Gist with considerably more upside due to his youth. Not a bad selection if it really is a valid rumor.

[kaji157]

Do we have a very late second round pick this year?
Like 57 or around?

[DeadlyDynasty]

Born in 1993? Damn I feel old

[kaji157]

Born in 1993? Damn I feel old

Me too like 10 years old.

[BatManu20]

Hoopsworld? Aren't they one step up from Bleacher Report as far as credibility is concerned? Spurs have mostly worked out players with one skill they really covet...shooting. It could be that Jean-Charles is a target, but it could also be people reaching a conclusion based on his nationality and who he plays for in Europe (Tony's team).

They probably have the best scouting report on him, so it's possible...but their workouts to-date signal a different priority.

No Alex Kennedy is a pretty legit source. Marc Stein and Chris Palmer of ESPN retweet him a lot.

[BatManu20]

I'd love this pick--feel like he might go before SA is on the board, though. Who I really want is Nogueira, but similarly he'll probably go before 28.

I doubt it. He has a 2nd round grade right now. He's still pretty raw. But the Spurs are known for drafting guys a little higher than they're graded. If he continues to improve, he could be a really solid player in 2-3 years.

[AFBlue]

I'd love this pick--feel like he might go before SA is on the board, though. Who I really want is Nogueira, but similarly he'll probably go before 28.

Nogueira is a center, whereas Jean-Charles is a tweener. I would be surprised if Jean-Charles is picked before #28.

[AFBlue]

No Alex Kennedy is a pretty legit source. Marc Stein and Chris Palmer of ESPN retweet him a lot.

Sorry, but backing from the four-letter network doesn't necessarily qualify you as a legit source. Has he broken anything in the recent past?

[exstatic]

Hoopsworld? Aren't they one step up from Bleacher Report as far as credibility is concerned? Spurs have mostly worked out players with one skill they really covet...shooting. It could be that Jean-Charles is a target, but it could also be people reaching a conclusion based on his nationality and who he plays for in Europe (Tony's team).

They probably have the best scouting report on him, so it's possible...but their workouts to-date signal a different priority.

The Spurs never worked out Kawhi. They never even interviewed him. Whoever they pick at #28, it's likely that he will never have worked out or interviewed. They are tired of having the Batums of the world stolen from under their noses.

[AFBlue]

The Spurs never worked out Kawhi. They never even interviewed him. Whoever they pick at #28, it's likely that he will never have worked out or interviewed. They are tired of having the Batums of the world stolen from under their noses.

They traded up to get Kawhi. Why would Kawhi come work out for them if he was pegged as a top 10 pick and they were drafting at the bottom of the first? They did, however, bring Cory Joseph in for a workout.

Bottom line: Spurs are looking for a specific type of player in their draft range based on who they've worked out so far. That doesn't preclude them from taking Jean-Charles or trading up and grabbing Steven Adams...but it would be foolish to ignore the obvious trend.

[TheGoldStandard]

So long as the Spurs don't draft a 6'2 SG and try to convert to a PG we'll be okay .

[weeks]

i'm as american as any patriot on this forum, but i don't get why we're dogging on foreign players when they make up a significant chunk of this team and helped us reach out and almost touch the chip.

[tesseractive]

Hard worker, gifted defender, athletic, long -- assuming his shot is fixable and we think he could add at least a corner 3 to his game, he could be an interesting backup 3 / smallball 4. In other words, exactly the kind of player we could have used one more of against Miami or OKC.

[intlspurshk]

Another Gist experiment?

[BatManu20]

^ I think he has far more upside than Gist, especially at only 19 years old.

[chapnis]

In all seriousness, if he can stand in the corner and knock down the occasional open three then I'd be happy for him to backup Kawhi.

[DesignatedT]

If the Spurs draft a euro draft n stash prospect on Thursday it just points more to them anticipating being players in FA.

[Sean Cagney]

Born in 1993? Damn I feel old

I was a youngin watching football that year in 93 cot damnit! 8th grade deadly :( I was so young then, but this fool was born then! 1 year before WU TANG came out and around Dre and Snoops albums he was born! SHYT! I am old.

[BatManu20]

The more I think about it, he has good upside and everything but honestly I think there might be some better players available at 28.. this kid has a 2nd round grade right now. Why not take someone who's better suited to help the team now?

[exstatic]

The more I think about it, he has good upside and everything but honestly I think there might be some better players available at 28.. this kid has a 2nd round grade right now. Why not take someone who's better suited to help the team now?

No one outside of maybe the top 3-5 picks could help us now.

[Bruno]

Keep in mind this new CBA rule:
http://www.cbafaq.com/salarycap.htm#Q50

An unsigned first round pick is removed from team salary if the team and player both agree in writing not to sign any contract through the following June 30.


If Spurs draft Jean-Charles, it would mean he is the player they like the most at #28 in the draft but it could also mean they are looking to go after top FA's with their cap space.
Drafting and stashing an "euro" will create an additional $0.4M-$0.6M in cap space over going with a college player.

[poeticism707]

No. Draft an Amemrican player with American toughness, a la Kawhi, the Spurs best draft pick in a decade.
And if the player isn't good enough to play NOW, draft someone else.

[cd021]

Pretty sure he's gonna play SF in the nba so he's big enough and could be a nice backup for Kawhi.

This

[cd021]

I think the Spurs should push for Al Aminu from The Pelicans. He is 6'10 7'3 arm span, 32 inch Max Vert and an NBA experienced combo 4. Shouldn't cost more than the M.L.E

[BatManu20]

I think the Spurs should push for Al Aminu from The Pelicans. He is 6'10 7'3 arm span, 32 inch Max Vert and an NBA experienced combo 4. Shouldn't cost more than the M.L.E

Push for him for what exactly? Aminu is still really raw and doesn't provide much offensively. He'd be a liability there.

[yavozerb]

I think the Spurs should push for Al Aminu from The Pelicans. He is 6'10 7'3 arm span, 32 inch Max Vert and an NBA experienced combo 4. Shouldn't cost more than the M.L.E

1st off Aminu is 6'8 and no where near the value of a mle type player. I would not mind seeing him in a spurs uni but it better be around 1.5-2.5 mil a year.

[spursince#99]

1st off Aminu is 6'8 and no where near the value of a mle type player. I would not mind seeing him in a spurs uni but it better be around 1.5-2.5 mil a year.


Aminu is 6'9 actually

[yavozerb]

Aminu is 6'9 actually

To be exact 6'8.5...:lol
http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Al-Farouq-Aminu-1293/

[spursince#99]

To be exact 6'8.5...:lol
http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Al-Farouq-Aminu-1293/

:lol

[RD2191]

SB nation has him at 6'11, is that site reliable?

[sexinthatsx]

Which French Spur is "soft"? :wtf

Does the name Ian Mahinmi ring a bell?

[Dunc n Dave]

I know it's semantics, but the Spurs have the 28th pick, not the 29th. (Miami and OKC had better records). The writer could at least check his facts before publishing...

[KawhiLeonard]

If giannis adetokoubo is available at 28 the spurs will not pass on him but I think he is going anywhere from 18-24 hopefully he drops

[RD2191]

^Shouldnt you be working on your free throws?

[KawhiLeonard]

^Shouldnt you be working on your free throws?

resting my knee

[RD2191]

:lmao

[cd021]

1st off Aminu is 6'8 and no where near the value of a mle type player. I would not mind seeing him in a spurs uni but it better be around 1.5-2.5 mil a year.

Aminu is 6'9 1 inch my mistake. I didn't say full M.L.E but may have to overpay to discourage the Pelicans (He's an RFA). He clearly is worth more than the L.L.E. You don't get many long, athletic, combo 4's. He's only 22 has been on 2 teams and had 3 coaches. Former lotto pick who is averaging 7.5 ppg, 7.7 rpg and 47% FG. He can be a steal but needs consistency. A role on a winning team would be good for both him and the Spurs.

[tesseractive]

Does the name Ian Mahinmi ring a bell?
Was he soft?

My impression was that he simply didn't have enough of a feel for the game of basketball, despite having a perfect body type.

[yavozerb]

Aminu is 6'9 1 inch my mistake. I didn't say full M.L.E but may have to overpay to discourage the Pelicans (He's an RFA). He clearly is worth more than the L.L.E. You don't get many long, athletic, combo 4's. He's only 22 has been on 2 teams and had 3 coaches. Former lotto pick who is averaging 7.5 ppg, 7.7 rpg and 47% FG. He can be a steal but needs consistency. A role on a winning team would be good for both him and the Spurs.

The fact he is 22 is exactly the reason why a team like the pelicans will overpay for this kid and spurs should rightfully stay away. By the way, New Orleans has more cap room than SA and much more reason to Gamble on a kid like this. Just not worth the risk for the Spurs in my opinion.

[JR3]

I say moving up in the draft worked pretty well for us with KL... lets do that again!

[SenorSpur]

The fact he is 22 is exactly the reason why a team like the pelicans will overpay for this kid and spurs should rightfully stay away. By the way, New Orleans has more cap room than SA and much more reason to Gamble on a kid like this. Just not worth the risk for the Spurs in my opinion.

I heard that the Pelicans had no interest in resiging Aminu, otherwise he wouldn't be hitting the streets in the first place.

[rascal]

Any solid quality backup pgs late in the first round? Spurs could fill a need with the draft for next years team instead of a stash player.

[exstatic]

No. Draft an Amemrican player with American toughness, a la Kawhi, the Spurs best draft pick in a decade.
And if the player isn't good enough to play NOW, draft someone else.

You do understand that we can't pry away the 15th pick every year and use it to select a top 10 talent, don't you?

[exstatic]

If giannis adetokoubo is available at 28 the spurs will not pass on him but I think he is going anywhere from 18-24 hopefully he drops

The rumor is that NO is going to take Marion and Dallas' #13 pick, and use that for Adetokunbo.

[exstatic]

I heard that the Pelicans had no interest in resiging Aminu, otherwise he wouldn't be hitting the streets in the first place.

You'd think people would figure that out when they did NOT pick up his year three option, and made him an UFA.

[SenorSpur]

You'd think people would figure that out when they did NOT pick up his year three option, and made him an UFA.

That's what I'm talking about.

[CGD]

No. Draft an Amemrican player with American toughness, a la Kawhi, the Spurs best draft pick in a decade.
And if the player isn't good enough to play NOW, draft someone else.

You mean like Howard or Griffen? Tough guys.

[sexinthatsx]

I prefer Gorgui Dieng instead. Reminds me of Tiago, except no hook shots or soft layups.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzyr-SZPMbg&feature=player_embedded

Or if Spurs opt for a PG that can pass and make some decent rebounds, then Nate Wolters


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojXhPClIX8I&feature=player_embedded

[BatManu20]

I prefer Gorgui Dieng instead. Reminds me of Tiago, except no hook shots or soft layups.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzyr-SZPMbg&feature=player_embedded

Or if Spurs opt for a PG that can pass and make some decent rebounds, then Nate Wolters


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojXhPClIX8I&feature=player_embedded

Dieng would be a great pickup but he's almost guaranteed to be drafted before we pick. He'd be a steal at 28 if he slipped though. He can also shoot the mid-range J which is huge. Nate Walters will get destroyed defensively in the NBA imo. He won't be able to guard any PG's at the next level.

[DapDaGenius]

Well he is ugly, french and his dunks somehow manage to be less flashy than Duncan's...oh and he is black, so his chances are looking pretty good.

[Darius McCrary]

The problem with The Spurs overseas strategy is that every team in the NBA is looking at what the Spurs do and who they like, and jumping on them, more and more as the years go by. Thank Nicolas Batum.

[BatManu20]

^Batum was supposed to be ours. Now he's forced to rot on that Blazers roster for the next 5 years.

[CGD]

Bump

[davidbowie]

called it!

[DJR210]

Good call BatManu20

[DMX7]

Yep, good call.

[Mr Bones]

I heard that the Pelicans had no interest in resiging Aminu, otherwise he wouldn't be hitting the streets in the first place.


You'd think people would figure that out when they did NOT pick up his year three option, and made him an UFA.


It wouldn't be the first mistake that organization has made. Besides, Aminu, with his defense and rebounding, is the kind of player who would help an established team like the Spurs more than a young lottery team like the Pelicans.

[kobyz]

he remind me Al-Farouq Aminu as a prospect

[Cklbmk]

rather have tyreke / trob combo