Official 2022 NBA Draft thread

[Chinook]

Fucking Pacers need to win a game. On a related note, Houston is in a close game with SAC. Hopefully they can win that and get the Spurs closer to a top-three slot.

[Dejounte]

https://youtu.be/EUvDpdQCRU4

Much like Primo (and Lonnie before him), Ivey has the look and body language of a star. Would not be opposed to a 1-2-3 punch of Murray/Ivey/Primo and surround those three with a Toni Kukoc forward and a garbage man center.

[BackHome]

One of the reason I like Ivey is that I think he would work great with Murray it gives them a great one two punch. Both can handle the fast breaks and on defense Murray can handle guarding SG while Ivey can lock down the PG. Also, I like Ivey 3 ball potential and he is just a dog he gets after it and we desperately need more players with this type of DNA.

[BackHome]

Man if Shaedon Sharpe decides to come out early it’s going to have a big impact on draft from 4 to 11.

[Dejounte]

Paolo standing around and begging for the ball in the mid post for multiple possessions today was NOT a good look. Spurs don’t usually go for those types of players.

[Dejounte]

Going up my board
Chet Holmgreen - fuck, if the Spurs see something there and he can form a 1-2 punch with Murray. Go for it. His body is alarming, but whatever. The advanced metrics look good.
Tari Eason - I was worried he was too much like KBD, but he’s a little more fluid than him and it doesn’t hurt to go for more players with length. He’s a little like Nephew in that he’s not flashy or super athletic, but the handles are there to give him upside on offense.

going down:
Paolo Banchero - for reasons stated above
Kendall Brown - people actually like this guy? Come on. 2 points. 5 points. 4 points. In the last three games. Do we need another non scorer?

[D-Robinson 50 fan]

https://youtu.be/M8ID7MGpKCY


No past “sure thing” prospect played like a role player in college.

i haven’t checked before responding but your above statement is false. Especially when you look at the university of Kentucky. Bam and Booker both were role players on those Kentucky teams.

[Dejounte]

i haven’t checked before responding but your above statement is false. Especially when you look at the university of Kentucky. Bam and Booker both were role players on those Kentucky teams.

Uhh it’s easy to say that after the fact. But my whole premise is that they weren’t sure thing prospects, not that there’s no chance for them to become stars. Bam and Book were not sure fire stars coming out of the draft. Especially Bam.

[Mr. Body]

Jaden Ivey is really athletic and has alpha scorer mentality. A rare talent to come out of Purdue.

[Robz4000]

Banchero, Ivey, Smith, and Baldwin Jr are the only potential franchise players in this draft imo, so its imperative the Spurs get themselves a top four pick.

[duncan2150]

Going up my board
Chet Holmgreen - fuck, if the Spurs see something there and he can form a 1-2 punch with Murray. Go for it. His body is alarming, but whatever. The advanced metrics look good.
Tari Eason - I was worried he was too much like KBD, but he’s a little more fluid than him and it doesn’t hurt to go for more players with length. He’s a little like Nephew in that he’s not flashy or super athletic, but the handles are there to give him upside on offense.

going down:
Paolo Banchero - for reasons stated above
Kendall Brown - people actually like this guy? Come on. 2 points. 5 points. 4 points. In the last three games. Do we need another non scorer?

Sometimes we need to see other things than just the numbers, imo Brown ( who's not that good the past few games) is totally hidden by baylor's system, i said that after watching some of their games. He got some legit tools, i'll consider him late lottery.

For Banchero, i agree about the style of play, he's a post player who needs touches but he can shoot, he's a good passer, not a bad defender so i still have him high. You said the spurs don't need non-scorer, i also think they need some scoring and paolo could be a very good option in that way.

[BackHome]

Banchero, Ivey, Smith, and Baldwin Jr are the only potential franchise players in this draft imo, so its imperative the Spurs get themselves a top four pick.

I would also include Shaedon Sharpe if he comes out as most mocks have him a top 3 in 2023.

His last measurements I saw was Height: 6’6 with a 6’11 wing span?

[Ditty]

Been a Chet fan since day one. I think he still has the most highest ceiling in the draft. I can see a bit of the KG comparisons defensively. Some of Durant offensively and some of Poku his floor. I have been falling in love with Jabari recently reading everyone’s scouting report’s on him. I would be happy with either as both will be franchise bigs.

[Mr. Body]

Been a Chet fan since day one. I think he still has the most highest ceiling in the draft. I can see a bit of the KG comparisons defensively. Some of Durant offensively and some of Poku his floor. I have been falling in love with Jabari recently reading everyone’s scouting report’s on him. I would be happy with either as both will be franchise bigs.

Pokusevski is a terrible player. I can't think of wasting a high draft pick on a guy whose floor is that terrible.

[duncan2150]

Pokusevski is a terrible player. I can't think of wasting a high draft pick on a guy whose floor is that terrible.


Holmgren is nowhere near or comparable to Poku in term of Basketball skills imo.

The frame is concerning but the guy is very good. Will change the defense.

[D-Robinson 50 fan]

Uhh it’s easy to say that after the fact. But my whole premise is that they weren’t sure thing prospects, not that there’s no chance for them to become stars. Bam and Book were not sure fire stars coming out of the draft. Especially Bam.

Oh, I misunderstood what your premise was then. I agree that neither Bam or Booker were sure fire stars coming into the draft.

honestly though the draft is a crap shoot and I know you understand that. I just hope we get a quality player

[CGD]

Holmgren is nowhere near or comparable to Poku in term of Basketball skills imo.

The frame is concerning but the guy is very good. Will change the defense.

His body is concerning and raises question for me about whether his D will translate to the NBA, but his handle and fluidity on offense is pretty amazing for a guy that tall. Had some early early KD flashbacks.

[KingKev]

Will be interesting to see how Pop (if he is still coaching) decides the development path of what is likely a top 5 pick.

If we were kucky enough to come away with someone like Smith there is no reason for him to be playing behind anyone on this roster from day one.

[duncan2150]

His body is concerning and raises question for me about whether his D will translate to the NBA, but his handle and fluidity on offense is pretty amazing for a guy that tall. Had some early early KD flashbacks.


I really think the concerns with him are mostly his body, about the defense i agree about the low post but not totally, he still can block shots and for the perimeter he shows that he can slide on smaller players.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E13X-2SsJOI
Defense starts at 4 min mark

[Dejounte]

Jabari Smith’s closest matches: Rudy Gay, Patrick Williams, Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram. Stats back it up— Jabari prefers contested mid range 2’s and shoots them average-to-poor, just like these guys.

Not the type of guys I think you could win with with them as your #1 or #2 guy. Waste of a top 5 pick, IMO.

[duncan2150]

Jabari Smith’s closest matches: Rudy Gay, Patrick Williams, Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram

Not the type of guys I think you could win with with them as your #1 or #2 guy. Waste of a top 5 pick, IMO.


You see him as a 3/4 ? i see him more as a 4/5. I will compare him to Jaren Jackson jr ( better shooter but weaker shotblocker).

[Dejounte]

You see him as a 3/4 ? i see him more as a 4/5. I will compare him to Jaren Jackson jr ( better shooter but weaker shotblocker).
Full time 4. A 3 for (very) short stretches. Doesn’t have the body for a 5 unless the team he’s playing against is playing small.

[duncan2150]

Full time 4. A 3 for (very) short stretches. Doesn’t have the body for a 5 unless the team he’s playing against is playing small.

Agreed, he's a full time 4 for me. Reminds me a lot of JJJ.

[Dejounte]

IMO, Jabari is an okay pick if you think everyone else in that range doesn’t have impressive upside.

i think this is all moot point anyway since I don’t think he’ll be a real target since he doesn’t appear to have your typical Spurs qualities: team-first, professional, humble, intelligence or curiosity. This guy sounds dumb as bricks.

[KingKev]

IMO, Jabari is an okay pick if you think everyone else in that range doesn’t have impressive upside.

i think this is all moot point anyway since I don’t think he’ll be a real target since he doesn’t appear to have your typical Spurs qualities: team-first, professional, humble, intelligence or curiosity. This guy sounds dumb as bricks.

You may be right but at some point we need to loosen this criteria in the pursuit of talent. Some of those wualities you mentioned above come with maturity and can be bred. Pure talent can’t.

[Dejounte]

You may be right but at some point we need to loosen this criteria in the pursuit of talent. Some of those wualities you mentioned above come with maturity and can be bred. Pure talent can’t.

I don’t disagree. I just don’t think the pure talent is there for Jabari either. Kid is being hyped up yet isn’t doing anything spectacular in college.

[KingKev]

I don’t disagree. I just don’t think the pure talent is there for Jabari either. Kid is being hyped up yet isn’t doing anything spectacular in college.


Well scouting, drafting, developing remains a strength of ours. I’m just hoping we din’t get too cute and over think a potential top 5 pick. Best player available pls.

[R. DeMurre]

Kendall Brown's freshman numbers (on a Baylor team that's better than Primo's Alabama team) might not look overly impressive, but they're better than Primo's were in almost every way-- points, rebounds, assists, steals, WS, ORtg, DRtg, BPM, per game, per minute, etc... hard to argue that casuals don't understand why Primo might be so great while also saying Brown doesn't have potential.

[exstatic]

Kendall Brown's freshman numbers (on a Baylor team that's better than Primo's Alabama team) might not look overly impressive, but they're better than Primo's were in almost every way-- points, rebounds, assists, steals, WS, ORtg, DRtg, BPM, per game, per minute, etc... hard to argue that casuals don't understand why Primo might be so great while also saying Brown doesn't have potential.

Primo was a 17 YO freshman. He also launched 6 3s per game at 38%. Kendall barely shoots them, 33% for 1.1 attempts per game. That is the single largest difference, and it’s huge in a league that values nothing as much as it values taking a lot of 3s, and making them at a high percentage.

[R. DeMurre]

Primo was a 17 YO freshman. He also launched 6 3s per game at 38%. Kendall barely shoots them, 33% for 1.1 attempts per game. That is the single largest difference, and it’s huge in a league that values nothing as much as it values taking a lot of 3s, and making them at a high percentage.

Very true, but Evan Mobley and Scottie Barnes are two guys leading the way in the ROY race, and neither shoots the 3 prolifically or efficiently (yet). Keldon Johnson is shooting 44% from 3 and is still a net negative. The 3pt shot obviously has big value, but it isn't the only thing that makes a player great. Giannis and Doncic are two of the best modern players on the planet and neither has ever shot above 35% from 3.

Also, Primo shot 6 threes per 40 minutes, not per game. He averaged 3.8 threes per game at Alabama.

[exstatic]

Mobleys a center, and we’ll have to watch Barnes development. ROY isn’t the finish line for a career. Just ask Michael Carter-Williams. He couldn’t shoot, either.

Call me crazy, but I’m thinking if you are in the draft pool as a SF, you should actually be able to shoot the 3 ball at a high rate and percentage, or not be a top pick.

[R. DeMurre]

Mobleys a center, and we’ll have to watch Barnes development. ROY isn’t the finish line for a career. Just ask Michael Carter-Williams. He couldn’t shoot, either.

Call me crazy, but I’m thinking if you are in the draft pool as a SF, you should actually be able to shoot the 3 ball at a high rate and percentage, or not be a top pick.

Mobley is playing a ton of PF this year beside Jarrett Allen, and occasionally SF. Again, I generally agree that a nice 3pt% is appealing-- it's just not absolute. KJ and McDermott are both having great 3 pt% seasons and are both net negative players for the Spurs. McDermott is having arguably one of the worst performances in the league in terms of overall affect on wins, as did Bryn Forbes... so it's pretty fair to say that the two best 3 pt shooters on the team were/are their weakest links because they lack so much in other areas.

[TD 21]

IMO, Jabari is an okay pick if you think everyone else in that range doesn’t have impressive upside.

i think this is all moot point anyway since I don’t think he’ll be a real target since he doesn’t appear to have your typical Spurs qualities: team-first, professional, humble, intelligence or curiosity. This guy sounds dumb as bricks.

It's all moot anyway since the league has tipped their hand that they're not interested in making the Spurs somewhat whole despite their getting screwed, but hypothetically speaking, given the need for an offensive centerpiece, a four and his Hispanic heritage, I can't see how they'd pass on Banchero.

Smith's projected malleability makes more sense for teams who think they might already have the offensive centerpiece.

[KingKev]

It's all moot anyway since the league has tipped their hand that they're not interested in making the Spurs somewhat whole despite their getting screwed, but hypothetically speaking, given the need for an offensive centerpiece, a four and his Hispanic heritage, I can't see how they'd pass on Banchero.

Smith's projected malleability makes more sense for teams who think they might already have the offensive centerpiece.

The NBA shouldn’t have to make us whole for Kawhi being a douche. Should they make us whole for Pop not exploring better deals for Kawhi out of spite and stubborness? There is no conspiracy here.

Also Banchero is Italian American LOL

[Dejounte]

It's all moot anyway since the league has tipped their hand that they're not interested in making the Spurs somewhat whole despite their getting screwed, but hypothetically speaking, given the need for an offensive centerpiece, a four and his Hispanic heritage, I can't see how they'd pass on Banchero.

Smith's projected malleability makes more sense for teams who think they might already have the offensive centerpiece.

You missed one more for Banchero: he’s a Seattle native and appears to have connected with Murray already. It’s the same reason I think theres a nonzero chance for Lavine to sign here— Lavine is a Seattle native and appears to be close with Murray already (both go out of their way to show a lot of support for each other on social media)

[TD 21]

The NBA shouldn’t have to make us whole for Kawhi being a douche. Should they make us whole for Pop not exploring better deals for Kawhi out of spite and stubborness? There is no conspiracy here.

Also Banchero is Italian American LOL

The league has a history of non glamour markets, when they're thrust into a tough spot, conveniently having lottery luck in short order.

If Silver had a spine, he wouldn't have allowed it to play out how it did in the first place. I'm confident Stern, despite the league office's dislike for the Spurs, wouldn't have because he'd have seen the bigger picture of allowing a player to decimate a small market franchise.

Wojnarowski and Windhorst said at the time his value was so low there was nothing resembling a commensurate offer at any point. That doesn't absolve the Spurs for bending over like they ultimately did though.

Hispanic, Italian; close enough. Two out of three ain't bad. :lmao

[KingKev]

You missed one more for Banchero: he’s a Seattle native and appears to have connected with Murray already. It’s the same reason I think theres a nonzero chance for Lavine to sign here— Lavine is a Seattle native and appears to be close with Murray already (both go out of their way to show a lot of support for each other on social media)

I dream of Lavine also but it would take a miracle for him to leave Chicago; Bulls would really have to mess up. He might even be supermax eligible if he makes an All-NBA team this year and he is right there especially with Dame struggling and Irving probably not eligible.

[exstatic]

Mobley is playing a ton of PF this year beside Jarrett Allen, and occasionally SF. Again, I generally agree that a nice 3pt% is appealing-- it's just not absolute. KJ and McDermott are both having great 3 pt% seasons and are both net negative players for the Spurs. McDermott is having arguably one of the worst performances in the league in terms of overall affect on wins, as did Bryn Forbes... so it's pretty fair to say that the two best 3 pt shooters on the team were/are their weakest links because they lack so much in other areas.

Both McD and Keldon are catch and shoot. Believe me, that will also go out of style. Primo can get his own. That’s the future, and why Curry is so unstoppable.

BTW, that also means that kendalls 1.1 3G attempts are also per 36. You didn’t help your case.

[BackHome]

Kendall Brown's freshman numbers (on a Baylor team that's better than Primo's Alabama team) might not look overly impressive, but they're better than Primo's were in almost every way-- points, rebounds, assists, steals, WS, ORtg, DRtg, BPM, per game, per minute, etc... hard to argue that casuals don't understand why Primo might be so great while also saying Brown doesn't have potential.

I see both sides you look at Brown and you see a extremely athletic player who has a high ball IQ and he is young/Freshmen. But..............he has not shown the ability to hit the 3 ball or mid shots his offensive game is very raw. He is a risk to take but if he can learn to shoot then you got your self an All Star.....

[BackHome]

I have made some changes to my picks based on the big 3 being selected before we pick:

1. Jaden Ivey - PG/SG - 6'4
2. Shaedon Sharpe - SG - 6'6
3. Bennedict Mathurin - SG- 6'7
4. Johnny Davis - SG - 6'5
5. Keegan Murray - PF- 6'8
6. Kendal Brown - SF - 6'8
7. AJ. Griffin- SF - 6'6

I think picks 1 - 5 give you your starting player for next several years -Could be Bat Man or Robin?

For Detroit I am thinking of going big or best available:

1. Ismael Kamagate - C - 6'11
2. Walker Kessler - C - 7'1
3. Julian Champagnie - SF- 6'8

For LA pick I am thinking potential maybe draft and stash:

1. Hugo Besson - PG/SG - 6'3 - I think he might go late first or early second but who knows
2.Yannick Nzosa - PF- 6/10 - Was thought of as a top 10 for this draft would be smart not declare for this year
3. Gabriel Procida - SG/SF - 6'7 - The kid is super athletic and can shoot the 3 ball has potential

[look_at_g_shred]

How many total picks do we have this year? 3?

[BackHome]

Yes, we got our pick and Detroit and the Flakers second round picks

[buttsR4rebounding]

Well scouting, drafting, developing remains a strength of ours. I’m just hoping we din’t get too cute and over think a potential top 5 pick. Best player available pls.

I would clarify that. Scouting, drafting, and developing guards and wings remains a strength. Not so much for bigs.

[KingKev]

I would clarify that. Scouting, drafting, and developing guards and wings remains a strength. Not so much for bigs.

Definitely less success. Mahinmi, Tiago, Blair, Arrgh Scola all late pics with pretty good careers we had some involvement in.

[FlAVaK]

1486360065116356613

[Ditty]

Shaedon Sharpe would be an amazing pick if we don’t get a top three pick and can’t get Ivey.

[tbdog]

Definitely less success. Mahinmi, Tiago, Blair, Arrgh Scola all late pics with pretty good careers we had some involvement in.

Not sure why mahinmi is on that list.

[KingKev]

Not sure why mahinmi is on that list.

You are probably right but 10+ years in the league and contributed to Mavs 2011 title - for me that is fair value for a late 1st.

[exstatic]

Shaedon Sharpe would be an amazing pick if we don’t get a top three pick and can’t get Ivey.

Why? He’s not even playing at UK. This is another case like Wiseman, where you have to go by seeing him against HS competition on video, because that will be almost all of what there is to see.

[BackHome]

Yeah, but we’re talking about elite talent they are some players who would definitely get drafted without playing any college ball if they lowered the draft age. And I can definitely say that people have been watching him during team practice. All drafts are a crap shot you just want to try and do as much research as you can. All lottery teams will bring him in for a workout and do as much background as possible to dot the I’s and cross the T’s.

Just look at the Spurs with Primo they didn’t draft him on what he did in college they drafted him on what he showed on some pre draft games and workouts that showed he has good handles and court vision to go with everything else.

It’s a gamble and I do miss the days when players would craft their basketball for 3 or 4 years in college because it produced a better NBA product.

[exstatic]

Yeah, but we’re talking about elite talent they are some players who would definitely get drafted without playing any college ball if they lowered the draft age. And I can definitely say that people have been watching him during team practice. All drafts are a crap shot you just want to try and do as much research as you can. All lottery teams will bring him in for a workout and do as much background as possible to dot the I’s and cross the T’s.

Just look at the Spurs with Primo they didn’t draft him on what he did in college they drafted him on what he showed on some pre draft games and workouts that showed he has good handles and court vision to go with everything else.

It’s a gamble and I do miss the days when players would craft their basketball for 3 or 4 years in college because it produced a better NBA product.

The Spurs got to see a year of Primo film competing against D1 SEC players.

Just look at BJ Boston. #4 in his recruiting class, played a year, and fell into the second round. And he actually PLAYED at UK.

[Mr. Body]

Why? He’s not even playing at UK. This is another case like Wiseman, where you have to go by seeing him against HS competition on video, because that will be almost all of what there is to see.

I don't get it either. People fall in love with players they've never seen. Wiseman fooled the world by hiding himself, which was a smart move. Too many have this ESPN/AAU basketball way of thinking. Same way they fall in love with Ignite. It's all hype. All players who don't want to face real competition.

[BackHome]

For the most part I agree with you all just pointing out there are always exceptions ie; Lebron James

For the record I don’t have a pet cat in this draft I have 10 guys I like and would be happy with any of them. I trust “Crossing Fingers” our GM & Pop will make the right decision on who we pick

[exstatic]

For the most part I agree with you all just pointing out there are always exceptions ie; Lebron James

For the record I don’t have a pet cat in this draft I have 10 guys I like and would be happy with any of them. I trust “Crossing Fingers” our GM & Pop will make the right decision on who we pick

LeBron was a generational talent. He shouldn’t be used as a yardstick for anyone.

[exstatic]

I don't get it either. People fall in love with players they've never seen. Wiseman fooled the world by hiding himself, which was a smart move. Too many have this ESPN/AAU basketball way of thinking. Same way they fall in love with Ignite. It's all hype. All players who don't want to face real competition.

I hate the ignite. It’s such pampering, and when they can’t win, they go out and sign some past their sell date former nba players to hold their hands. Then, they still don’t win. :lol

[BatManu20]

Keegan Murray just seems like he’s destined to be a Spur imo.

Seems like exact kinda guy PATFO would target in the 6-10 range, which is where we’ll likely be selecting since the Kings and Pacers are both awful and can’t seem to win any games. Both are worse than the Spurs imo and will end up with worse records by the end of the year. Same with OKC and maybe even Portland.


48bCT7uM2kA

[BatManu20]

I like Murray as a prospect. Only negatives for me are his wingspan (only 6’11) and his lack of athleticism. Wish he was a little taller too. But he’s a versatile prospect who plays both ways and would fill a position of need for us. Can space the floor and still has some upside to him. And he’s supposedly a high-character kid, which you know PATFO value over everything. Seems like one of the safer picks in the lottery after the top-3.

[exstatic]

You peeps keep thinking the final standings are where we draft. There’s this thing called the lottery, and that sets the order. Teams (at least two):have jumped into the top 4 every year under the new format, once or twice with 30 plus wins. Positions 3 and 4 are the worst. I’d be completely comfy between 5 and 7, pre draft.

[Mr. Body]

Keegan Murray just seems like he’s destined to be a Spur imo.

Seems like exact kinda guy PATFO would target in the 6-10 range, which is where we’ll likely be selecting since the Kings and Pacers are both awful and can’t seem to win any games. Both are worse than the Spurs imo and will end up with worse records by the end of the year. Same with OKC and maybe even Portland.


48bCT7uM2kA

And San Antonio is actually a step up from living in Iowa.

[BatManu20]

You peeps keep thinking the final standings are where we draft. There’s this thing called the lottery, and that sets the order. Teams (at least two):have jumped into the top 4 every year under the new format, once or twice with 30 plus wins. Positions 3 and 4 are the worst. I’d be completely comfy between 5 and 7, pre draft.

https://c.tenor.com/eJbp6htAVQwAAAAM/what-do-you-mean-you-people.gif



Obviously we could jump up with a lucky bounce, but the odds are still against us. So I’m just assuming we’ll be selecting somewhere in that range. Anything can happen obviously.

[Dejounte]

https://youtu.be/XTOd4x--W28

Ivey is a no brainer pick if he’s there.

[Chinook]

Ivey in particular was who I was thinking of when I was talking about the Spurs trading for Collins and using their 2022 pick on a replacement for White in the SL. To be fair, I hadn't seen a second of him play, but Tankathon had had him near the top of the mock. The Spurs badly need a legit two-guard version of Patty Mills. They need a fast agile scorer and fearless shooter but without the small stature. It would be hard to justify taking another SG if the Spurs keep White (and especially Walker), but there are other trade options out there for Derrick than ATL. I still like Smith and Banchero for overall BPA, and I wouldn't be upset with a forward like Murray or Eason. But getting the best offensive wing available to go with DJM and Vassell would be nice, even if that wing is actually just Primo continuing to develop.

[Mr. Body]

Ivey is a superior player with some Jordan-esque qualities. If he was at Kentucky or Duke, we'd hear no end of him.

[FutureMan]

With the right team Ivey is going to be amazing. IMO this draft could have 5 franchise players and Ivey is definitely one of them.

[spurspl]

With the right team Ivey is going to be amazing. IMO this draft could have 5 franchise players and Ivey is definitely one of them.

agree, i can see a significat talent drop after top 5 players, keep my fingers crossed for more lost games. We desperately need top pick, otherwise we gonna draft another role player

[NickiRasgo]

Ivey is OKC bound esp. with comparison with Morant unless they'll fall below 5th or below.

[FutureMan]

agree, i can see a significat talent drop after top 5 players, keep my fingers crossed for more lost games. We desperately need top pick, otherwise we gonna draft another role player

What is your top 5 looking like?

[spurspl]

What is your top 5 looking like?

not sure about the order yet but for now its: banchero, ivey, holmgren, jabari, ben mathurin. noticed that sheadon sharpe probably be in this draft but didnt watch him enough. And you?

[FutureMan]

not sure about the order yet but for now its: banchero, ivey, holmgren, jabari, ben mathurin. noticed that sheadon sharpe probably be in this draft but didnt watch him enough. And you?

That’s funny. I’m in exactly the same place. Mathurin looks good.

[talkspurs]

memphis will have a decent pick this year along with their already good team.

[KingKev]

memphis will have a decent pick this year along with their already good team.

They have 3 FRPs. Their own which will be late 20s, LAL which should be 10-15 and likely low to mid 20s. They also culd clear up to 40mm in cap quite easily this offseason.

[BackHome]

Yeah if they play it right they could become a powerhouse it will be interesting to see what they do with all those picks. Or if they decide to trade two picks for a very good player??????????????

[BatManu20]

Keegan Murray sends it to OT. Iowa went on to lose though.

1488332187615256581

[Mr. Body]

Keegan Murray sends it to OT. Iowa went on to lose though.

1488332187615256581

He had a poor game shooting, but managed to get points and make key shots down the stretch. He may not be as electric as Ivey, but he's also a gamer.

[PhantomDashCam]

I'm early into doing my research for the draft but I posit this question to those who follow the College game and Spurs closely....

Are the Spurs still in BPA mode or are they looking for help in a position of need? (and I tend to think that is a starting 4).

I know how redundant this may sound considering we're likely a lottery team, without a play in game too; but I wonder how the Spurs key Brass feel on this topic.

Would the Spurs still look at Ivey and Mathurin for example, if they feel comfortable with a combination of KJ, Vassell and Primo (perhaps even Lonnie) as the youth to bypass such a pick?

[exstatic]

I'm early into doing my research for the draft but I posit this question to those who follow the College game and Spurs closely....

Are the Spurs still in BPA mode or are they looking for help in a position of need? (and I tend to think that is a starting 4).

I know how redundant this may sound considering we're likely a lottery team, without a play in game too; but I wonder how the Spurs key Brass feel on this topic.

Would the Spurs still look at Ivey and Mathurin for example, if they feel comfortable with a combination of KJ, Vassell and Primo (perhaps even Lonnie) as the youth to bypass such a pick?

The Spurs have drafted players 6’4”-6’6” in the first round for 6 consecutive drafts. They’ll go BPA, like always. They not only drafted Primo last year with a glut of guards and wings, they reached for him.

[FutureMan]

The Spurs have drafted players 6’4”-6’6” in the first round for 6 consecutive drafts. They’ll go BPA, like always. They not only drafted Primo last year with a glut of guards and wings, they reached for him.

Not sure you can call it BPA straight out. It’s some kind of mixture of BPA and something else. Them skipping Haliburton and choosing Vassell is a good example of what I’m talking about. I can’t describe the secondary thought that goes into their decision making but I’m definitely use to it by now :lol

[Thomas82]

The Spurs have drafted players 6’4”-6’6” in the first round for 6 consecutive drafts. They’ll go BPA, like always. They not only drafted Primo last year with a glut of guards and wings, they reached for him.

That's depressing to think about.

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

They have 3 FRPs. Their own which will be late 20s, LAL which should be 10-15 and likely low to mid 20s. They also culd clear up to 40mm in cap quite easily this offseason.

If I'm Memphis I'm sending all of these picks to Indiana for Sabonis, even add another FRP in 2024, throw the kitchen sink. He'd be a perfect fit for them.

[ZeusWillJudge]

Kendall Brown's freshman numbers (on a Baylor team that's better than Primo's Alabama team) might not look overly impressive, but they're better than Primo's were in almost every way-- points, rebounds, assists, steals, WS, ORtg, DRtg, BPM, per game, per minute, etc... hard to argue that casuals don't understand why Primo might be so great while also saying Brown doesn't have potential.

Assume the Spurs win just enough games to wind up with a late lottery pick, which seems likely:

Brown is better than he's being given credit for (so far). But I hate to see this team take a guy who isn't much of a 3P threat. I don't think he'll ever be that.

Patrick Baldwin Jr. is also better than he's being given credit for, but he's got a better 3P stroke than Brown, and a coach for a dad. If he doesn't stick around one more year to help Sr. out, he's probably on the list.

If Jabari Walker remembers where he left his 3P stroke, he could be a good value in the late 1st or early 2nd. If the Spurs do a deal that gets them an extra pick in that range, I wouldn't mind seeing him be their second pick. But... if Walker does find that outside shot again, he's a guy I could see flaring up later in the season, and playing his way up aroun 10-12. I'm a big believer in guys who show talent AND have a father who was a player.

I could say all those same things about Caleb Houstan, except the bit about his dad. So if the Spurs are stuck in Late Lottery Limbo, or if they maneuver their way into a late 1st or early 2nd, and Walker or Houstan are there, they would both be value picks for the Spurs. I know everybody wants a franchise guy, but they aren't likely to find one that far down, even if Kawhi did fall to 15.

Hunter Dickinson and Johnny Juzang - either or both could be there when the Spurs take their own second round pick. Both would be worthwhile as second rounders.

And if he gets overlooked - the Spurs should have a contract (at least a 2-way) ready for Mason Gillis the moment the draft is over.

I don't like to waste a lot of time with players who aren't likely to be around when the Spurs will be picking. And I always try to find value second round picks, and at least one who is likely to go undrafted. I cried for the Spurs to sign Fred VanVleet when he went undrafted, and Max Struss is doing a hell of a job for Miami as an undrafted player. And I still think Jordan Nwora was a great value at 45 - especially if he hadn't gotten injured in his rookie season.

Right now, I think it's at least a coin toss that Jabari Walker plays his way into the top 15, barring injury or Colorado missing the tourney, which they could well do.

[buttsR4rebounding]

I’ve been intrigued by John Butler from FSU. Son of a coach and at 7’1” moves very well on the perimeter. I can’t recall a 7 footer that gets his butt down and slides his feet so well. I like him in the 2nd round.

[Seventyniner]

If Jabari Walker remembers where he left his 3P stroke, he could be a good value in the late 1st or early 2nd. If the Spurs do a deal that gets them an extra pick in that range, I wouldn't mind seeing him be their second pick.

Good news: the Spurs get the better of Detroit's and Chicago's seconds this year, which will be Detroit's pick and thus an early second (#31-34).

Evidently the Wizards/Hutchison and DeRozan S&T deals combined to assure the Spurs of that pick.

https://basketball.realgm.com/nba/draft/future_drafts/detailed
(https://basketball.realgm.com/nba/draft/future_drafts/detailed)
Edit: the Spurs owe their own 2022 second to Cleveland (via Utah, Diaw salary dump in 2016) so they won't get to double-dip at the top of the second round.

[The Truth #6]

Assume the Spurs win just enough games to wind up with a late lottery pick, which seems likely:

Brown is better than he's being given credit for (so far). But I hate to see this team take a guy who isn't much of a 3P threat. I don't think he'll ever be that.

Patrick Baldwin Jr. is also better than he's being given credit for, but he's got a better 3P stroke than Brown, and a coach for a dad. If he doesn't stick around one more year to help Sr. out, he's probably on the list.

If Jabari Walker remembers where he left his 3P stroke, he could be a good value in the late 1st or early 2nd. If the Spurs do a deal that gets them an extra pick in that range, I wouldn't mind seeing him be their second pick. But... if Walker does find that outside shot again, he's a guy I could see flaring up later in the season, and playing his way up aroun 10-12. I'm a big believer in guys who show talent AND have a father who was a player.

I could say all those same things about Caleb Houstan, except the bit about his dad. So if the Spurs are stuck in Late Lottery Limbo, or if they maneuver their way into a late 1st or early 2nd, and Walker or Houstan are there, they would both be value picks for the Spurs. I know everybody wants a franchise guy, but they aren't likely to find one that far down, even if Kawhi did fall to 15.

Hunter Dickinson and Johnny Juzang - either or both could be there when the Spurs take their own second round pick. Both would be worthwhile as second rounders.

And if he gets overlooked - the Spurs should have a contract (at least a 2-way) ready for Mason Gillis the moment the draft is over.

I don't like to waste a lot of time with players who aren't likely to be around when the Spurs will be picking. And I always try to find value second round picks, and at least one who is likely to go undrafted. I cried for the Spurs to sign Fred VanVleet when he went undrafted, and Max Struss is doing a hell of a job for Miami as an undrafted player. And I still think Jordan Nwora was a great value at 45 - especially if he hadn't gotten injured in his rookie season.

Right now, I think it's at least a coin toss that Jabari Walker plays his way into the top 15, barring injury or Colorado missing the tourney, which they could well do.

Any thoughts on AJ Griffin? His dad was an NBA player, I believe.

[exstatic]

Good news: the Spurs get the better of Detroit's and Chicago's seconds this year, which will be Detroit's pick and thus an early second (#31-34).

Evidently the Wizards/Hutchison and DeRozan S&T deals combined to assure the Spurs of that pick.

https://basketball.realgm.com/nba/draft/future_drafts/detailed
(https://basketball.realgm.com/nba/draft/future_drafts/detailed)
Edit: the Spurs owe their own 2022 second to Cleveland (via Utah, Diaw salary dump in 2016) so they won't get to double-dip at the top of the second round.

We own the Lakers SRP as part of the same trade. That looks to be in the mid 40s.

[Dejounte]

Last year, comments from Pop were all about the team lacking in 3 point shooting, and they addressed that in the offseason.

This year, the comments from Pop are that the team is being outrebounded and that the team needs a scorer.

You can connect the dots here and filter out draft prospects/ free agents/ trade targets who do not meet this criteria.

High scoring potential:
Ivey
Banchero
PBJ
Keegan Murray
Maybe Mathurin

My bets are on these guys to be drafted by the Spurs.

[BackHome]

If we have the 4th pick and Ivey is available I am picking him without hesitation

[The Truth #6]

I can see the Spurs having a high pick and doing something unexpected. Like, I could see Chet falling and the Spurs take Keegan Murray instead. Or something like that.

[exstatic]

I can see the Spurs having a high pick and doing something unexpected. Like, I could see Chet falling and the Spurs take Keegan Murray instead. Or something like that.

Doubtful. They’re going to pick the highest talent that matches the culture, not just pick a culture guy.

[The Truth #6]

Doubtful. They’re going to pick the highest talent that matches the culture, not just pick a culture guy.

Do you not see Keegan as a high talent player, then?

[exstatic]

Do you not see Keegan as a high talent player, then?

I’m more optimistic than most about our pick. I think we have a good chance at the top 4, and he’s not a top 4 player. The scenario was Chet, and he’s not better than Chet.

[The Truth #6]

Yeah, that’s the consensus. Still, I expect the Spurs to do something unexpected. But best talent with good character makes sense on paper.

[KingKev]

Yeah, that’s the consensus. Still, I expect the Spurs to do something unexpected. But best talent with good character makes sense on paper.

Character needs to take a backseat to talent. It’s starting to get ridiculous.

[bluebellmaniac]

Character needs to take a backseat to talent. It’s starting to get ridiculous.

Just stop. Go back to your YMCA 12 and under league and recruit the hell out of your league. And stay off the internet.

[buttsR4rebounding]

Just stop. Go back to your YMCA 12 and under league and recruit the hell out of your league. And stay off the internet.

What are you talking about? This team lacks TALENT! It needs to be the top priority. Kingkev is right on the money.

[KingKev]

Just stop. Go back to your YMCA 12 and under league and recruit the hell out of your league. And stay off the internet.

I’m not saying draft Dennis Rodman Jr but we need a shakeup of culture. The good guy thing is great when you have guys like David Robinson and Tim Duncan leading by example (even those days had some bad boys) but we need to make some compromises if we’d like to be competitive again.

[bluebellmaniac]

I’m not saying draft Dennis Rodman Jr but we need a shakeup of culture. The good guy thing is great when you have guys like David Robinson and Tim Duncan leading by example (even those days had some bad boys) but we need to make some compromises if we’d like to be competitive again.

No. You recruit Rajon Rondo for your team. We need players with BBIQ. We need motors. We also need the maturity to go out and learn the SYSTEM we operate in. If they want to ball like it is a playground, that is not going to work. They have to know rotations, how to pass, how to know what the options are and in what order. They need to be willing to play defense and know how (learn). No, they are re-building and they are doing it the correct way. It isn't re-built in a day.

[Dejounte]

The Spurs should go against the grain if they feel that they should. They make the right pick most of the time, so there’s really no reason to doubt that area of the organization.

but of course we’ll hear moaning on here like they did for Sengun, a player who probably won’t be as good as they thought. Let’s not forget Poku either.

[KingKev]

No. You recruit Rajon Rondo for your team. We need players with BBIQ. We need motors. We also need the maturity to go out and learn the SYSTEM we operate in. If they want to ball like it is a playground, that is not going to work. They have to know rotations, how to pass, how to know what the options are and in what order. They need to be willing to play defense and know how (learn). No, they are re-building and they are doing it the correct way. It isn't re-built in a day.

BBIQ is absolutely welcomed. Maturity can be learned. Talent can’t. We have some very poor defenders on the last few teams so defense is only a consideration and not a necessity for PATFO as evidenced by Walker, Johnson, DDR, Forbes, McDermott etc.

[exstatic]

Spurs have already proved they will pass on talent when the character isn’t there. Of course, so did 19 other teams. A lot of mock’s had Jalen Johnson ranked as a top 5-7 talent, but he fell all the way To 20.

[RC_Drunkford]

Just get a top 5 pick. That should be the focus. I‘m good with any of the top 5 in this draft

[Mr. Body]

Spurs have already proved they will pass on talent when the character isn’t there. Of course, so did 19 other teams. A lot of mock’s had Jalen Johnson ranked as a top 5-7 talent, but he fell all the way To 20.

Imagine a player who couldn't hack it with Coach K being able to be coached. I don't remember him getting ranked that high most places, but there were some geniuses here who fell in love with him. And Kai Jones.

[The Truth #6]

My larger point is that the Spurs could very easily make a reach for a player, even if they have a top 5 pick. Vassel instead of Halliburton. Primo instead of Sengun and other players. They like to buck expectations and do things their way. That process/approach is a reasonable things to critique, even if we hope for the best for our players to prove the FO right.

Another point. Tangent here. There is more than one way to build a winning culture. Building a culture around talent and not just a slow process of finding good character guys can also work. I’m thinking of Demar all of a sudden shooting threes and playing improved defense in Chicago. You would think he would have done that under Pop. The only reason I can understand that he does it now is that he is on a more talented team where the stakes are higher, the expectation to win is higher, and that brings out the best in players, even those who may have been reluctant to do so before. I mean, the current Bulls were basically slapped together over the last 18 months. The Spurs like to take the slow, safe approach. But it’s not the only way to do it. If we can get a talented anchor, then things fit around them. That’s actually the typical NBA way to do it, but as a Spurs fan it is so far out of step with how we do it, it seems exotic.

But not catering to a douche bag star is appealing too. Anyway, we’ll see what happens.

[BackHome]

Imagine a player who couldn't hack it with Coach K being able to be coached. I don't remember him getting ranked that high most places, but there were some geniuses here who fell in love with him. And Kai Jones.

Yep I remember the Kai love affair

[Dejounte]

My larger point is that the Spurs could very easily make a reach for a player, even if they have a top 5 pick. Vassel instead of Halliburton. Primo instead of Sengun and other players. They like to buck expectations and do things their way. That process/approach is a reasonable things to critique, even if we hope for the best for our players to prove the FO right.

Another point. Tangent here. There is more than one way to build a winning culture. Building a culture around talent and not just a slow process of finding good character guys can also work. I’m thinking of Demar all of a sudden shooting threes and playing improved defense in Chicago. You would think he would have done that under Pop. The only reason I can understand that he does it now is that he is on a more talented team where the stakes are higher, the expectation to win is higher, and that brings out the best in players, even those who may have been reluctant to do so before. I mean, the current Bulls were basically slapped together over the last 18 months. The Spurs like to take the slow, safe approach. But it’s not the only way to do it. If we can get a talented anchor, then things fit around them. That’s actually the typical NBA way to do it, but as a Spurs fan it is so far out of step with how we do it, it seems exotic.

But not catering to a douche bag star is appealing too. Anyway, we’ll see what happens.

1) Haliburton fell but he wasn’t an obvious pick over Vassell. Vassell was maybe projected 1-2 spots below Tyrese. It’s not like it was some big reach.
2) DeMar shooting threes and defense. You need to look at his three point rate again. After shooting 45 3’s in November, he reverted back to his non-shooting self with only 8 in December and then only 15 in January. The same numbers he had as a Spur. And defense? He’s not even playing better defense, so not sure where that came from.

Using the Bulls as an example of “building around good talent working” is an odd choice. It’s way too early and it’s not as if they’ve got a roster that has the makings of a dynasty. Things rise and fall in the NBA QUICK. Before you know it, the Bulls are yet again no longer in the playoffs next year and all this admiration goes out the window. Anyone remember when the Knicks looked like they were finally putting it together last year? What about the Hawks who looked like they had something special last year and now they look like a mediocre team and they’re now trying to trade away their core players.

[BatManu20]

I can see the Spurs having a high pick and doing something unexpected. Like, I could see Chet falling and the Spurs take Keegan Murray instead. Or something like that.

Chet is more likely to go #1 overall than he is to fall out of the top-3. But I disagree anyways. The top-4 talents in this draft are pretty clear imo. Would be shocked if all 4 didn’t go first. Only way that changes imo is if Shaedon Sharpe winds up declaring and kills it during pre-draft workouts.

[KobesAchilles]

Give me Ivey. Worry about the rest later

[The Truth #6]

1) Haliburton fell but he wasn’t an obvious pick over Vassell. Vassell was maybe projected 1-2 spots below Tyrese. It’s not like it was some big reach.
2) DeMar shooting threes and defense. You need to look at his three point rate again. After shooting 45 3’s in November, he reverted back to his non-shooting self with only 8 in December and then only 15 in January. The same numbers he had as a Spur. And defense? He’s not even playing better defense, so not sure where that came from.

Using the Bulls as an example of “building around good talent working” is an odd choice. It’s way too early and it’s not as if they’ve got a roster that has the makings of a dynasty. Things rise and fall in the NBA QUICK. Before you know it, the Bulls are yet again no longer in the playoffs next year and all this admiration goes out the window. Anyone remember when the Knicks looked like they were finally putting it together last year? What about the Hawks who looked like they had something special last year and now they look like a mediocre team and they’re now trying to trade away their core players.

In your rush to critique, I think you are missing my point. Derozan is being acknowledged as an improved player, not just because he’s on a bigger market, but because he has elevated/adapted his game because of the external pressure of being around talented players and not from any specific culture fostered by the front office. I also completely acknowledge the team could dissolve because it just as quickly was created, which was something I emphasized. Of course they aren’t a dynasty. But they are in a better position to win, though not favored, which is our more likely ceiling for the decades to come unless we luck out again with generational talent. I also acknowledged that I’m critical of slapping teams together around a hodge podge of talent, which is really a critique of the lame way the NBA has evolved.

[The Truth #6]

Chet is more likely to go #1 overall than he is to fall out of the top-3. But I disagree anyways. The top-4 talents in this draft are pretty clear imo. Would be shocked if all 4 didn’t go first. Only way that changes imo is if Shaedon Sharpe winds up declaring and kills it during pre-draft workouts.

Chet can easily go #1. But I can also easily see a team with a top 3 pick thinking this guy has bust potential and will get abused in the NBA and they don’t want to risk their job security on him. Every draft has risers and fallers and surprises. Time and team workouts will give more insight into how things play out.

[Dejounte]

“which is our more likely ceiling for the decades to come”

Anyone who actually believes this is out of their mind. You’d have to be a special kind of bad to stay in the cellar that long. Only two teams have really accomplished that: the Kings and the Wolves. The Spurs are nowhere near as poorly run as those teams. This has been the first real year the Spurs let loose their young talent and we have something we didn’t last year: a foundational piece in Murray. Just because of that fact, I don’t understand why people think the Spurs are trending down when they’re about to add to that and get their highest draft pick in decades, something most have wished for for years.

[PhantomDashCam]

Imagine a player who couldn't hack it with Coach K being able to be coached. I don't remember him getting ranked that high most places, but there were some geniuses here who fell in love with him. And Kai Jones.


Yep I remember the Kai love affair

Love affair still going strong here. He's not your typical 21 year old. He's the basically the equivalent of a 16 year old when taking into account his limited basketball experience. Called him a starter by the end of his second season. Nothing I've seen dissuades me from that. He is showing consistent improvement in all areas of the game.

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1485107923995004931

[BackHome]

I do agree I think you can’t judge any draft until there 3rd year and maybe 4th depending on how young the person was and certain positions take longer to develop ie Center. I remember Sean Elliott talking about how many times teams call and cut bait on a draft pick at year two and basically said it takes time for some of these players to develop and off course to be with the right organization

[KingKev]

1) Haliburton fell but he wasn’t an obvious pick over Vassell. Vassell was maybe projected 1-2 spots below Tyrese. It’s not like it was some big reach.
2) DeMar shooting threes and defense. You need to look at his three point rate again. After shooting 45 3’s in November, he reverted back to his non-shooting self with only 8 in December and then only 15 in January. The same numbers he had as a Spur. And defense? He’s not even playing better defense, so not sure where that came from.

Using the Bulls as an example of “building around good talent working” is an odd choice. It’s way too early and it’s not as if they’ve got a roster that has the makings of a dynasty. Things rise and fall in the NBA QUICK. Before you know it, the Bulls are yet again no longer in the playoffs next year and all this admiration goes out the window. Anyone remember when the Knicks looked like they were finally putting it together last year? What about the Hawks who looked like they had something special last year and now they look like a mediocre team and they’re now trying to trade away their core players.

I think the Bulls, when healthy will be for real and it’s about building a roster that works. PATFO is struggling to do that these last 4 seasons, our roster construction is terrible and we have had some back kuck along the way (Marcus Morris debacle for example).

Lavine (possibly All-NBA), Caruso and Ball are great compliments to DDR’s game. Spurs didn’t exactly put DDR in a position to win especially playing him at the 4. I was happy to see DDR go as I think it was in both parties best interest but I don’t blame him for how bad we were when he was here.

But in the interest of this thread there don’t seem to be any glaring character issues in the projected top 5 or so draftees this year so BPA shouldn’t have to take a backseat to culture.

Look back to a year like 2020, give the Spurs a top 3 pick and there is no way they draft Lamelo, Ant because of character/culture fit. That would have been a very wrong decision.

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

Lavine (possibly All-NBA), Caruso and Ball are great compliments to DDR’s game. Spurs didn’t exactly put DDR in a position to win especially playing him at the 4. I was happy to see DDR go as I think it was in both parties best interest but I don’t blame him for how bad we were when he was here.


I disagree about this. DDR is playing the 4 more in Chicago than he ever did on the Spurs. It's not his position that's been the problem. Bulls have way more talent than the Spurs from the last few years.

[KingKev]

I disagree about this. DDR is playing the 4 more in Chicago than he ever did on the Spurs. It's not his position that's been the problem. Bulls have way more talent than the Spurs from the last few years.

Fair point but I’m not sure he’d be playing much at the 4 if Patrick Williams and Jones were healthy. Also DDR at the 4 is more manageable with a 5 who stretches the floor in Vucevic. Somehow still gets in as an all-star starter as a guard lol.

[KingKev]

I’m a casual when it comes to college basketball, I’ll concede but does anyone think Jabari Smith could play some time at the 3? He appears to have a sort of PG, Giannis, Kahwi, KD archetype and looks pretty comfortable D’ing up on the perimeter.

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

I’m a casual when it comes to college basketball, I’ll concede but does anyone think Jabari Smith could play some time at the 3? He appears to have a sort of PG, Giannis, Kahwi, KD archetype and looks pretty comfortable D’ing up on the perimeter.

Don't think he has the handles yet to be a full time 3. Not exactly a shot creator from outside the 3 point line either, although he does take the occasional fast break pull up 3. I guess he could find minutes there against specific matchups but it doesn't seem like his natural position at all. Definitely a 4 right now, more of a jump shooter type, not exactly a get to the rim big, which is probably one of the biggest cons for him.

[FutureMan]

It would be hilarious to see all the people who preach the Spurs take the BPA watch as the Spurs get a top four pick and don’t select Banchero, Chet, Smith, or Ivey. That would settle that debate real fast.

[Trueblood]

In your rush to critique, I think you are missing my point. Derozan is being acknowledged as an improved player, not just because he’s on a bigger market, but because he has elevated/adapted his game because of the external pressure of being around talented players and not from any specific culture fostered by the front office. I also completely acknowledge the team could dissolve because it just as quickly was created, which was something I emphasized. Of course they aren’t a dynasty. But they are in a better position to win, though not favored, which is our more likely ceiling for the decades to come unless we luck out again with generational talent. I also acknowledged that I’m critical of slapping teams together around a hodge podge of talent, which is really a critique of the lame way the NBA has evolved.

I don't disagree with what you're saying, but I think it has less to do with elevating his game and more to do with elevating his effort. He's always had the talent, but now that there's a chance to win it all he's giving more effort than we ever saw here

[exstatic]

I don't disagree with what you're saying, but I think it has less to do with elevating his game and more to do with elevating his effort. He's always had the talent, but now that there's a chance to win it all he's giving more effort than we ever saw here
They lost to the Spurs. Bulls won’t last past the second round. They’re not winning anything.

[Mr. Body]

They lost to the Spurs. Bulls won’t last past the second round. They’re not winning anything.

If they're not healthy they're not. Healthy, they can beat anyone in their conference.

[KingKev]

If they're not healthy they're not. Healthy, they can beat anyone in their conference.

They certainly are in the conversation. East has pretty good parity currently.

I believe Williams is done for the year but Caruso, Lonzo and maybe Jones Jr will be back come playoffs so a conference finals appearance is certainly possible.

[The Truth #6]

“which is our more likely ceiling for the decades to come”

Anyone who actually believes this is out of their mind. You’d have to be a special kind of bad to stay in the cellar that long. Only two teams have really accomplished that: the Kings and the Wolves. The Spurs are nowhere near as poorly run as those teams. This has been the first real year the Spurs let loose their young talent and we have something we didn’t last year: a foundational piece in Murray. Just because of that fact, I don’t understand why people think the Spurs are trending down when they’re about to add to that and get their highest draft pick in decades, something most have wished for for years.

Let me clarify: most teams ceiling, based on an understanding of how teams have become either dynasties or some version of a sure thing to contend, is based on having generational talent. Magic. Bird. Jordan. Shaq. Duncan. Lebron. Otherwise it’s some luck here and there with having players a notch below that. Comparing our likely ceiling to this year’s Bulls team is accurate, unless you think we are destined to get another Tim Duncan. No, unless we luck out again, as Pop has always acknowledged in landing Duncan, then, like most teams, we will hope to gather talent and try to get out of the second round and see what happens. That’s the state of the NBA unless you form a quickly put together team, and SA is not going to be that sort of destination to attract that talent.

So, let’s hope for luck in the lottery. I’m cool with that.

[John B]

It would be hilarious to see all the people who preach the Spurs take the BPA watch as the Spurs get a top four pick and don’t select Banchero, Chet, Smith, or Ivey. That would settle that debate real fast.

Expect the unexpected with the Spurs. They’d probably take another 18 years old, who nobody heard of, except one here in ST who stamped mark his post :lol

[John B]

They lost to the Spurs. Bulls won’t last past the second round. They’re not winning anything.

That’s too bad if that happens. I’d rather see Demar in the Finals than Patty/Aldridge with Harden.

[ZeusWillJudge]

Any thoughts on AJ Griffin? His dad was an NBA player, I believe.


Predicting the draft is a hobby - none of us are being asked for our opinions by any NBA teams. But most people get their ideas from stat sheets and articles. What they don't understand is that most of the people writing articles on the internet get their ideas from stat sheets and other peoples' articles. That's why every year people go crazy over guys like Pokusevski and Tacko Fall, and guys like Desmond Bane are largely overlooked. So you want to know what I think about Griffin?

I like him, and I'm confident he'll have an NBA career. I've watched Duke this year, because they have several players who are at least candidates for the lottery. My gut feeling was that Griffin's father would encourage him to come back for another year at Duke, and be a high lottery pick in next year's draft. But he's put up some good numbers recently, and getting more attention. If he projects somewhere from #20 up, I think he'll declare rather than risk an injury in a sophomore year.

He struggled early in the season, but he was coming off an injury. You can't gauge too much from that, but it was one factor in my thinking he'd spend one more year in college. Duke's strength of schedule has been pretty weak so far, and he's struggled against better teams. There's no shame in that for a very-young freshman, but it's another factor in thinking he'd be back for another year of development. He played one outstanding game at Wake Forest that was also his first start, and that got people talking.

Most of the sudden interest in him is because of his gaudy 3P%. I think he has a legit 3P stroke, and you can probably thank his dad for that. But he's also benefitted from being a relatively overlooked player on a team with some more established players who have commanded more attention. He's not going to get these kinds of looks in the NBA, where guys close to the ball so much quicker. I would be very surprised if he shoots more than low .300's from 3 in his first couple of years. If that doesn't shake his confidence, he's got the stroke to be a sharpshooter. But he's not going to shoot .500+ in the NBA, so you need to adjust that number down, and then evaluate whether you would be as high on him for everything else.

He's willing to play defense, again thanks dad. But he doesn't have the lateral quickness of Desmond Bane, who was one of my favorites two years ago. These days you really want a SF who can guard three or even four positions. He's got really long arms, which will help him on D, but lateral quickness is a big part of the versatility you really covet.

If I remember right, Griffin would be the youngest player in the draft - at least one of the youngest. Mostly I didnt' mention him because I thought he wouldn't declare this year. If he continues to improve, and the Spurs draft him? I wouldn't cry. In fact, now that you have me thinking about it, I think he's better than Keegan Murray was as a freshman, and if he comes back for a sophomore season I think he'll be a stronger lottery pick than Murray this year. That's going deep on too little information, but I would really like to see the Spurs get a guy who could bend a defense and still hold his own on the other end of the floor.

[The Truth #6]

^ Good analysis.

[R. DeMurre]

Let me clarify: most teams ceiling, based on an understanding of how teams have become either dynasties or some version of a sure thing to contend, is based on having generational talent. Magic. Bird. Jordan. Shaq. Duncan. Lebron. Otherwise it’s some luck here and there with having players a notch below that. Comparing our likely ceiling to this year’s Bulls team is accurate, unless you think we are destined to get another Tim Duncan. No, unless we luck out again, as Pop has always acknowledged in landing Duncan, then, like most teams, we will hope to gather talent and try to get out of the second round and see what happens. That’s the state of the NBA unless you form a quickly put together team, and SA is not going to be that sort of destination to attract that talent.

So, let’s hope for luck in the lottery. I’m cool with that.

I think it's very difficult to assess the more recent capabilities of PATFO because the Spurs have experienced such a string of unfortunate situations-- losing Timmy, Manu, and Tony to retirement/Time would be enough to set most franchises back 5 years, but then the disaster with Kawhi happened, and that really hurt. I'd have to say that the late first round picks of Murray, White, and KJ have to be seen as successes, regardless of how anyone feels about their long term viability. For a 29th pick to be a starter is an accomplishment in and of itself, even on a mediocre team. Three 29th picks in a row all being able to stay in the NBA is extremely rare. The other 29th picks of this era taken outside of those Spurs' picks were Josh Huestis, Chris McCollough, Dzanan Musa, and Malachi Flynn... so that shows us something.
The Walker and Samanic picks haven't panned out, though when you look at '18 draft, it's not like there are other guys picked after Walker that would've made a difference anyway. I was never a fan of the Aldridge/DeRozan midrange attack philosophy and think the Spurs wasted two years experimenting with that, but who knows if they could've gotten anything significantly better in trades. Vassell looks pretty good, Primo looks pretty good. I'm optimistic that they'll improve in the near term, but dreams of a 6th championship are definitely on the back burner for a while.

[BackHome]

I still think the organization screwed up by not trading LMA and Gay when they had the chance buying them out and letting them walk for nothing was just plain stupid. We should have gotten draft picks for them by trading them a year or two before they left.

[exstatic]

I still think the organization screwed up by not trading LMA and Gay when they had the chance buying them out and letting them walk for nothing was just plain stupid. We should have gotten draft picks for them by trading them a year or two before they left.

This place is obsessed with getting something for older players before they leave. Players roll off of rosters league wide every year without return. It’s part of the churn of NBA rosters.

[Mr. Body]

I still think the organization screwed up by not trading LMA and Gay when they had the chance buying them out and letting them walk for nothing was just plain stupid. We should have gotten draft picks for them by trading them a year or two before they left.

No one was going to trade draft picks for them. No, the James Wiseman thing was a message board fever dream.

[BackHome]

This place is obsessed with getting something for older players before they leave. Players roll off of rosters league wide every year without return. It’s part of the churn of NBA rosters.

We got a second pick for moving the most hated guy on this forum Forbes - I think we could have gotten something a little better for LMA and Rudy and I am not talking about there last year we should have torn up everything when Timmy retired and when KY left

But alas can’t cry over spilled milk you live and learn and move on

[KingKev]

We got a second pick for moving the most hated guy on this forum Forbes - I think we could have gotten something a little better for LMA and Rudy and I am not talking about there last year we should have torn up everything when Timmy retired and when KY left

But alas can’t cry over spilled milk you live and learn and move on

Agreed there was a time to move LMA, DDR and Gay and even Mills as much as that would have stung certain fans.

Most ppl live and learn. PATFO are incredibly stubborn. I’ve never seen Pop admit fault unless it's him playing Maestro still thinking he is smarter than everyone else.

[exstatic]

Shocking that we let Tim, Tony, and Manu go for nothing…

[RC_Drunkford]

So where would people rank Primo in this draft? They said he would be a top 5 pick if he had stayed in college for another year. I honestly can‘t see it. Maybe top 10 but not top 5

[slick'81]

So where would people rank Primo in this draft? They said he would be a top 5 pick if he had stayed in college for another year. I honestly can‘t see it. Maybe top 10 but not top 5

hard to say when he didn't play at bama. But noway is he a perennial top 5 right now

[KingKev]

So where would people rank Primo in this draft? They said he would be a top 5 pick if he had stayed in college for another year. I honestly can‘t see it. Maybe top 10 but not top 5

Only Spurs fans say that. He should have been a late first rounder last draft and his NBA development thus far does not support him anywhere near top 5 in this one. He hits a few step back 3’s and Spurtalk thinks he is the next James
Harden.

[RC_Drunkford]

hard to say when he didn't play at bama. But noway is he a perennial top 5 right now

I mean he played in the G-League though

[FutureMan]

So where would people rank Primo in this draft? They said he would be a top 5 pick if he had stayed in college for another year. I honestly can‘t see it. Maybe top 10 but not top 5


IMO late lottery would be fair.

[BatManu20]

Chet Holmgren putting on a performance on ESPN2 right now. He’s going off, albeit against a shitty team.

He’s going to end up going first overall tbh.

[Trueblood]

They lost to the Spurs. Bulls won’t last past the second round. They’re not winning anything.

So by that logic that rules out GS, Utah, Denver, Boston and Milwaukee since they lost to us also. I didn't realize he spurs were a litmus test for championship pedigree.

Regardless of the flawed logic in your statement, it doesn't matter if they are going to win or not, what matters is that they believe they can and given their standings most teams would believe the same. I'm contending that this belief is what is driving DDR to play harder and have more effort.

[The Truth #6]

Ex doing a lot of mid-level trolling. Not the best but not bad, either.

The Spurs are the team that good teams now typically rest their best players against, at least when they can. But the players want to win. I mean, in this environment, might as well play Primo as much as we can. He’s overhyped here, but at least is improving.

[rjv]

So where would people rank Primo in this draft? They said he would be a top 5 pick if he had stayed in college for another year. I honestly can‘t see it. Maybe top 10 but not top 5


the only way to know would be to judge how these players would have fared in college and not on how they are performing in the NBA. but we'll never know what kind of sophomore season that primo would have had at bama.

[rjv]

Ex doing a lot of mid-level trolling. Not the best but not bad, either.

The Spurs are the team that good teams now typically rest their best players against, at least when they can. But the players want to win. I mean, in this environment, might as well play Primo as much as we can. He’s overhyped here, but at least is improving.

i'm not saying this might not be true but do you happen to know just how many teams have rested their best players against the spurs this season? i've seen every game and not that many come to mind (covid protocols not included).

[The Truth #6]

I remember GS very recently. I would say it’s something I noticed occasionally, and something I never noticed before. So maybe it’s more of a new thing than something super common. I was being a little sarcastic also.

[The Truth #6]

In fairness, Covid could also play a role.

[R. DeMurre]

I love Primo's fearlessness in both shooting and driving, but I think his handle needs a lot of work. You don't lead the G league in turnovers because you've already got great handles. And most Spurs' fans so far are overestimating his defense, which hasn't been great in either league yet. Every time Primo gets a steal or a block, someone says "omg, amazing D from Primo" but that's not the best way to judge defense. His D against Miami last night was definitely the D of a very young & inexperienced player getting worked by the likes of Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson. And if you think his G League stats are impressive, check out the G League stats of Moses Moody or Trey Murphy lll. I like the kid, but if you went by some of the opinions on spurstalk, you'd think that maybe the Timberwolves were on the phone offering to trade Anthony Edwards straight up for him.

[RC_Drunkford]

I love Primo's fearlessness in both shooting and driving, but I think his handle needs a lot of work. You don't lead the G league in turnovers because you've already got great handles. And most Spurs' fans so far are overestimating his defense, which hasn't been great in either league yet. Every time Primo gets a steal or a block, someone says "omg, amazing D from Primo" but that's not the best way to judge defense. His D against Miami last night was definitely the D of a very young & inexperienced player getting worked by the likes of Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson. And if you think his G League stats are impressive, check out the G League stats of Moses Moody or Trey Murphy lll. I like the kid, but if you went by some of the opinions on spurstalk, you'd think that maybe the Timberwolves were on the phone offering to trade Anthony Edwards straight up for him.

spurstalkers wouldn't want to trade Edwards for Primo :lol

[KingKev]

I love Primo's fearlessness in both shooting and driving, but I think his handle needs a lot of work. You don't lead the G league in turnovers because you've already got great handles. And most Spurs' fans so far are overestimating his defense, which hasn't been great in either league yet. Every time Primo gets a steal or a block, someone says "omg, amazing D from Primo" but that's not the best way to judge defense. His D against Miami last night was definitely the D of a very young & inexperienced player getting worked by the likes of Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson. And if you think his G League stats are impressive, check out the G League stats of Moses Moody or Trey Murphy lll. I like the kid, but if you went by some of the opinions on spurstalk, you'd think that maybe the Timberwolves were on the phone offering to trade Anthony Edwards straight up for him.

Yessir. Still has a high upside but no clear indication he will be elite. I think this course of development for him is entirely justified. I still see him in the g-league next year as required.

[Dejounte]

You’d think that the same people who defend Murray now against people who doubted him and weren’t patient enough to see it play out that those same people wouldn’t be so quick to make premature statements about what Primo’s ceiling will be.

Comparatively, Primo is the best looking rook we’ve had since Murray.

[KingKev]

You’d think that the same people who defend Murray now against people who doubted him and weren’t patient enough to see it play out that those same people wouldn’t be so quick to make premature statements about what Primo’s ceiling will be.

Comparatively, Primo is the best looking rook we’ve had since Murray.

He definitely is the best looking rookie since DJ but DJ possessed clear intangibles that simply can't be taught… from the jump. He was an absolute ball hawk an elite rebounder with a chip on his shoulder from the get go.

Primo has shown more offensive talent at a younger age but he is certainly over valued by most of Spurstalk. I realize most here don’t watch other games and only some even actually watch Spurs games but so far Primo hasn’t shown anything to be regarded as the future super star many on this board assume.

[Dejounte]

He definitely is the best looking rookie since DJ but DJ possessed clear intangibles that simply can't be taught… from the jump. He was an absolute ball hawk an elite rebounder with a chip on his shoulder from the get go.

Primo has shown more offensive talent at a younger age but he is certainly over valued by most of Spurstalk. I realize most here don’t watch other games and only some even actually watch Spurs games but so far Primo hasn’t shown anything to be regarded as the future super star many on this board assume.

I can’t speak for other people. All I can tell you is about me. I’m a die hard Spurs fan who has watched nearly every Spurs game since I don’t know how long now. Add to that, I make it a point to catch every G League game for more than three years at this point. Nowadays, I spend a lot of time watching & reading about draft prospects who don’t even become Spurs players.

I was one of the few who believed in Kawhi’s future stardom before anybody did, while others were saying he wasn’t athletic enough. I was sane enough to think Kyle wasn’t going to be anything more than a role player. Murray came along, and obviously I made my username with his name, but I was never THAT high on becoming special, but at the same time I kept some hope that he could turn out into something good. Lonnie came, and yeah, he flashed some elite athleticism but that has never “Wow”-ed me as a basketball fan, especially because I grew up as a Spurs fan and if you follow the Spurs, it isn’t about the high flying dunks that impress you— it’s the basketball fundamentals.

Then Keldon and Luka came— Keldon excited me mostly due to his personality and you want someone like that to succeed. Luka excited me because a player of his height shouldn’t be able to do some of the stuff he does, but shit happens and he turned out to be garbage likely due to his attitude. Speaking of attitude, you get Kawhi and then you get Luka… it’s not a wonder why people would be reluctant to make sure we draft someone with a little bit of good character. Next, we get Vassell, and I was extremely low on the guy pre-draft, all because he has piss poor shot selection when it comes to inside the three point line and it even shows now. I don’t believe the guy will become Kawhi like what others badly want him to be.

And then we get to Primo… who I do believe has a greater chance at something special than all of the guys who came before him. My point is this… you can see all my thoughts on the guys we’ve had and see that I don’t throw around the word “star” that easily, like some of the folks here. I’m very careful to use that word and I know exactly what it’s like to close the book on players and turn out dead wrong later. I just think it’s a bad habit for most people to make very premature statements on players when they have no idea how they will turn out. It’s usually rooted in emotion— mostly disappointment.

[Dejounte]

https://youtu.be/diiYqk0G84s

Holy shit. IMO, the prospects currently projected ahead of him are nowhere near as impressive. Ivey should be the #1 pick.

[talkspurs]

there is a Nikola Jovic. think he will be as good as Nikola Jokic?

[BackHome]

Not even close but I think he is a good player just not where we will be picking

[Rito3d30]

Chet's low post defense actually kinda reminds me of Timmy, his patience and uses his length very well

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlgv-cNv31c

[John B]

Chet's low post defense actually kinda reminds me of Timmy, his patience and uses his length very well

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlgv-cNv31c

Tank for Chet!

[CGD]

https://youtu.be/diiYqk0G84s

Holy shit. IMO, the prospects currently projected ahead of him are nowhere near as impressive. Ivey should be the #1 pick.

Draft a big please!

[FutureMan]

Draft a big please!

If we get the 4th pick, with Smith, Chet, & Banchero going the first 3, there is no way you can skip over Ivey just to draft a big. Would be one of the biggest mistakes in Spurs history.

[exstatic]

This board would melt down if we drafted another 6’4” guard. :lol

That being said, I don’t have a problem if he’s BPA when we’re on the clock.

[stnick2261]

I'd love another 6'4" guard if it was Ivey... and we traded White for a fringe all-star PF

[talkspurs]

This board would melt down if we drafted another 6’4” guard. :lol

That being said, I don’t have a problem if he’s BPA when we’re on the clock.

I think a lot depends on how different the players are. If your best available big is a 75 but your best available player is 95. yes you draft best available. If Your best big is 88 and your best available is 89. I would go with the best big.

Yes I know players dont have numbers and things can change over the years but the numbers are designed to make it make a little bit of sense in difference.

[John B]

This board would melt down if we drafted another 6’4” guard. :lol

That being said, I don’t have a problem if he’s BPA when we’re on the clock.

That kid looks like the 2nd coming of Ja Morant with how he gets to the basket. We take the BPA :lol:lol

[BatManu20]

Chet and Ivey are pipe dreams without some incredible lottery luck, which is unlikely. Spurs will be selecting somewhere between 7-12.

[scott]

Chet's low post defense actually kinda reminds me of Timmy, his patience and uses his length very well

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlgv-cNv31c

The play where he dribbles up the court, tries a spin move and falls down is exactly my fear with this dude

[duncan2150]

Chet's low post defense actually kinda reminds me of Timmy, his patience and uses his length very well

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlgv-cNv31c


His perimeter D is also pretty good for his size. He's a game changer defensively imo


Chet and Ivey are pipe dreams without some incredible lottery luck, which is unlikely. Spurs will be selecting somewhere between 7-12.


Not agree, Actually spurs are pick 7 and they have 32% of chance of being top 4. If we are the theorical pick 7 or 8 i think we have our chance to go top 4.



https://youtu.be/diiYqk0G84s

Holy shit. IMO, the prospects currently projected ahead of him are nowhere near as impressive. Ivey should be the #1 pick.

he is a top 4 with Banchero, Holmgren and Smith for me so i agree he could be the 1st pick.

[Russ]

That kid looks like the 2nd coming of Ja Morant with how he gets to the basket. We take the BPA :lol:lol

Ivey reminds me a bit more of De'Aaron Fox, but whose quibbling, both are very good players.

If the three bigs (Jabari Smith, Holmgren, Banchero) are gone, and Ivey's the BPA, take him.

But if any of those bigs are available (1) Ivey won't be the BPA and (2) those bigs fill a much "bigger" need.

It's kind of feast or famine for bigs after those three -- the Spurs will likely have a draft pick too high to take a different big in the top 7. There's a huge drop off in quality bigs after those top three. Too much of a reach.

So getting a top three pick is essential. But even if the Spurs had the worst record in the league, they'd only have a 40% chance of a top three pick. Catch 22.

[hoopdreams11]

Draft a big please!

Some boards have Ivey going to Detroit with the second pick

[RC_Drunkford]

https://youtu.be/diiYqk0G84s

Holy shit. IMO, the prospects currently projected ahead of him are nowhere near as impressive. Ivey should be the #1 pick.

I know we need a PF, but I'd love to get Ivy and pair him with DJ in the back court. Add a John Collins via trade and Murra/Ivey/Keldon/J. Collins/Poeltl would be a playoff team with plenty of upside. I'd rather have him than Banchero/Kegan Murray

[PhantomDashCam]

How is Ivey's ability to play off-ball? Admittedly I've only seen highlights at this stage but they all primarily seem to show him attacking off the dribble. If you are going to play with DJ, believe Coaching staff needs to be confident in having combo. guard capabilities in half-court sets.

I wouldn't be surprised if, hypothetically, it came down between Ivey and Mathurin at the Spurs selection, that the would choose Mathurin.
Past BWB player, shown skills outside of Arizona system (was running some point for Canada in U19 Olympics), sought after combination of skill, athletic talent and position adaptability...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyYE9_USYx0

[3&D_TBH]

How is Ivey's ability to play off-ball? Admittedly I've only seen highlights at this stage but they all primarily seem to show him attacking off the dribble. If you are going to play with DJ, believe Coaching staff needs to be confident in having combo. guard capabilities in half-court sets.

I wouldn't be surprised if, hypothetically, it came down between Ivey and Mathurin at the Spurs selection, that the would choose Mathurin.
Past BWB player, shown skills outside of Arizona system (was running some point for Canada in U19 Olympics), sought after combination of skill, athletic talent and position adaptability...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyYE9_USYx0 I haven't seen very much talk about Mathurin in here tbh, but I am high on him. Great potential. High floor imo

[exstatic]

That kid looks like the 2nd coming of Ja Morant with how he gets to the basket. We take the BPA :lol:lol

He’s not a PG tho. Ja can both score at a stellar level, and run a team.

[exstatic]

Chet and Ivey are pipe dreams without some incredible lottery luck, which is unlikely. Spurs will be selecting somewhere between 7-12.

Pick 7 has jumped into the top 4 each of the three years of the new odds. Over half of the top 4 picks in the 3 drafts were bumped out. It no longer takes incredible luck to jump into the top picks, especially since there now are 4 drawn slots, not 3

[duncan2150]

He’s not a PG tho. Ja can both score at a stellar level, and run a team.

He's more D rose than Ja i agree, he's not a pure passer like Ja. Like D rose he is explosive, energetic...

[exstatic]

If he were the next Ja, he’d go #1 overall.

[BackHome]

How is Ivey's ability to play off-ball? Admittedly I've only seen highlights at this stage but they all primarily seem to show him attacking off the dribble. If you are going to play with DJ, believe Coaching staff needs to be confident in having combo. guard capabilities in half-court sets.

I wouldn't be surprised if, hypothetically, it came down between Ivey and Mathurin at the Spurs selection, that the would choose Mathurin.
Past BWB player, shown skills outside of Arizona system (was running some point for Canada in U19 Olympics), sought after combination of skill, athletic talent and position adaptability...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyYE9_USYx0

[FutureMan]

If he were the next Ja, he’d go #1 overall.

Maybe he will. We’re still a few months away. It’s unlikely, but it is possible. Also Ja was selected 2nd so that’s another interesting layer to this.

[BackHome]

Those are my top picks after the big 3 get taken with Ivey being the first - I like Ivey pairing with Murray I think he has better handles better 3 point shooting and can definitely get to the rim much easier then Murray but that’s the difference in talent from top of draft to latter part of draft. I think the combo would be killing people on fast breaks and definitely would be a WALL on defense giving us a Batman/Robin combo would be some exciting basketball to watch

I like Mathurin next because he good at everything and very good at the 3 ball - and what I really like is he is able to shoot off screens so he is not sit in corner and shoot the ball. He can get his 3 ball off in a variety of ways but still has the handles to take it to the rim when needed

[Dejounte]

Mathurin is fine. However, he seems to be another case of when shooters go cold, then what are they bringing to the table? IMO, we don’t need more of those types. I want someone who can go hard or finesse his way to the basket. Go-to scorers usually have that ability.

[PhantomDashCam]

Mathurin is fine. However, he seems to be another case of when shooters go cold, then what are they bringing to the table? IMO, we don’t need more of those types. I want someone who can go hard or finesse his way to the basket. Go-to scorers usually have that ability.

Interesting. I wonder if the Spurs feel they need a go to scorer though, (if that's the primary skill set Ivey is bringing to the table).

I'm thinking they may start to consider this is the core of a semi-constructed team and moving forward about addressing key, legacy issues; shoring up certain deficiencies... (It's one of the reasons I posed the open Q about Spurs going BPA or position of need earlier in the thread...)

Wouldn't, theoretically, Primo fit that bill as a primary, go-to, 3 level scorer - at least in the finesse sense - to make the Ivey pick somewhat redundant too?

We clearly don't have one as explosive and confident as what Ivey appears but I couldn't help but wonder if his talents would be better served elsewhere...

If Poeltl is sticking around long term, in some ways you are building the team around him just as much as DJ considering his unique skill and pairing requirements. If that's the case you may need as many gunners, multi-faceted defenders from the perimeter as possible.

Should be one hell of a draft season. :tu

[Dejounte]

The reason I wouldn’t mind going after someone similar to what Primo could bring is the same reason I would buy multiple lottery tickets. You stock up and increase your chances of finding that guy until you have him. I actually understand the logic of continually going after combo guards since elite bigs are rare in this day and age. Unless you are fully confident they are turning into a franchise big, you should draft the guard or wing instead. The league is densely populated with great guards and wings and it’s only going to keep coming with the way they’ve regulated bigs to smaller, garbage men roles.

If they all pan out, worst comes to worst you convince them that the team can thrive with them taking a bench role a la Manu.

Also, with what’s been said by Pop in post game interviews, I think it’s clear he knows the team needs a go to scorer. He has flat out said it (and rebounding, too).

[John B]

Interesting. I wonder if the Spurs feel they need a go to scorer though, (if that's the primary skill set Ivey is bringing to the table).



You will always need a go-to scorer to close or when you need to score, not to mention in the playoffs when things slow down

Either Primo/FRP will have to take the Manu role. While both can close defending on the match-up.

[MultiTroll]

Unless Banchero was throwing the game.....

What a pussy.
3 other Duke players far better then him.

[BatManu20]

Banchero with 9 points & 9 boards on 3/9 shooting tonight in a buzzer-beating loss at home to Virginia. He completely disappeared in the 2nd half. His worst game of the season by far.

Still have him #4 on my board but his inconsistency combined with his lack of Defense makes me weary of his potential. Not a huge fan tbh. Still a solid player, just don’t think he can be a great one at the next level.

[Dejounte]

Yet just a few days ago Jabari Smith scored 7 pts on 2-7 shooting with 6 rebounds and 3 turnovers in 31 minutes. He was a net -2.5 so he was bad on defense as well. …and he’s hailed as the next GOAT :lmao

[RC_Drunkford]

I'm not even sure Banchero is better than Keegan Murray. I know Murray is a year older, but his numbers are way better and he's a better defender. I still got my eyes on Ivey though. That's who I want

[Dejounte]

Speaking of KMurray, he has maintaining his WS/40 of >.300 which is pretty impressive.

[Rito3d30]

Ivey is the obvious choice right here
other than that its a wash (Chet, Banchero, Smith, Murray, Sharpe)
Hell no to Griffin, Mathurin, Davis, Baldwin

[duncan2150]

I'm not even sure Banchero is better than Keegan Murray. I know Murray is a year older, but his numbers are way better and he's a better defender. I still got my eyes on Ivey though. That's who I want

I'm sure he's for Banchero and by far but i can understand what you mean. Murray is two year older than Banchero but he has a nose for the basket.


Yet just a few days ago Jabari Smith scored 7 pts on 2-7 shooting with 6 rebounds and 3 turnovers in 31 minutes. He was a net -2.5 so he was bad on defense as well. …and he’s hailed as the next GOAT :lmao

I don't understand that kind of take.. you're better than that dejounte lol

[Dejounte]

I'm sure he's for Banchero and by far but i can understand what you mean. Murray is two year older than Banchero but he has a nose for the basket.



I don't understand that kind of take.. you're better than that dejounte lol

What I’m trying to say is people rush to criticize Banchero for his bad game when they say nothing about their golden boy when he does it.

[duncan2150]

What I’m trying to say is people rush to criticize Banchero for his bad game when they say nothing about their golden boy when he does it.

So we're ok lol i agree with you.

[Dejounte]

Tari Eason is having a Kawhi-like impact on defense in college, apparently. Wouldn’t mind him as the pick if we fell a little bit more by winning. His draft age will be nearly the same as Kawhi when he came out.

[Dejounte]

https://youtu.be/KnvvyaL1-Iw

”Tari is the anchor of our defense”

LSU was ranked 135th on defense last year

this year? When Tari transferred there, they are now ranked 1st in college

i would take Tari as high as 6th pick

[NickiRasgo]

https://youtu.be/KnvvyaL1-Iw

”Tari is the anchor of our defense”

LSU was ranked 135th on defense last year

this year? When Tari transferred there, they are now ranked 1st in college

i would take Tari as high as 6th pick

Hometown is LA tho. :wakeup

[R. DeMurre]

I've really been enjoying watching Keegan Murray and Tari Eason recently, but it's interesting to see that Kendall Brown's advanced/impact stats as a freshman are actually better than both of their freshman showings, and he's a full 2 years younger than both, so he's quite a bit further along than they were at his age. At this point, all three look like pretty great prospects.

[exstatic]

Hometown is LA tho. :wakeup

Also like Kawhi…

[Dejounte]

I’m thinking Tari views Seattle more as his hometown than LA as he went to high school there.

[BackHome]

Tankathon has an update that shows new trades for 2022 mock draft:

6. Johnny Davis SG
18. Kennedy Chandler PG
20. Jeremy Sochan PF

[RC_Drunkford]

this draft just got a whole lot more exciting

[SpurPadre]

Tankathon has an update that shows new trades for 2022 mock draft:

6. Johnny Davis SG
18. Kennedy Chandler PG
20. Jeremy Sochan PF

With no more White, we definitely have a shot at 4th or 5th pick. It's going to be such a fun draft for us.

[Dejounte]

Ivey
Tari Eason
Patrick Baldwin Jr

[Atl Spur]

We can win without white people…..however I’ll miss Derrick

[RC_Drunkford]

man if we get Ivey, people will forget about White really soon. I just hope the Spurs pick lands in the top 4 without having to trade up

[Deano]

We can win without white people…..however I’ll miss Derrick

Racist:lol

[EmantheSpursFan]

Ivey
Tari Eason
Patrick Baldwin Jr

That would be awesome! Who do you.thi k we should Target with our cap space?

[mo7888]

That would be awesome! Who do you.thi k we should Target with our cap space?

Bad contract with assets attached

[Dejounte]

Don’t the Spurs have to get rid of a lot of guys if they want to sign all the 1st rounders and 2nd rounders with their picks in this draft?

[mo7888]

Don’t the Spurs have to get rid of a lot of guys if they want to sign all the 1st rounders and 2nd rounders with their picks in this draft?

Correct. There will be trades forthcoming at the draft...

Edited to add: Dragic, Santorasky, and LW will probably all be gone so we could fit in 3 players.

[lefty20]

Spurs gotta be the betting favorites for D-League Chip next year, yeah?

[PhantomDashCam]

With the Poeltl trade discussions potentially reignited in the off-season, could the Spurs have interest in Jalen Duren as their 'C' of the Future?

This draft figures to be bananas if they hold on to their picks, and let's be honest, why wouldn't they...

Good chance that everyone gets a player they target and like this year :lol

[B1gduff]

With the trades made today, its a clear sign that we are moving towards a rebuild, with that hopefully atleast a top 6 pick (maybe better)

Than with the Toronto and Celtics pick, we'll need the Nets and a few teams in the east, to start beating up on those teams. so we can get a top 20 picks.

[Marco]

Murray, Agbaji and Liddell with the 3 FRP, please.

[Dejounte]

Ivey on ESPN+ right now. Plays a lot more off the ball than I thought. This guy is easy money when he drives to the hoop. Takes long strides and contorts his body to make awkward shots. He’s everything we wish Lonnie was. He doesn’t play scared.

[widowmaker]

Originally Posted by Atl Spur (https://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?p=10683756#post10683756)
We can win without white people….

Thank the lord for white people if not you would be living a hut somewhere in angola lol

[mo7888]

Ivey on ESPN+ right now. Plays a lot more off the ball than I thought. This guy is easy money when he drives to the hoop. Takes long strides and contorts his body to make awkward shots. He’s everything we wish Lonnie was. He doesn’t play scared.

How's his outside shot and D?

[Dejounte]

How's his outside shot and D?

Based off this game only, he hasn’t looked much for his 3 pt shot. Looks like he loves to blow by guys with his explosive first step. On defense, doesn’t look like a lock down defender and he doesn’t pester people but he does stay in front of his guy and looks for opportunities for steals.

[mo7888]

Based off this game only, he hasn’t looked much for his 3 pt shot. Looks like he loves to blow by guys with his explosive first step. On defense, doesn’t look like a lock down defender and he doesn’t pester people but he does stay in front of his guy and looks for opportunities for steals.

Thanks. I've only watched a couple highlight videos on him so far and in all of them he looked like a beast attacking the rim but it didn't show much else. You can tell he's a special talent but having that outside shot and a motor on D could be the difference between being a good player and an elite one.

[MultiTroll]

If we're stuck with a very high 1st or 2nd Round, real preliminary but Jabari Smith on Auburn looked like he had NBA SF potential.
What's your take on Kessler the white center also on Auburn?

Much better then that soft faggot from Duke Bonchero (sp) whose being touted as a lottery pick. (And Duke has some good players, much more draft worthy then him)
Unless i just caught him while throwing a game vs Virginia this guy is a classic Duke puss ass.

[Dejounte]

Thanks. I've only watched a couple highlight videos on him so far and in all of them he looked like a beast attacking the rim but it didn't show much else. You can tell he's a special talent but having that outside shot and a motor on D could be the difference between being a good player and an elite one.

I agree. He, like others projected at the top, are flawed prospects. This looks like the type of draft where many prospects won’t be impact players in year 1, but will be quite good in later years depending on the team that develops them. IMO, Spurs should go for a player that has an obvious skill that stands out (Ivey’s driving ability, Banchero’s ISO ability, Tari’s defense, Chet’s insticts, etc) and work on that canvas.

[mo7888]

I agree. He, like others projected at the top, are flawed prospects. This looks like the type of draft where many prospects won’t be impact players in year 1, but will be quite good in later years depending on the team that develops them. IMO, Spurs should go for a player that has an obvious skill that stands out (Ivey’s driving ability, Banchero’s ISO ability, Tari’s defense, Chet’s insticts, etc) and work on that canvas.

I'm with you there... in no particular order I like Chet, Banchero, Smith, and Ivey at the top....admittedly I haven't studied them alot...probably watched Smith more than the rest at this point.

[BackHome]

If we're stuck with a very high 1st or 2nd Round, real preliminary but Jabari Smith on Auburn looked like he had NBA SF potential.
What's your take on Kessler the white center also on Auburn?

Much better then that soft faggot from Duke Bonchero (sp) whose being touted as a lottery pick. (And Duke has some good players, much more draft worthy then him)
Unless i just caught him while throwing a game vs Virginia this guy is a classic Duke puss ass.

I really like Kessler and he has been slowly moving up the draft boards he is an athletic 7'1 who is a shot blocking machine and is starting to show off a little on the offensive side. Just go and watch the game Aubrun vs. LSU he killed them I mean he destroyed them with block and rebounds I was impressed

[Thomas82]

With the Poeltl trade discussions potentially reignited in the off-season, could the Spurs have interest in Jalen Duren as their 'C' of the Future?

This draft figures to be bananas if they hold on to their picks, and let's be honest, why wouldn't they...

Good chance that everyone gets a player they target and like this year :lol

I would like that a lot.

[Dejounte]

Someone posted this on reddit, I thought it was a good read:

TL;DR: 6th+18th+20th+Filler could get us to #4, but based on precedent we'd need something else of real substance to get into the top 3.


I'll look at this two ways: precedent and analytics.


Precedent:


The 2018 Draft's Mavs-Hawks trade is a good precedent for moving up a couple of spots in the top 10.


Mavs received: 3rd pick (Luka)


Hawks received: 5th pick (Trae) and future first rounder (top-5 protected 2019, top-5 protected 2020, top-3 protected 2021, top-3 protected 2022, unprotected 2023 [ended up being #10 in 2019, Hawks picked Cam Reddish])


Vegas had the Mavs with the 9th lowest win-total (34.5) heading into the 2018-19 season, so let's say that to move up 2 spots, the Mavs had to offer a pick with an expected value of ~9.


So, what are our 18th+20th picks worth compared to the ~9th pick? The 2014 Draft's Denver-Chicago trade is good precedent for the worth of our 18th+20th picks.


Denver received: 16th (Nurkic) and 19th (Gary Harris), 2015 2nd rounder


Chicago received: 11th (McDermott), Anthony Randolph


So 18th and 20th would be around the ~11th pick value, less than the ~9th pick value of that Mavs pick. So in order to move up 3 spots to #3, we probably have to add something of real value other than 6+18+20 (the Bulls pick... Keldon?).


Analytics:


Kevin Pelton of ESPN and Jacob Goldstein (now works for the Wizards) both formulated values for each pick of the NBA Draft based on historical data. Interesting, both of them value 6+18+20 as better value than that of the #2 pick: see chart.


I can't imagine any team that made it into the top 2 actually trading down though for 6+18+20. It seems like a huge PR hit to land a top-2 pick and trade down all the way to #6, and I doubt many fan bases (or ownership groups) would be very excited about the 18th and 20th picks when they could have had a hyped #2 pick. Moving 3 spots up to #3, however, might be more feasible based on the precedent above.


Overall Thoughts:


In order to trade up, we would need a situation similar to the Luka-Trae trade. The Hawks evaluated Trae and Luka the same, so they felt fine trading down and getting an estimated value of the 9th pick next year.


Orlando might be a good trade partner if Jonathan Isaac could actually stay healthy. The consensus top 3, Jabari/Chet/Paolo, are all big men, and a guard like Jaden Ivey or Johnny Davis might be a better fit for the Magic. So something like 6, 18, 20, and the Bulls pick might be enough.


I do think that this year's trade deadline shows the Spurs really do want to trade up though, and are gathering picks to do so. I believe this season has the most in-season trades in franchise history so there does seem to be a real sense of urgency. Plus, it's hard to see us trying to develop 3 first-rounders next year while we still have all these guys who need playing time like Murray, Jakob, Keldon, Vassell, and Primo. I suppose we could just draft 3 first-rounders and then do our usual G-League development, but then at some point the minutes in the big squad would get really hard to come by.

[Chinook]

With White's trading, PG is probably the second-biggest need after PF. If the Spurs end up drafting a guard with their natural pick, then I am a pretty big fan of finding a way to get Eason. I like with even at their natural pick if it's low enough, but if the Spurs could come out of the draft with Ivey and Eason, I would be really happy.

Murray, Jones
Ivey, Primo
Vassell, McDermott
Eason, Johnson
Poeltl, Collins

The rotation is a bigger pipe dream than the draft picks most likely, but the White trade gives me hope that the Spurs won't marry themselves too strongly to Johnson as a starting piece. That lineup needs an upgrade at the backup one and five, but for a transitional stage, it's pretty good.

[Dejounte]

https://youtu.be/f0sfQyzuMk0

Banchero represents Seattle HARD

[RC_Drunkford]

https://youtu.be/f0sfQyzuMk0

Banchero represents Seattle HARD

that's one thing where he and DJ could become a great duo. On the other hand I'm scared that his ceiling is Tobias Harris

[Dejounte]

that's one thing where he and DJ could become a great duo. On the other hand I'm scared that his ceiling is Tobias Harris

worth a gamble tbh. There’s very few players in this draft that have the look of a legitimate go-to scorer, which the Spurs BADLY need

[mo7888]

Someone posted this on reddit, I thought it was a good read:

TL;DR: 6th+18th+20th+Filler could get us to #4, but based on precedent we'd need something else of real substance to get into the top 3.


I'll look at this two ways: precedent and analytics.


Precedent:


The 2018 Draft's Mavs-Hawks trade is a good precedent for moving up a couple of spots in the top 10.


Mavs received: 3rd pick (Luka)


Hawks received: 5th pick (Trae) and future first rounder (top-5 protected 2019, top-5 protected 2020, top-3 protected 2021, top-3 protected 2022, unprotected 2023 [ended up being #10 in 2019, Hawks picked Cam Reddish])


Vegas had the Mavs with the 9th lowest win-total (34.5) heading into the 2018-19 season, so let's say that to move up 2 spots, the Mavs had to offer a pick with an expected value of ~9.


So, what are our 18th+20th picks worth compared to the ~9th pick? The 2014 Draft's Denver-Chicago trade is good precedent for the worth of our 18th+20th picks.


Denver received: 16th (Nurkic) and 19th (Gary Harris), 2015 2nd rounder


Chicago received: 11th (McDermott), Anthony Randolph


So 18th and 20th would be around the ~11th pick value, less than the ~9th pick value of that Mavs pick. So in order to move up 3 spots to #3, we probably have to add something of real value other than 6+18+20 (the Bulls pick... Keldon?).


Analytics:


Kevin Pelton of ESPN and Jacob Goldstein (now works for the Wizards) both formulated values for each pick of the NBA Draft based on historical data. Interesting, both of them value 6+18+20 as better value than that of the #2 pick: see chart.


I can't imagine any team that made it into the top 2 actually trading down though for 6+18+20. It seems like a huge PR hit to land a top-2 pick and trade down all the way to #6, and I doubt many fan bases (or ownership groups) would be very excited about the 18th and 20th picks when they could have had a hyped #2 pick. Moving 3 spots up to #3, however, might be more feasible based on the precedent above.


Overall Thoughts:


In order to trade up, we would need a situation similar to the Luka-Trae trade. The Hawks evaluated Trae and Luka the same, so they felt fine trading down and getting an estimated value of the 9th pick next year.


Orlando might be a good trade partner if Jonathan Isaac could actually stay healthy. The consensus top 3, Jabari/Chet/Paolo, are all big men, and a guard like Jaden Ivey or Johnny Davis might be a better fit for the Magic. So something like 6, 18, 20, and the Bulls pick might be enough.


I do think that this year's trade deadline shows the Spurs really do want to trade up though, and are gathering picks to do so. I believe this season has the most in-season trades in franchise history so there does seem to be a real sense of urgency. Plus, it's hard to see us trying to develop 3 first-rounders next year while we still have all these guys who need playing time like Murray, Jakob, Keldon, Vassell, and Primo. I suppose we could just draft 3 first-rounders and then do our usual G-League development, but then at some point the minutes in the big squad would get really hard to come by.

Good find... When it comes to trading up I agree the Spurs will at least explore it but, I think it's more likely (assuming we're at 6, 18, and 20) that we either 1) package 18 and 20 to move up than packaging it all to move into the top 4 or 2) trade 20 to acquire a future 1st + assets to balance out how many and when we bring in rookies.

We can all see that the Spurs have finally chosen a direction (rebuild) but the timeline of that rebuild hasn't revealed itself yet. Is it a slow rebuild or a shorter term one. A long rebuild doesn't fit with DJ and if we choose that route we probably trade him for draft capital too however, if we want a shorter rebuild using our #6 makes sense and trading back one of the other picks for future assets from a team we expect to be worse than us in upcoming years makes sense too. That leaves the other pick and a couple of our young guys to trade for a player the FO believes can be a ceiling lifter. You mentioned Jonathan Issac...many have mentioned John Collins (I'm not endorsing anyone myself) but if the FO believes in one of those then DJ + JC/JI etc +#6 pick + future 1st looks pretty good and interests me personally more than a long rebuild.

[exstatic]

With no more White, we definitely have a shot at 4th or 5th pick. It's going to be such a fun draft for us.

If we land in the 5,6,7 range, that will be good. Worst spot is actually 4. Every year, at least two teams have jumped into the top 4, meaning 4 is always SOL, and gets bumped.

[stnick2261]

Murray
Primo
Vassell / Johnson
(no PF)
Poeltl

Just going by Tankathon's Big Board (and I know there'll be a lot of movement before the draft), the available PFs are currently: 2 of the top 3 spots, #8 and then a huge gap before the next one at #28. If we somehow win the lottery, we really need to target one of the PFs (even though I'd love to have Ivey). There are a number of Cs in the middle of the first round to help with big man depth (Mark Williams & Walker Kessler look great on paper). There's only 3-4 PGs but 9 SG's expected in the first round. But when it comes down to it, I'm trusting the Spurs scouts.

[DesignatedT]

Right now my big board probably goes

Smith
Banchero
Ivey

Unsure about the Holmgren kid from Gonzaga. Very thin and small frame.

[cjw]

If we land in the 5,6,7 range, that will be good. Worst spot is actually 4. Every year, at least two teams have jumped into the top 4, meaning 4 is always SOL, and gets bumped.

But 4 also has a higher chance of jumping into the top three (36.6%, just below the 40.2% of the three worst teams). And nearly a 70% chance of being top five. If you’re 5th, only 65% of top five. At 6th, it drops off substantially as only way into top five is for your ball to come up (basically 27%).

[stnick2261]

I wonder if we are able to get Ivey with our natural pick... would we be able to trade our other picks to reach for Keegan Murray as well?

[R. DeMurre]

You mentioned Jonathan Issac...many have mentioned John Collins (I'm not endorsing anyone myself) but if the FO believes in one of those then DJ + JC/JI etc +#6 pick + future 1st looks pretty good and interests me personally more than a long rebuild.

I've been following Jonathan Isaac pretty closely for a while and he's such an interesting player, but also full of contradictions and some red flags. I think he has DPOY potential. He's unvaccinated-- that hasn't been an issue, because he hasn't been playing due to knee surgery. He's extremely religious, but when he informed his teammates that he'd be preaching at a local church, not a single one showed up to support him. He was the only guy on his team in the bubble to not take a knee during the national anthem. He seems at least relatively reasonable in interviews, but I wonder if he'll be a locker room problem going forward. That, plus staying healthy has been an issue. Without the issues, I think he really is the perfect trade target, but the more I've looked at him, the more worried I've gotten about his fit in terms of temperament & personality.

[Chinook]

If we land in the 5,6,7 range, that will be good. Worst spot is actually 4. Every year, at least two teams have jumped into the top 4, meaning 4 is always SOL, and gets bumped.

wut?

The fourth spot is objectively better than the 5-7 spots. They not only have a better chance of moving into the top three picks, but they have a better chance at both the fourth and fifth spots than the other teams. I discussed this math in a different post, but the fourth slot's chances of getting a top-five pick are about .55, while the chances of the fifth slot getting a top-five pick are only .44. That's a 25-percent increase in odds by being in a higher slot.

The fifth slot has a higher chance of "moving up" than the fourth slot because they have an additional spot they can move up into. But if you change the question to "not moving down", the actual value difference is apparent. There's a 98-percent chance at least one team jumps into the top-four from fifth or lower, but that does not necessitate it coming at the expense of any of the team's individually. The sixth-slot Kings might hop up to the fourth pick while the fourth-slot Thunder hop into the third pick while the third-slot Rockets fall to the fifth pick and the fifth-slot Pacers drop to the sixth pick. That's a fair bit of movement, but the fourth slot actually made out better.

I think what you're noticing is that the higher up you go, the more dramatic the variance of the lottery is likely to be. With the flattening, the downside looks to be artificially magnified on the fourth pick, but if you look at a lottery chart to see the odds of a team keeping their pick slot, you'll see that the fifth and sixth picks are the ones who have the worst chances while in general the lower teams are the ones who get stability in return for less total expected return.

[lmbebo]

Good find... When it comes to trading up I agree the Spurs will at least explore it but, I think it's more likely (assuming we're at 6, 18, and 20) that we either 1) package 18 and 20 to move up than packaging it all to move into the top 4 or 2) trade 20 to acquire a future 1st + assets to balance out how many and when we bring in rookies.

We can all see that the Spurs have finally chosen a direction (rebuild) but the timeline of that rebuild hasn't revealed itself yet. Is it a slow rebuild or a shorter term one. A long rebuild doesn't fit with DJ and if we choose that route we probably trade him for draft capital too however, if we want a shorter rebuild using our #6 makes sense and trading back one of the other picks for future assets from a team we expect to be worse than us in upcoming years makes sense too. That leaves the other pick and a couple of our young guys to trade for a player the FO believes can be a ceiling lifter. You mentioned Jonathan Issac...many have mentioned John Collins (I'm not endorsing anyone myself) but if the FO believes in one of those then DJ + JC/JI etc +#6 pick + future 1st looks pretty good and interests me personally more than a long rebuild.


I think timeline is fluid. Is it natural with picks, how do those picks pan out? Do we get a franchise cornerstone or another piece of the puzzle, but missing that one part that makes it all work?

Do we try and trade pics and young parts for a known star?

[mystargtr34]

If the Spurs don't get a top 5 pick and end up in the 6-8 range, perhaps they take Jalen Duren and trade Jakob for a 4. That obviously depends if they think Duren will be a player.

[CGD]

Good find... When it comes to trading up I agree the Spurs will at least explore it but, I think it's more likely (assuming we're at 6, 18, and 20) that we either 1) package 18 and 20 to move up than packaging it all to move into the top 4 or 2) trade 20 to acquire a future 1st + assets to balance out how many and when we bring in rookies.

We can all see that the Spurs have finally chosen a direction (rebuild) but the timeline of that rebuild hasn't revealed itself yet. Is it a slow rebuild or a shorter term one. A long rebuild doesn't fit with DJ and if we choose that route we probably trade him for draft capital too however, if we want a shorter rebuild using our #6 makes sense and trading back one of the other picks for future assets from a team we expect to be worse than us in upcoming years makes sense too. That leaves the other pick and a couple of our young guys to trade for a player the FO believes can be a ceiling lifter. You mentioned Jonathan Issac...many have mentioned John Collins (I'm not endorsing anyone myself) but if the FO believes in one of those then DJ + JC/JI etc +#6 pick + future 1st looks pretty good and interests me personally more than a long rebuild.

The other scenario that is interesting is that after the deadline yesterday Portland got a nice NOLA pick, which means they could well have something like 8 & 9. Is there a world where Spurs with 6 move back to nab 8 and another asset?

[Mr. Body]

The other scenario that is interesting is that after the deadline yesterday Portland got a nice NOLA pick, which means they could well have something like 8 & 9. Is there a world where Spurs with 6 move back to nab 8 and another asset?

Yes.

[mo7888]

The other scenario that is interesting is that after the deadline yesterday Portland got a nice NOLA pick, which means they could well have something like 8 & 9. Is there a world where Spurs with 6 move back to nab 8 and another asset?

I don't expect the Nola pick to be that high but, if it is, it's certainly possible...

[BatManu20]

If the Spurs don't get a top 5 pick and end up in the 6-8 range, perhaps they take Jalen Duren and trade Jakob for a 4. That obviously depends if they think Duren will be a player.

Think if that happened then Keegan Murray would be the pick. Just a gut feeling, given our needs and how the Spurs rate players.

[CGD]

If the Spurs don't get a top 5 pick and end up in the 6-8 range, perhaps they take Jalen Duren and trade Jakob for a 4. That obviously depends if they think Duren will be a player.

Gotta think that after this trade deadline, Jakob + one of our picks is in play.

If they don’t move him by the start of the next season spurs arent really recovering any value for him.

[dbestpro]

I think that Ivey and Ty Ty Washington will be top 3 picks along with Smith by draft night. The big position is too marginalized for the top three to be bigs.

[BatManu20]

Another big game for Murray. Doesn’t have the upside some of the other prospects do, but he’s going to be a good two-way player, me thinks.


Cj4u-_FfUeg

[Thomas82]

Gotta think that after this trade deadline, Jakob + one of our picks is in play.

If they don’t move him by the start of the next season spurs arent really recovering any value for him.

I can easily see him being traded on draft day.

[talkspurs]

I really like Kessler and he has been slowly moving up the draft boards he is an athletic 7'1 who is a shot blocking machine and is starting to show off a little on the offensive side. Just go and watch the game Aubrun vs. LSU he killed them I mean he destroyed them with block and rebounds I was impressed

Is he pretty athletic? aka could he guard some (switches) on the wings and decently against a PF or is he more of your traditional big center?

[talkspurs]

If we land in the 5,6,7 range, that will be good. Worst spot is actually 4. Every year, at least two teams have jumped into the top 4, meaning 4 is always SOL, and gets bumped.

stocks use this but I think it works here.

"past results are not indicative of future results"

[BatManu20]

Jabari Smith playing against Texas A&M right now on ESPN. Love his shooting ability and his length defensively, but he’s gotta be more aggressive offensively. Hard to really judge anything in this game where auburn’s blowing them out by 20 and he’s playing less minutes, but I’m definitely noticing in his more recent games that he’s too timid offensively. He lets the game come to him which can be good at times, but he disappears for too long of stretches. Needs to be more aggressive on that end. Too unselfish for my liking.

[Mr. Body]

Jabari Smith playing against Texas A&M right now on ESPN. Love his shooting ability and his length defensively, but he’s gotta be more aggressive offensively. Hard to really judge anything in this game where auburn’s blowing them out by 20 and he’s playing less minutes, but I’m definitely noticing in his more recent games that he’s too timid offensively. He lets the game come to him which can be good at times, but he disappears for too long of stretches. Needs to be more aggressive on that end. Too unselfish for my liking.

Jabar Smith has an incredible frame and great shooting and what appears to be good defense. He just plays like a role-player to me, a spot-up guy. A very good one, but I don't really see a star, just a very high-end starter.

[Mr. Body]

Another big game for Murray. Doesn’t have the upside some of the other prospects do, but he’s going to be a good two-way player, me thinks.


Cj4u-_FfUeg

Keegan Murray is the player or type of player I hope the Spurs get, as I see them slipping down several spots in the draft. He is limited in ways, but is aggressive and fills a huge need.

[BatManu20]

Jabar Smith has an incredible frame and great shooting and what appears to be good defense. He just plays like a role-player to me, a spot-up guy. A very good one, but I don't really see a star, just a very high-end starter.

Agreed. Admittedly I was a bit enamored with a few of his early and mid season performances where he looked like a potential two-way star. And his shooting ability is legit. But his scoring and %’s have both gone down lately. Still think he’s a good prospect, but probably won’t ever be a star. I think Jaden Ivey has the most star potential of the top 4 prospects so far. He’s my pet cat right now, despite our glaring need for a PF.