Did Caleb Houstan Get a Draft Promise from the Spurs?

[timvp]

https://www.spurstalk.com/san-antonio-spurs-draft-promise-caleb-houstan-2022-nba-draft-rumor/

I wouldn't like Caleb Houstan at 25. I wouldn't mind it at 38, though.

[Mugen]

With Wright at the helm, I wouldn't be surprised if the promise was at #9 :lol

[Russ]

Another Canadian!

[rjv]

f'ing blazers. (and dubs and samanic)

[Mr. Body]

25 would be a weird promise. A higher promise would be a wreck and unlikely. I can see the 'get ahead of everyone' trend they're going with. Michigan was a mess this year. I doubt anyone would stay in the draft for a 2nd round promise. I also don't like the idea of promising the 25 as it goes out of play for trades.

Givony's mock is a mess, by the way.

[TD 21]

Heard this rumor a while back and they were the first team that sprang to mind. Moreover, when I first started paying attention to this projected draft class early in the season, he was the first player I came across who screamed Spur to me.

If true, could be similar to Joseph, a projected lottery pick entering his freshman season at Texas, was projected to go mid-late 2nd round after the season and in the end went 30th (also in a draft where they had multiple 1sts).

[Ariel]

I'm not suprised the Spurs would be interested, he does fit the SF mold we should be targeting. I'd be SHOCKED and extremely underwhelmed if it was at 25, though. What's the purpose of making that promise? Was he going to pull out of the draft if we didn't? I seriously doubt that. PS: Nevermind. Read the article, now I get it.

[Seventyniner]

Can teams even give credible second-round promises? With the lack of a set salary scale for second-rounders, would any sort of salary promise be considered tampering or some other rule violation?

[mo7888]

I'd be very surprised..

[baseline bum]

Can teams even give credible second-round promises? With the lack of a set salary scale for second-rounders, would any sort of salary promise be considered tampering or some other rule violation?

Don't see why it would since he's not under contract to any team yet.

[baseline bum]

f'ing blazers. (and dubs and samanic)

I liked how things worked out considering they probably wouldn't have traded Batum to get Leonard and probably don't make two Finals and ring once with Batum instead of Leonard.

[Chinook]

Can teams even give credible second-round promises? With the lack of a set salary scale for second-rounders, would any sort of salary promise be considered tampering or some other rule violation?

We know that the Spurs have drafted players with the understanding they'd take two-way contracts, and we believe they might have passed on players who didn't agree to that. There's also a precedent of talking to players about contracts to get buyouts in Europe. I don't think talking to a player about what you'd be willing to offer them as second-round pick would be against any rules. It's not like a player has to agree to be drafted, so there's no a scenario where a player gets drafted at 37 but refuses so he can get drafted at 38. Unless they're planning on giving him an unrealistic amount of money no other team would realistically give him, it's probably not a big deal.

[Degoat]

I know historically the spurs have made promises but I don’t see it with this one, however I trust the spurs organization if they like him that much might as well grab him with the 25th.

[Ariel]

Now I wonder: if the whole point of making a promise is to keep your target under the radar, and historically when doing so it blows up in your face and the player actually ends up IN THE SPOTLIGHT BECAUSE OF THAT... wouldn't it make more sense if you were trying to keep a player flying low, to NOT TO MAKE A PROMISE?
This is actually WORSE than having him play well at the combine... it would have required nothing short of extraordinary for him to jump into the top 25 from where he is currently ranked. Unless, of course, this is all a smokescreen... hopefully.

[widowmaker]

I’ve never heard of him. Is he a 5’9 un athletic point guard?

[Uriel]

Who was the last player we drafted that we made a promise to? Livio Jean-Charles?

[rascal]

Why do the Spurs think he is so special?

I don't see anything that jumps out to make him a player the Spurs are promising anything with.

I'm having less and less confidence the FO is going to make the most out of this draft.

[Degoat]

Who was the last player we drafted that we made a promise to? Livio Jean-Charles?

Maybe Luka? Draft promises are always iffy Imo unless it’s a guy like Jalen Williiams who’s been climbing up the draft boards.

[mo7888]

Why do the Spurs think he is so special?

I don't see anything that jumps out to make him a player the Spurs are promising anything with.

I'm having less and less confidence the FO is going to make the most out of this draft.

I don't see any evidence that the Spurs do think that he's special...

[heyheymymy]

CIA Spurs imo.

Makes me think they really want a different big and are doing classic misdirection to obscure their true interest

[PhantomDashCam]

Imagine Spurs come away with...

#9 Mark Williams
#20 PBJ
#25 Caleb Houston

https://i.ibb.co/JQpjRXr/BW.jpg

[Degoat]

Imagine Spurs come away with...

#9 Mark Williams
#20 PBJ
#25 Caleb Houston

https://i.ibb.co/JQpjRXr/BW.jpg


Is it bad that I honestly wouldn’t be that upset with that? At least we would have size & length

[Dejounte]

The Spurs look where no one else looks, don’t they? I can barely find good video on this guy.

[Chinook]

He's like a month younger than Primo. By the time he's Josh's age, watch out.

I'm skeptical of him, but I'm okay with the Spurs looking for their darlings with some of their picks. If that's Houstan, Minott, Williams, whatever. I just hope they don't outsmart themselves and use all of their bites so esoterically. There is some real, obvious talent in the draft. The Spurs seem to know that -- hence again, all the picks -- so they don't have go mining for it.

[Allan Rowe vs Wade]

6'8 or taller i dont care about anything else

[Mr. Body]

He's like a month younger than Primo. By the time he's Josh's age, watch out.

I'm skeptical of him, but I'm okay with the Spurs looking for their darlings with some of their picks. If that's Houstan, Minott, Williams, whatever. I just hope they don't outsmart themselves and use all of their bites so esoterically. There is some real, obvious talent in the draft. The Spurs seem to know that -- hence again, all the picks -- so they don't have go mining for it.

I mean, this is all based on Givony thinking someone has a promise and Givony's been kinda trash ever since he went to ESPN (a common theme). If the Spurs want him late, then why not. He's what you'd want at that point. He has skills that didn't fully materialize on the court this year. If you looked at a player like Keegan Murray or Johnny Davis last year, you wouldn't see a top pick, either. It's all about stealling a march on other teams at that point, so if you see the character and the abilities...

But we're jumping at rumors right now.

[exstatic]

Who was the last player we drafted that we made a promise to? Livio Jean-Charles?

Wouldn’t shock me if there was a deal framework for Tre. The SRP guards drafted the year before and the year by after the Spurs got 2ways.

[The Truth #6]

This “jumping early, ahead of the curve” philosophy of picking a player so early in their embryonic stage that is becoming popular seems highly problematic. Sounds like an overly intellectualized way to rationalize desperate, impulsive decision making. Sounds “smart” but making choices with even less data seems unlike the Spurs, yet here we are. Also, with so many picks and potential trades that we should be considering, promising any player has its problems, also. “Yeah, we’d love to make this awesome trade but, you know, we promised to pick this underwhelming player at 25 so maybe next time.”

[Ariel]

This “jumping early, ahead of the curve” philosophy of picking a player so early in their embryonic stage that is becoming popular seems highly problematic. Sounds like an overly intellectualized way to rationalize desperate, impulsive decision making. Sounds “smart” but making choices with even less data seems unlike the Spurs, yet here we are. Also, with so many picks and potential trades that we should be considering, promising any player has its problems, also. “Yeah, we’d love to make this awesome trade but, you know, we promised to pick this underwhelming player at 25 so maybe next time.”
Or "we like this player, but we'll have to pass because we already have a couple undersized guards waiting in the pipeline... can they play? I don't know, but they're great kids! very mature".

[SAGirl]

Now I wonder: if the whole point of making a promise is to keep your target under the radar, and historically when doing so it blows up in your face and the player actually ends up IN THE SPOTLIGHT BECAUSE OF THAT... wouldn't it make more sense if you were trying to keep a player flying low, to NOT TO MAKE A PROMISE?
This is actually WORSE than having him play well at the combine... it would have required nothing short of extraordinary for him to jump into the top 25 from where he is currently ranked. Unless, of course, this is all a smokescreen... hopefully.
They don’t end up in the spotlight bc of that. That’s too simplistic. They likely were in multiple teams radar anyways. I think hiding a prospect is more likely to happen for the higher picks (like Keldon Johnson not working out for teams outside the lottery, he hid himself). Those teams are under pressure to hit on the best picks and are reluctant to take guys they haven’t worked out, etc. but the lower you go (late firsts and seconds) the more prospects that are the remaining best talents stand out, just IMO and there are guys that could fall that you take of they are there even if you didn’t work them out (like Keldon, precisely).

This guy sounds like he wouldn’t stand out based on his last season production but teams often take gambles based on preexisting data.

I know nothing about this guy, but I had to point out the Spurs drafted Dejounte and were high on him but he fell to the end of the first because among other things his shot and efficiency was bad. He needed a lot of work. It’s possible they think this guy is redimible. But honestly I don’t know him so this is just interesting predraft speculation to me.

[Mr. Body]

If they're tossing out promises, why not Dalen Terry instead? He's better on both sides of the ball.

https://www.tankathon.com/players/compare?players=caleb-houstan--dalen-terry

[Mr. Body]

If they're tossing out promises, why not Dalen Terry instead? He's better on both sides of the ball.

https://www.tankathon.com/players/compare?players=caleb-houstan--dalen-terry

[SAGirl]

If they're tossing out promises, why not Dalen Terry instead? He's better on both sides of the ball.

https://www.tankathon.com/players/compare?players=caleb-houstan--dalen-terry

Someone taking this gamble is looking at things other than the college numbers. They probably are looking at high school, other tournaments and international competition and hope he will get better. It definitely makes sense only for a team with multiple picks that can spread their risk.

I saw rumors of OKC also being the team making the promise. 1531014334385627136

This is all speculation, only Kyle Cohen is honest about his pick being speculative. I wouldn’t even rule out the Grizzlies either, bc they have a couple of late firsts.

[SAGirl]

1530842479800504320

[timvp]

1530842479800504320

Man, those finishes from the 0:50 mark to the 1:10 mark are some of the most unathletic moves I've ever seen from a perimeter-oriented NBA draft prospect :lol

[Mr. Body]

Someone taking this gamble is looking at things other than the college numbers. They probably are looking at high school, other tournaments and international competition and hope he will get better. It definitely makes sense only for a team with multiple picks that can spread their risk.

I saw rumors of OKC also being the team making the promise. 1531014334385627136

This is all speculation, only Kyle Cohen is honest about his pick being speculative. I wouldn’t even rule out the Grizzlies either, bc they have a couple of late firsts.

I'm getting a little tired of the "he was really good in high school" narratives that are spilling out, like players who struggle with various aspects of college basketball will suddenly return to some idyllic high school form in the NBA. You see it with Griffin, too -- he was good in high school! Look at the high school footage! No, he's not going to magically become the mutidimensional athlete he was in high school. Things just get harder.

The other narrative that I'm getting tired of is "he has a long wingspan/tools so will most likely become a good defender," especially when said about absolutely shit defenders. This isn't how it works. Just because you have good lateral speed, quickness, and length, does not make you a good defender. If you're a really poor defender in college, no amount of length is going to fix what's between your ears.

[John B]

The whole point of promising a player is to downplay him. Yet whose big mouth caused other teams to swoop prospects under Spurs’ nose?

Caleb looks like a 2nd rounder to me. I’d be very disappointed if they pick this guy over Liddell, Jovic, Kessler, LaRavia

[offset formation]

Man, those finishes from the 0:50 mark to the 1:10 mark are some of the most unathletic moves I've ever seen from a perimeter-oriented NBA draft prospect :lol

Beat me to it. Was going g to say the same thing. His release is slow as well. I sure as shit hope they didn't promise him at 25.

Kid may be worth a flier at 38 but definitely not before 30.

[mo7888]

1530842479800504320

He says the comp is Klay....I don't see that...I'd go with even less athletic Cam Johnson... He might have a future off the bench as a sniper for spot minutes but, that isn't even guaranteed. I wouldn't hate it at #38 but, I wouldn't be overly thrilled either.

[The Truth #6]

Mostly joking aside, this feels like confirmation we are in the silly season, or whatever they call it.

Not going to the Combine could also be other random things: he had Covid and couldn't make it; his genius agent realized his combine measurements would be so awful it would be better for him to not even go and create the belief that he already has a promise. I hope it's something random like that.

[Ocotillo]

I hope the only way this guy is in the Spurs camp is as an undrafted free agent on a make good contract.

[Mr. Body]

Mostly joking aside, this feels like confirmation we are in the silly season, or whatever they call it.

Not going to the Combine could also be other random things: he had Covid and couldn't make it; his genius agent realized his combine measurements would be so awful it would be better for him to not even go and create the belief that he already has a promise. I hope it's something random like that.

Yeah, and this is just Givony looking up what teams have multiple picks and deciding one of them gave a promise.

[rascal]

Man, those finishes from the 0:50 mark to the 1:10 mark are some of the most unathletic moves I've ever seen from a perimeter-oriented NBA draft prospect :lol

He doesn't have any lift.

[KingKev]

Yeah, and this is just Givony looking up what teams have multiple picks and deciding one of them gave a promise.

I’m sure knowing how badly we reached on Primo only adds to the speculation, hopefully they are wrong.

[exstatic]

Yeah, and this is just Givony looking up what teams have multiple picks and deciding one of them gave a promise.

Could easily be OKC at 30 or 34. They have as many picks as we do, and have a recent history of drafting players who underwhelmed at first, Poku, Giddey.

[The Truth #6]

Yeah, and this is just Givony looking up what teams have multiple picks and deciding one of them gave a promise.

True. And to me, it would be a desperate move to promise him anything. I see it as a team that only has one pick and probably a later pick who would try to, I guess, get Caleb to shut it down so they can grab him in the late first. That would be my best guess, and it still seems silly. Maybe he is pulling out of the draft? There's always that.

[Mr. Body]

Could easily be OKC at 30 or 34. They have as many picks as we do, and have a recent history of drafting players who underwhelmed at first, Poku, Giddey.

OKC needs outside shooting even more than we do.

[exstatic]

OKC needs outside shooting even more than we do.

That’s the one thing Caleb didn’t totally suck at at UM. He’s got a nice stroke, by all accounts.

[rjv]

caleb makes kyle "slo-mo" anderson look like the flash.

[Mr. Body]

I just want to say people should take a look at Dalen Terry. He's pretty interesting.

[SAGirl]

Man, those finishes from the 0:50 mark to the 1:10 mark are some of the most unathletic moves I've ever seen from a perimeter-oriented NBA draft prospect :lol
It reminded me of slow mo, that’s kind of what made me think Grizzlies. They have two first round picks and wouldn’t be scared by him being slow. They also can afford to give him time to development strength. The guy can shoot at least, coming off screens. It adds depth to that team. I could see it for them. He was also a 5 star recruit and they don’t have picks above 22 so maybe he’s a gamble on a former blue chip prospect they wouldn’t be able to get otherwise. They also don’t need a star but rather guys that fit around Ja.

[SAGirl]

Could easily be OKC at 30 or 34. They have as many picks as we do, and have a recent history of drafting players who underwhelmed at first, Poku, Giddey.
The Grizzlies have picks at 22 and 29. They may have also promised the latter. Last season they picked up Santi Aldana at 30, who iirc had also shut down his combine bc he had a promise from OKC for a second round pick. They picked him up in the first round to jump on OKC. He has looked like a second round talent to me when I have watched him but he’s a big man shooter, so either he pans out or doesn’t, but it just looks prototypical for OKC taking gambles and hoping to hide their late round picks and other teams jumping up on them.

The Grizzlies also made a questionable trade to pick up Williams who was a 5 star recruit they had been ogling since high school who then had a bad shooting season in college. Obviously they aren’t afraid to keep taking gambles on guys they like and take them higher than expected to jump on OKC-tagged prospects.

Why the Spurs here? Honestly I don’t know. Possibly high character guy etc. Other things we don’t know.

Something pepp should keep in mind is that he’s young. He needs to add strength. Many guys in the late first or second round are gambles one way or another. A shooter off acreens with size who can defend, maybe there’s a useful role player there in the future like slow mo.

Maybe the guy just got sick, but I doubt that. His agent would have beeen on damage control in that case.

[SAGirl]

I hope the only way this guy is in the Spurs camp is as an undrafted free agent on a make good contract.
No he’s young enough to go back to college, add strength and better shooting and try again next season.

[SAGirl]

I just want to say people should take a look at Dalen Terry. He's pretty interesting.
Yeah he is.

[wildbill2u]

We took SLo Mo despite his lack of speed or athleticism and that worked out for him pretty well. He proved to be a legit NBA player and is still in the league somehow. (I think SA Girl pays part of his salary )

[timvp]

https://twitter.com/jonrothstein/status/1532124692873728006

Uh oh.

[KingKev]

We know the Spurs are going to use one pick on an absolute head scratcher that is pretty much a given. This sounds like exactly the type.

We’ve been average at best the last 4 drafts but if they are going to reach again hopefully its with the 25th or 38th pick.

[Mr. Body]

We know the Spurs are going to use one pick on an absolute head scratcher that is pretty much a given. This sounds like exactly the type.

We’ve been average at best the last 4 drafts but if they are going to reach again hopefully its with the 25th or 38th pick.

It's like an expensive shopping trip. After picking up so many nutritious groceries, you're allowed to grab a pack of pork rinds.

[KingKev]

It's like an expensive shopping trip. After picking up so many nutritious groceries, you're allowed to grab a pack of pork rinds.

Except the pork grinds in this case are quite costly…

[SAGirl]

Ive started to believe this promise is a lot more likely and shared my thoughts on the Keegan Murray thread which has a lengthy discussion on upside/age vs proven talent and positive statistical production. I dont want to repeat myself here, but have definitely changed to support this swing on their second round pick or the 25 if they feel he will be snatched up by 38.

[BatManu20]

Houstan would be a terrible pick in the 1st Round… with any of the 3. At pick 38 I could handle. But not in the First.

This is why I now firmly believe the Spurs will select him in the First Round.

[BatManu20]

1504516695909613570

[Ice009]

Oh no, this doesn't sound good at all. Pick 38 at best, or undrafted I hope.

[Mr. Body]

The trend of picking players who couldn't shoot in college is really weird to me. We saw it last year with Ziaire Williams, will see it this year with Baldwin and Houstan. Ziaire wasn't completely bad for Memphis this year -- .450 fg%, .314 3pt%, .632 2pt% (although he didn't do anything else and his advanced metrics were all negative) - but right now he wasn't worth the #10 pick.

EDIT: Houstan wasn't terrible from 3 last year -- .355 at good volume, 2.0/5.6 -- it's that he's not good at anything else.

[exstatic]

The trend of picking players who couldn't shoot in college is really weird to me. We saw it last year with Ziaire Williams, will see it this year with Baldwin and Houstan. Ziaire wasn't completely bad for Memphis this year -- .450 fg%, .314 3pt%, .632 2pt% (although he didn't do anything else and his advanced metrics were all negative) - but right now he wasn't worth the #10 pick.

Houstan shot 35.5% from 3 and 78% on FTs. He just sucked inside the arc, shooting only 42% on 2s, which is pretty horrible. I’m OK at 38, but not higher. A FRP is guaranteed two years, and even late, that’s a pretty good chunk of change. They also have to guarantee year 3 before year 2 starts, or not, like PHO did with Smith. If you want to see two full years, you have to pay for three.

As a potential SRP, they could structure it as two years, guaranteed, and a team option for year 3, so that they could get two years at the cost of two years, and year three doesn’t cost if he busts. If he pans out,you pick up his year three option, and you have Bird rights the next year.

[rjv]

houstan at 38, fine. houstan before then, not so fine.

[BatManu20]

Yahoo.com released a new mock a couple hours ago. Shockingly, with our 3rd FRP, they have us taking Houstan.


25. San Antonio (from Boston): SF Caleb Houstan (https://www.nbcsportsedge.com/basketball/nba/player/66341/caleb-houstan?cid=Yahoo&partner=ya4nbcs)(Michigan)

It was reported by ESPN's Jonathan Givony last month that some believe that Houstan may have a first-round promise, which led to his decision to turn down an invitation to the NBA Draft Combine. If that's the case, the team in question is obviously under the impression that his numbers at Michigan don't match up with the player that he can potentially be. Houstan shot just over 38% from the field this past season, but at 6-foot-8 he has good size for an NBA wing. With regard to where he could potentially go, a team with multiple firsts (San Antonio has three) could fit the bill.

[exstatic]

Yahoo.com released a new mock a couple hours ago. Shockingly, with our 3rd FRP, they have us taking Houstan.


25. San Antonio (from Boston): SF Caleb Houstan (https://www.nbcsportsedge.com/basketball/nba/player/66341/caleb-houstan?cid=Yahoo&partner=ya4nbcs)(Michigan)

It was reported by ESPN's Jonathan Givony last month that some believe that Houstan may have a first-round promise, which led to his decision to turn down an invitation to the NBA Draft Combine. If that's the case, the team in question is obviously under the impression that his numbers at Michigan don't match up with the player that he can potentially be. Houstan shot just over 38% from the field this past season, but at 6-foot-8 he has good size for an NBA wing. With regard to where he could potentially go, a team with multiple firsts (San Antonio has three) could fit the bill.

I think what was reported was a promise, not a first round promise. This board would have exploded if it were reported as the latter.

[offset formation]

The trend of picking players who couldn't shoot in college is really weird to me. We saw it last year with Ziaire Williams, will see it this year with Baldwin and Houstan. Ziaire wasn't completely bad for Memphis this year -- .450 fg%, .314 3pt%, .632 2pt% (although he didn't do anything else and his advanced metrics were all negative) - but right now he wasn't worth the #10 pick.

EDIT: Houstan wasn't terrible from 3 last year -- .355 at good volume, 2.0/5.6 -- it's that he's not good at anything else.

Correction. It's that he's *SLOW*, both in the fleet-afoot and slow release way.

[offset formation]

houstan at 38, fine. houstan before then, not so fine.

Houstan at 9 incoming. When asked why in the post draft presser, Brian Wright will respond with, "Because he's got electrolytes, and we see him as a higher draft pick if he'd come out a year later."

Rinse and repeat.

[RC_Drunkford]

slow footed and unathletic? Sounds like a Spurs pick to me :lol I'm sure he has good character

[Degoat]

I’ve been watching some film breakdowns for him on YouTube, I don’t love it but I wouldn’t absolutely hate it. If the spurs think he can develop into a Cam Johnson type player that ain’t bad for pick 25. Nothing can be worse then Luka Samanich

[CGD]

Horribly underwhelmed by this guy at 25. Is he super smart/high bbiq or something?

His physical profile makes Kyle Anderson look like Anthony Edwards. If you’re gonna reach, go get the Italian kid at 25. At least you can stash him.

[Ice009]

In the first round, no. Seeing this thread with that name gets me very upset just thinking about the first round with his name in it. If he goes in the first round, let someone else take him.

[rascal]

Do the Spurs even regard Athleticism and Quickness as assets in a player at all?

Height matters little without Athleticism and Quickness.

[The Truth #6]

Anything is possible!

[RC_Drunkford]

Do the Spurs even regard Athleticism and Quickness as assets in a player at all?

Height matters little without Athleticism and Quickness.

:pop: "athleticism and quickness don't matter if you don't have great character"

[R. DeMurre]

This “jumping early, ahead of the curve” philosophy of picking a player so early in their embryonic stage that is becoming popular seems highly problematic. Sounds like an overly intellectualized way to rationalize desperate, impulsive decision making. Sounds “smart” but making choices with even less data seems unlike the Spurs, yet here we are. Also, with so many picks and potential trades that we should be considering, promising any player has its problems, also. “Yeah, we’d love to make this awesome trade but, you know, we promised to pick this underwhelming player at 25 so maybe next time.”


And it's always accompanied by the same phrases: this prospect has shown flashes, he has the physical tools, etc... meaning, that like 90% of all prospects, he kinda looks like a basketball player.

[exstatic]

And it's always accompanied by the same phrases: this prospect has shown flashes, he has the physical tools, etc... meaning, that like 90% of all prospects, he kinda looks like a basketball player.

There’s no one at 9 you can look at and say, “they’re going to be a star”. You HAVE to project development, and you have to do it over and over. Drafting a Johnny Davis is going to glue you to the treadmill.

[The Truth #6]

And it's always accompanied by the same phrases: this prospect has shown flashes, he has the physical tools, etc... meaning, that like 90% of all prospects, he kinda looks like a basketball player.

That, but maybe more concerning for me is that we're getting associated with players who are young, haven't shown that much yet, and have very mediocre athletic capabilities. I'm not loving that combination.

[R. DeMurre]

There’s no one at 9 you can look at and say, “they’re going to be a star”. You HAVE to project development, and you have to do it over and over. Drafting a Johnny Davis is going to glue you to the treadmill.


I'm more talking about people like Emoni Bates, Patrick Baldwin Jr, and the like. Imagine if it were permissible to draft 17 year olds-- in that case, some team very likely would've grabbed one of them as the "best" high school prospect in the country, and today would probably be feeling pretty disappointed.

[offset formation]

That, but maybe more concerning for me is that we're getting associated with players who are young, haven't shown that much yet, and have very mediocre athletic capabilities. I'm not loving that combination.

This is far and away the most disappointing aspect of Primo's game tbh. His ceiling appears capped at shooting 3s (hopefully with much better efficiency than his first season) and perhaps a midrange game because he simply lacks the athleticism to beat players in a one-on-one, half game defense, with any regularity whatsoever. And if you're going to get on your high horse as an organization about drafting a player a year early because you think that he'll be taken high in the following year's draft, you damn well better be selecting a player whose game is immediately limited. Especially when other players that were more polished were available for selection then.

:deadhorse:deadhorse:deadhorse:deadhorse:deadhorse :deadhorse

[RiverwalkParade]

Wouldn’t hate taking this guy in the first if we traded back from 25 to say 29 or 30 and got another 2nd.

[duncan2150]

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

[Mr. Body]

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

Improvement Areas: Everything

[The Truth #6]

Beautiful jumper but not much else. I suppose he could give Lil Weezy some competition for a roster spot. Not entirely joking.

[XDT76]

Looks like a taller Forbes.

[rankingtear]

Do the Spurs even regard Athleticism and Quickness as assets in a player at all?

Height matters little without Athleticism and Quickness.

Weiskamp was a top 5 in lane agility and max vert in the combine.

[Ariel]

Improvement Areas: Everything
So you're telling me he has UNLIMITED UPSIDE???
https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/facebook/000/840/283/350.png

[PhantomDashCam]

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31:30 - 34:00 mark, Raf. discusses Caleb Houstan working out Pre-Combine.

Said he's a fantastic kid, doesn't have social media - really nice person to talk to.
However, this should give people pause, he doesn't think he's nearly as good a shooter as what his reputation is/was. He saw him miss a tonne, in an open gym too.

[stnick2261]

However, this should give people pause, he doesn't think he's nearly as good a shooter as what his reputation is/was. He saw him miss a tonne, in an open gym too.

If I knew I was going to be exposed at the combine and end up undrafted, I would skip the combine and float a rumor that I got a promise.

[mo7888]

If I knew I was going to be exposed at the combine and end up undrafted, I would skip the combine and float a rumor that I got a promise.

I'd just pull out and go back to school...

[John B]

Caleb is a good size with good shooting mechanics, not very athletic and lacks 1st step burst. Honestly underwhelmimg

[Uriel]

If Houstan is so bad, why was he considered a top recruit coming out of high school? Is it possible that his poor freshman showing was due to being in the wrong environment, and that if he had played for another team that could showcase his skillset, he would be ranked much higher?

[exstatic]

If Houstan is so bad, why was he considered a top recruit coming out of high school? Is it possible that his poor freshman showing was due to being in the wrong environment, and that if he had played for another team that could showcase his skillset, he would be ranked much higher?

They don't have a college combine. It's all done by buzz and hype.

He really should have showed up at the combine, measured, and then sat on the sidelines. His skill tests didn't help him at all. He probably would have been drafted higher without them.

[Mr. Body]

If Houstan is so bad, why was he considered a top recruit coming out of high school? Is it possible that his poor freshman showing was due to being in the wrong environment, and that if he had played for another team that could showcase his skillset, he would be ranked much higher?

That's not really how it works. Take a look at any year of ESPN's high school rankings and you'll see at the top of each board players that were highly coveted and you literally cannot remember even playing in college:

http://www.espn.com/college-sports/basketball/recruiting/playerrankings/_/class/2015

http://www.espn.com/college-sports/basketball/recruiting/playerrankings/_/class/2011

Some of them become good college players then suck in the NBA. Some make it all the way. But one thing I don't think ever happens is a shitty college player suddenly becoming a good NBA player. This draft seems to have a lot of utter dreamers.

[spurraider21]

6'8 or taller i dont care about anything else
Stanley "6'8" Johnson baby