Which of the Young Players Would You Most Want to Become a Superstar?

[Chinook]

Murray: One of the most vocal pro-Spurs players I've ever seen. Already seems to be a defense-oriented player, and that's better to build around than just a master scorer.

White: Would be the best story of the bunch, going from unrecruited to an All-NBA guy. All-around game could make it easy for the team to lure other stars to play with him.

Walker: Eccentric, but seems to like fan interactions, so he's probably be a good face for the team. His athleticism and stroke could make him an unguardable iso player with a lot of flashy highlights.

Samanic: Having the best Luka in Texas would be awesome. His size, hops and agility would make him among the most unique stars in the game.

Johnson: Drafting another superstar with the pick the Raps gave up for Leonard would be amazing. Already has a lot of two-way potential, and his ability to get to the free-throw line would help stablize his scoring.

Other: I mean, I guess Poeltl, Metu, Milutinov, or Weatherspoon could become stars. I guess.

Any: Because there's gonna be folks ITT who say it and think they're clever.

[RC_Drunkford]

DJ cause he's a natural leader and him as a superstar would basically mean you got a better and longer version of Westbrook

[Dejounte]

The fact that most of them have 2-way potential is amazing. Lonnie probably can't be counted as there yet on defense, he just lacks defense.

As far as who is easy to root for and who to hope will become superstars... I think you have to look at their negatives in their personalities and then work your way up from there.

White - from Colorado, so his heart might be in Colorado? Has spent a lot of his summer there. May want to go to Denver at some point in his career.

Lonnie - isnt part of the coffee gang for some reason. Disrespected the 4th of July last year and got called out for it.

Murray - horrible grammar and sometimes has poor choices (his ex girlfriend) in life. Doesnt seem very bright

Samanic - misplaced motivation, may not be loyal to anything but himself. Will he quit on the Spurs like he did on his Croatian team?

Johnson - have not seen character flaws yet...

For me, here is how i would rank them:

1. White - loves San Antonio, has gone to public charity and events in San Antonio, very Spurs-like in his attitude of giving to the community
2. Samanic - if he becomes a star, hes the perfect player to go one on one against Leonard and shut his ass down. I can picture it now. Him blocking Leonard multiple times.
3. Johnson - like Chinook pointed out, would be great to show we didnt get ripped off too hard in that trade
4. Lonnie - would give the Spurs a lot of popularity due to his exciting play style
5. Murray - probably has the best potential for defense.

[r0drig0lac]

"the leader" Murray but Lonnie seems to be the guy with the most potential to reach that level

[CGD]

I’m telling you, after this year spurs have to be up there with ATL and NOLA as one of the most interesting places for the next decent crop of FA (from a purely basketball view) to consider. This is especially true if you can get Murray on a bargain deal now.

[Robz4000]

Murray

[daslicer]

Luka simply because he's more likely to stay long term since he's a foreigner and wouldn't care about the brand bs along with playing in a place like NY or LA.

[JeffDuncan]

Glad to see it's another thrilling day in Spursland. Yawnnn.

[Mr. Body]

Derrick White or maybe Samanic because they are least likely to bail on the team, Kawhi-style.

[ismael-robert]

Dumb question we want them all to be stars

[acoelho1]

Murray is the only one so far that has shown the type confidence you need to become a superstar. He has the tools and I think everyone will see next season why some of us are so high on him. Also, what does "seems to be defense oriented" even mean? He's the youngest player ever to make an all defense team!

[Dejounte]

Interesting tidbit: Luka had following Dejounte Murray for a couple weeks on instagram. DJ never followed him back. Same with Davis Bertans. He unfollowed both today.

Luka was also following Lonnie for a week since they met in summer league, but Lonnie never followed him back. Keldon and Lonnie follow each other on Instagram. Luka also unfollowed Lonnie today.

Luka followed Derrick White today and Derrick followed him back the same day.

[mookie2001]

Derrick white the guy who’s 4 years older than Jamal Murray?

[SAGirl]

Murray, but ultimately whomever tbh

[spurraider21]

white and murray are already good players, so you add in a superstar luka to that and its a nice team. no use turning white from good to great if the guys around him are still gonna be unfinished (walker, sammich)

[TD 21]

Derrick White or maybe Samanic because they are least likely to bail on the team, Kawhi-style.

:tu

[Texas_Ranger]

Derrick White or maybe Samanic because they are least likely to bail on the team, Kawhi-style.

samanic already bailed on a team, don't be surprised if he does it again.

[r0drig0lac]

white and murray are already good players, so you add in a superstar luka to that and its a nice team. no use turning white from good to great if the guys around him are still gonna be unfinished (walker, sammich)

?

[spurraider21]

?
which part of that is confusing, given the thread?

[talkspurs]

Murray- I have been on his bandwagon since he got here. I have him drafted in a few fantasy leagues and have held onto him for awhile. He seems to put in a lot of work and brings it defensively.
Luka- Plays one of the biggest positions right now and pairs best with Murray and most of the other ones mentioned. Drafting a key player at one of the hardest positions to get great players I think would be good.
Johnson- Pairs the best with others after Luka Plus I think he has more star potential then White. But see him more as solid Player.
White- Very close to Johnson but dont see star potential. I see solid role player maybe even third best player on championship team.
Metu- Same reason as Luka but dont know if he has as much ability. Would be even better to find it with a 2nd round pick.
LWIV- I think he has been hyped beyond hype. not really his fault but I have not seen much from him. I dont know if he will bring the Defense as much as others.
QW- has the best name of the lower tier guys and was drafted.
Moore/Euwbanks/ Forbes- not drafted by anyone So would be cool to find someone on the heap. next of importance of position.
Potel- wasnt drafted by us but we atleast got him early in the contract.

I would love to see any other players become stars as it helps the spurs. Biggest Star potential listed below

Murray
Luka
LWIV- mostly on offense but this helps his star potential.
KJ
White
The rest

How I think they end up.

Murray
Luka- really pulling for him to be a big player but could fall flat on face.
White- already showed solid Floor. could easily pass uo Luka.
KJ- think he will bring more than LW.
Potel- solid player
LWIV- I see him being to much offense. If he does not become good there could fall flat.

Rest

[Genovaswitness]

samanic. still trying to buy his jersey

[Pavlov]

Er, I want all of them to become superstars. A team full of young superstars would be great. They all have a lot of work ahead of them to reach that level though. Can't get ahead of myself on that.

[SAGirl]

Dumb question we want them all to be stars
This too.

[SpurPadre]

Any because I'm a Spurs fan first and foremost. I do think Murray has the most promise but I want them all to thrive.

[GusT15]

If only one of them was to become a superstar my pick is Keldon.

(Cause he seems like he actually enjoys basketball and cause it will be awesome hearing Raptor fans cry about how they could have picked him in 10 years-failing to realize that the player drafted is as important as the team drafting him,in the equation for the final product)

[Arcadian]

It's hard to vote for any of these guys because it's so far-fetched to think that any of them could become "superstars" - but I gave my vote to White because he's my favorite Spur currently and has proven himself more recently than Murray.

[slick'81]

If only one of them was to become a superstar my pick is Keldon.

(Cause he seems like he actually enjoys basketball and cause it will be awesome hearing Raptor fans cry about how they could have picked him in 10 years-failing to realize that the player drafted is as important as the team drafting him,in the equation for the final product)


This! How awesome would it be if that irrelevant protected pick tor gave us turned into something special

[Spurtacular]

Depends on the superstar you want....

Dumbass superstar - DJ
Smooth superstar - White
Athletic superstar - Walker
Craig Ehlo superstar - Samanic
Teardrop superstar - Keldon Johnson

[Spurtacular]

If only one of them was to become a superstar my pick is Keldon.

(Cause he seems like he actually enjoys basketball and cause it will be awesome hearing Raptor fans cry about how they could have picked him in 10 years-failing to realize that the player drafted is as important as the team drafting him,in the equation for the final product)

Any team could've traded for a pick better than 29, tbh. And the Raptors rang; they have nothing to feel bad about.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

All of them. I want this young core to evolve into the next NBA dynasty. Made not bought. That would be awesome.

[GusT15]

Any team could've traded for a pick better than 29, tbh.

No idea what you mean by that.We drafted Keldon at 29,i don't really care what any other team could have done.That's the pick where we drafted him and it was part of the Nephew trade.Those are just the facts.


And the Raptors rang; they have nothing to feel bad about.

They should have absolutely nothing to feel bad about by all means.Especially if they re-sign #2.
But having conversed with them and knowing how they think,they really would hate for their draft pick to produce a star for the Spurs.
Those morons were rooting for DDR's failures and wanted him to be the worst he's ever been,after being an Allstar for them year after year and after kicking him off the team.

[ironman2886]

Derrick White. Can’t see any flaws in his game really. He needs to be getting at least 30-32 a game.

[Spurtacular]

No idea what you mean by that.We drafted Keldon at 29,i don't really care what any other team could have done.That's the pick where we drafted him and it was part of the Nephew trade.Those are just the facts.


The point is the Raptors could've had Kawhi and Keldon if they wanted. It'd be one thing if Keldon was a top 5 or 10 pick, which is much harder to come by.

[Spurtacular]

They should have absolutely nothing to feel bad about by all means.Especially if they re-sign #2.


And even if they don't. They got a banner that they weren't going to get otherwise.

Sure, they'll have a chance for another one if Kawhi signs. (My guess is he won't).

[DAF86]

Samanic. The youngest (so we would have a superstar for a longer periodo) and, given his skillset, his superstar version would be the best of the bunch.

[Leetonidas]

I hope it's Murray even though I think he probably is the least likely to reach superstar status. But he is super vocal about how much he loves the Spurs and he puts in work and he has a great attitude. He's the opposite of nephew in terms of the attitude you want your star player to project imo

[DAF86]

But so far, the only player of that bunch that I see with all-star potential is White. In fact, if DeRozan wasn't here, White could already be a borderline all-star.

For example, White in the 2018 squad would have put some nice numbers.

Murray, All-star White, Green, Gay, Aldridge

[GusT15]

The point is the Raptors could've had Kawhi and Keldon if they wanted. It'd be one thing if Keldon was a top 5 or 10 pick, which is much harder to come by.

Of course,but that only matters for the present day.That's why nobody blinked or cared from the Raptors fanbase about who the Spurs picked with their pick at 29.Current Champions,Nephew on their roster,DeRozan's contract not their problem etc etc,who cares about 29?

In the hypothetical scenario the thread asked about though,we're talking 6-8 years down the line.
And all those things,when not fresh in memory make for little difference in relation to "The Spurs have an Allstar with our pick,damn them!"

Again,it's hypothesis over hypothesis,a "what if" followed by another "if".
(But it is a thread about "What if's" so i expanded my personal take a bit more)

[Spurs9]

Walker

[Spurtacular]

Of course,but that only matters for the present day.That's why nobody blinked or cared from the Raptors fanbase about who the Spurs picked with their pick at 29.Current Champions,Nephew on their roster,DeRozan's contract not their problem etc etc,who cares about 29?

In the hypothetical scenario the thread asked about though,we're talking 6-8 years down the line.
And all those things,when not fresh in memory make for little difference in relation to "The Spurs have an Allstar with our pick,damn them!"

Again,it's hypothesis over hypothesis,a "what if" followed by another "if".
(But it is a thread about "What if's" so i expanded my personal take a bit more)

You can try to talk around it; but the Kawhi trade is not going to haunt the Raptors. If Keldon goes on to be a superstar at 29, every team will be kicking themselves for not getting in on that.

[Ellsworth]

Saw 2 names listed with [D]'s & [L]'s... went with the only [K] in 5th place, as in 5 Championships! Maybe, he'll help get #6 someday :hungry:

[GusT15]

You can try to talk around it; but the Kawhi trade is not going to haunt the Raptors. If Keldon goes on to be a superstar at 29, every team will be kicking themselves for not getting in on that.


I'm not trying to talk around anything.My first post said specifically "Raptor fans".Not Raptors period,as in the franchise.
I had specific fans in mind,some people who have stumbled across them online,know what i'm talking about.
If you haven't,you can't really relate to what i'm saying.

[picnroll]

Sign me up for all of them. Of course if they all reached that level Spurs couldn't retain them all but that would make for some great trade fodder.

[Spurtacular]

I'm not trying to talk around anything.My first post said specifically "Raptor fans".Not Raptors period,as in the franchise.
I had specific fans in mind,some people who have stumbled across them online,know what i'm talking about.
If you haven't,you can't really relate to what i'm saying.

Raptors fans won't feel burnt either. They won't feel it any more than Celtics fan or Lakers fan. Late first round picks are not super hard to come by.

[GusT15]

Raptors fans won't feel burnt either. They won't feel it any more than Celtics fan or Lakers fan. Late first round picks are not super hard to come by.

Sure they will.The fans i'm talking about,not only would feel burnt,they would go hide in a corner and cry.

Half of their online fanbase turned on Nephew the moment Jeanie's nephew tweet said he was going to the Lakers.It was awesome to watch.

[Spurtacular]

Sure they will.The fans i'm talking about,not only would feel burnt,they would go hide in a corner and cry.

Half of their online fanbase turned on Nephew the moment Jeanie's nephew tweet said he was going to the Lakers.It was awesome to watch.

I thought we were talking about the generally rational populous. Sure, there's snowflakes out there.

[Roscoe P. Coltrane]

"the leader" Murray but Lonnie seems to be the guy with the most potential to reach that levelhis ceiling is an athletic Gary Neal.

[timtonymanu]

Derrick White

[Harry Callahan]

Luka. Due to being a front court player . Lots a guards outside of him.

[spurraider21]

Er, I want all of them to become superstars. A team full of young superstars would be great. They all have a lot of work ahead of them to reach that level though. Can't get ahead of myself on that.
Thread: you can have 1 wish
Pavlov: but i want more wishes

[John B]

Murray because he likes to get himself out there, which is not bad. He’ll probably get us some big names back.

[GusT15]

I thought we were talking about the generally rational populous. Sure, there's snowflakes out there.

Spurt,the generally rational populous of an NBA fanbase would not have fans chasing leaks on Nephew updates more visciously than Woj.

They wouldn't have double-checked every leak like they are pro beat reporters.And then search for flights from LAX to Toronto.Then proceed to track the suspected flight to carry Nephew through flight radar online every second-while 300 people where posting online "It's leaving California now","Okay now it's entering Canada".
And then verify that it was Nephew that it was on the plane via pictures.
And then have people gather up at the hotel the rumoured meeting was taking place.

And making national news while doing all of that.And all that took place yesterday... :lol

https://twitter.com/KevinOConnorNBA/status/1146477664032526336

[Spurtacular]

Thread: you can have 1 wish
Pavlov: but i want more wishes
ChumpDumper voted present?

No way!

:lmao

[K...]

Luka - plays a position that is easiest to stand out and could be unguardable in star form. Easy to sell a white player.

White is closest, but he's close to his peak, after guys peak he can be a good pg still. Murray probably has the fanbase but needs more offensive skill.

[GreekSpursfan]

I voted Samanic for obvious reasons, god given physical tools that you just can't teach but, and i hate to be negative, i see no superstar coming out this list or any current Spur, star yes superstar no.

[FkLA]

People falling for the instagram hype smh.

[SouthTexasRancher]

All of the young guys seem to have a lot of upside potential which is good for the Spurs future. They all seem very talented. Hopefully all will have a complete and healthy season including the playoffs. Vegas SL is going to be interesting. There are two or three current players who need to be traded or possibly bought out. The future is looking good.

[cutewizard]

Interesting tidbit: Luka had following Dejounte Murray for a couple weeks on instagram. DJ never followed him back. Same with Davis Bertans. He unfollowed both today.

Luka was also following Lonnie for a week since they met in summer league, but Lonnie never followed him back. Keldon and Lonnie follow each other on Instagram. Luka also unfollowed Lonnie today.


------------------------------------

Interesting behavioral analytical possibilities


Luka followed Derrick White today and Derrick followed him back the same day.

[cutewizard]

Skill-wise, who is the best among them there??

[cutewizard]

Luka - plays a position that is easiest to stand out and could be unguardable in star form. Easy to sell a white player.

White is closest, but he's close to his peak, after guys peak he can be a good pg still. Murray probably has the fanbase but needs more offensive skill.

-------------------------------------------


"could be unguardable in star form"

Interesting analysis good Sir, would you care to elaborate pls?

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

Murray I can see as more of the vocal leader of a team, rather than being the best player - like Draymond, if you want.

Out of the others, as already mentioned, Luka would be an easy choice because his superstar version would be superior to the other guys’ but as a karma thing and a future source for a million articles Keldon becoming one would be incredible.

[K...]

-------------------------------------------


"could be unguardable in star form"

Interesting analysis good Sir, would you care to elaborate pls?

Just thinking of dirk in his prime, obviously that's a long long way away, but a 3 ball, a mid range, and moves to finish at the basket would be awesome to see

[Dejounte]

-------------------------------------------


"could be unguardable in star form"

Interesting analysis good Sir, would you care to elaborate pls?

How many star PG's like Lilliard do we have in today's NBA? How many players do we have who are like Dirk in todays NBA? Thats ehy its better for the Spurs for Samanic to be special.

[Legacy]

:hungry: Luka! Luka! Luka! :hungry:

[Legacy]

A prime Dirk + prime Manu = future prime Luka would be a dream come true for me. :D

Hopefully, he doesn't pull a "Kawhi" on us, tbh. :lol