Bleacher Report ranks Best Young NBA Cores (under 23) - Spurs ranked #1

[Dejounte]

https://syndication.bleacherreport.com/amp/10081983-ranking-the-best-young-nba-cores-after-free-agency.amp.html

1. Spurs
2. Thunder
3. Pelicans
4. Magic
5. Rockets
6. Pistons
7. T-Wolves
8. Pacers
9. Hornets
10. Blazers

[scott]

Instant meltdown of Rockets fans on twitter over this. You hate to see it.

[BacktoBasics]

I like what the Magic have and the Thunder still have the most flexibility in the league with all those upcoming picks.

[RC_Drunkford]

Rightfully so although OKC is really close. I like their roster a lot

[lefty20]

OKC is crazy. They have too many rotation lvl dudes on their 21 man roster atm. Gonna be interesting to watch Presti turn the extra bodies into even more picks to add to his already ridiculous war chest.

[rascal]

https://syndication.bleacherreport.com/amp/10081983-ranking-the-best-young-nba-cores-after-free-agency.amp.html

1. Spurs
2. Thunder
3. Pelicans
4. Magic
5. Rockets
6. Pistons
7. T-Wolves
8. Pacers
9. Hornets
10. Blazers

It's the Wemby effect because the Spurs have the 2nd weakest team outside of Wemby.

[Dejounte]

It's the Wemby effect because the Spurs have the 2nd weakest team outside of Wemby.
Nah, according to mainstream media the Spurs have the best young core. I’ll trust them over you tbh

[Mr. Body]

It's the Wemby effect because the Spurs have the 2nd weakest team outside of Wemby.

As usual, you're wrong. For shits and giggles, I'd place the non-Wembies above the Rockets, so number 5.

Edit: err, number 4.

[rascal]

As usual, you're wrong. For shits and giggles, I'd place the non-Wembies above the Rockets, so number 5.

Edit: err, number 4.

A non Wemby team would have 25 wins.

[KobesAchilles]

A non Wemby team would have 25 wins.
I mean we literally saw the non-Wemby team. They were tied for the 3rd worst record in the league. OKC has a way better roster… except for one guy babay!

[poopbox]

The Spurs add 1 player to a young core that didn't win 25 games and they have the "best young core" in the nba:lol

It's very interesting watching all the websites pump out all this spurs content now because they have to but clearly don't know shit about this team :lol

All of the "I didn't know Sochan sounded like that" stuff i saw after last night :lol

Cause you know...they had literally never heard him speak before:lol

[MultiTroll]

A non Wemby team would have 25 wins.


I mean we literally saw the non-Wemby team. They were tied for the 3rd worst record in the league. OKC has a way better roster… except for one guy babay!
The Sniffers have a short memory.

:cry But but but they were tanking :cry

Ok they would have won 27 games.

Thank gawd someone in ownership did enforce the tank, otherwise they prolly would have won 27-31 and F'd the Wemby win up.

[heyheymymy]

I might would flip Rockets above Magic

Jabari
Tari
Amen
Jalen
Alperen
Whitmore

is a pretty loaded group despite how toxic the chemistry is and how low the avg bball IQ would be

[kht]

The Spurs add 1 player to a young core that didn't win 25 games and they have the "best young core" in the nba:lol

It's very interesting watching all the websites pump out all this spurs content now because they have to but clearly don't know shit about this team :lol

All of the "I didn't know Sochan sounded like that" stuff i saw after last night :lol

Cause you know...they had literally never heard him speak before:lol

Spurs obviously sat down KJ and Vassell... traded Poetl halfway through the year. They shatter their preseason over/under if they tried.

[Marcus Bryant]

https://y.yarn.co/a3ed4cb2-1cd4-41ec-a191-b1deea5827f5_text_hi.gif

[Mr. Body]

I mean we literally saw the non-Wemby team. They were tied for the 3rd worst record in the league. OKC has a way better roster… except for one guy babay!

These takes are just ridiculously stupid.

Other young players are amazing because they were drafted high.

Spurs players suck because they never improve.

Other than, you know, all the times Spurs young players have improved.

If you're going to be such an idiot, why follow Spurs basketball?

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

Can't be true. I read the Spurs had the WoRsT fUtUrE on ST.

[KobesAchilles]

These takes are just ridiculously stupid.

Other young players are amazing because they were drafted high.

Spurs players suck because they never improve.

Other than, you know, all the times Spurs young players have improved.

If you're going to be such an idiot, why follow Spurs basketball?
You are literally the dumbest poster on here. It’s between you and Ducks. But atleast Ducks mainly hides away in the political forum. You bring your dumbass here in the main forum saying incorrect things loudly in hope that one day you might actually get something right. Well I won’t stop you junior. Keep on saying your stupid takes and maybe one day you will get something right. Hell when you learn how to read, you might actually learn something reading my takes.

You had a meltdown bc we were discussing Austin Reaves. You provide nothing of substance anytime you don’t know how to counter an argument you mistakenly think that you’re being clever by saying “well tell PATFO” or “nice to know” bc you can’t back up any of your claims with reason or you bring in random arguments that literally nobody makes to try to prove how correct your POV is. It’s your go to move.

Spurstalk: hey maybe we should look into Dame
Mr. body no brain randomly screaming “why don’t we just trade 15 FRPs then and sabotage our whole future!”
Spurstalk: hey maybe we should discuss a possible rfa signing in Austin Reaves
Mr. Body no brain “The lakers are going to match!” I’m sorry that’s not doing you justice. This was you. FOR THE LAST TIME, THE LAKERS ARE GOING TO MATCH.” When it was your 17th time and sadly far from your last time. Apparently only our young core can improve and not Austin Reaves.

And now this time: hey our young core won 23 games which was a franchise worst.
Mr. Body no brains: oh so they can’t improve bc they weren’t drafted high. It’s an argument nobody made. I expect Tre to improve and still be a back up level and I expect Vassell to improve to lower end all star level (if his knee holds on) but yeah KJ is tapped. I expect zero improvement from him. And the rest (Wemby excluded ofc)don’t even know how to play basketball yet so even if they do improve it will be minimal and not really of any help.

[spursparker9]

OKC will be scary tbh

[Dejounte]

The Sniffers have a short memory.

:cry But but but they were tanking :cry

Ok they would have won 27 games.

Thank gawd someone in ownership did enforce the tank, otherwise they prolly would have won 27-31 and F'd the Wemby win up.

Bro, you are a grown man using the word “Sniffer”. And by that definition, you’re a sniffer yourself because you’ve been following the Spurs for so many years. You follow the team probably more than the people you claim are sniffers. Cut the high school shit already. You’re a grown ass man.

[DrSteffo]

Some rookie members here don´t understand that veterans win basketball games and that having a promising young core does not mean you win games now. The plan is to win a title in the future. That said I think this team is better than what most people think. Just imagine having Jones and Vassell start the whole season. That's´s about 10 more wins I think.

[paperboy77]

So why won't free agents come here? How the hell don't the Spurs have "enough" to entice Portland from dealing Dame over here?

[CorrectCrusader]

Under 23 is the reason we're #1 and OKC isn't. OKC has a much better outlook over the next few years for contention. We'll find out how good Wemby is soon enough

[couchman]

Wemby has the potential to change the LA/NY earnings narrative.
He has a charisma that will likely earn him a lot in endorsements.
Hopefully he still has time for HEB commercials ������

[DrSteffo]

I hope that San Antonio will be a more popular destination for free agents. As a european I still think that the Spurs success depends on the fact that they were better (more realistic) when they valued euro talents. If Jokic (or Parker or Ginobili) were from USA they would have been lottery picks. I still don´t think nba scouts value euro guys enough.

[rascal]

So why won't free agents come here? How the hell don't the Spurs have "enough" to entice Portland from dealing Dame over here?

Why would Dame want to come to a team that is still rebuilding?

Dame wants to jump on a ready made team that is close to a title and that's not the Spurs. Miami is his desired choice.

Spurs would never make a play to get Dame. That's not how they operate, target disgruntled all stars from other teams.

Spurs build through their draft picks. The only draft day trades(Ok they traded to move up for Leonard but that was years ago) they make are for future draft capital.

The Spurs are very conservative and almost fearful of pulling the trigger on any major trade or FA signing.

Expecting them to trade up in next year's draft to draft one of the top PGs is asking them to go against their character of ultra conservatism. It's best for them to lose enough this year to be assured of being high enough to get their future PG.

[JPB]

So why won't free agents come here? How the hell don't the Spurs have "enough" to entice Portland from dealing Dame over here?

Because you visibly don't understand the concept of 'young" and "future" and running an NBA franchise. And you also don't understand the concept of "time line" and then why Lillard (or other marquee FAs) has no business coming here and spurs have no business trading their young players for him...

but that's fascinating how some spurs "fans" will denigrate anything positive about the franchise. Like they don"t want, they're pissed spurs would actually have the best young core in the NBA.

[slick'81]

Sochan,vassell,wemby and kj is a nice young "core"

[MultiTroll]

Bro, you are a grown man using the word “Sniffer”. And by that definition, you’re a sniffer yourself because you’ve been following the Spurs for so many years. You follow the team probably more than the people you claim are sniffers. Cut the high school shit already. You’re a grown ass man.

Trying to hard. Not a real sniffer. Sorry.


We culture.

Sniffing is the new rock 'n roll.

We the rockstars.

[exstatic]

OKC is crazy. They have too many rotation lvl dudes on their 21 man roster atm. Gonna be interesting to watch Presti turn the extra bodies into even more picks to add to his already ridiculous war chest.

They won't be first rounders. There's a handful of teams, including OKC, BKN, PHO and us, who are sitting on a war chest of first rounders, and no one else has any. Can't squeeze blood from a stone, which is one reason we need to consolidate picks if we have three next year.

[Dejounte]

What’s the point of your post, Multi? I don’t view timvp as better than any person here. And he’s clearly making a mockery of people, sorry I mean high school kids, who use that word.

[Obstructed_View]

lol


Dude is literally making fun of you and you don't catch it.

[MultiTroll]

Dude is literally making fun of you and you don't catch it.
:lol
Cool story.

Went over your head.

[Seventyniner]

They won't be first rounders. There's a handful of teams, including OKC, BKN, PHO and us, who are sitting on a war chest of first rounders, and no one else has any. Can't squeeze blood from a stone, which is one reason we need to consolidate picks if we have three next year.

An alternative to consolidating the picks is to try and roll them forward. For example, maybe a middling team like Sacramento would want the CHI or TOR pick from the Spurs in return for a pick with the same protections in later years like 2026/27/28.

[paperboy77]

Why would Dame want to come to a team that is still rebuilding?

Dame wants to jump on a ready made team that is close to a title and that's not the Spurs. Miami is his desired choice.

Spurs would never make a play to get Dame. That's not how they operate, target disgruntled all stars from other teams.

Spurs build through their draft picks. The only draft day trades(Ok they traded to move up for Leonard but that was years ago) they make are for future draft capital.

The Spurs are very conservative and almost fearful of pulling the trigger on any major trade or FA signing.

Expecting them to trade up in next year's draft to draft one of the top PGs is asking them to go against their character of ultra conservatism. It's best for them to lose enough this year to be assured of being high enough to get their future PG.

I don't think it's about what dame wants is where Portland is willing to ship him to. I don't buy that the guy will just sit out if it's not miami. Miami plus Dame minus whatever they have to give up probably doesn't really contend in my opinion. They already lost 2 critical guys via free agency and they are apparently going back to Hero which is actually subtraction by addition.

You're right, the spurs FO typically doesn't' "operate that way" but then again we don't have Timmy Tony Manu to buy us time. Do you remember what it was like to have a playoff team? I always felt optimistic going into the post season. Now it seem like we are going to just wait and see if things work out. Wemby looks to be all world but he also high risk of having a career cut short by injury.

Also, to me it feels like the Spurs already have the dream scenario to take big risks. We have $, draft capital, pretty good to very good young players, AND we already got the pick of all picks in Wemby. Why take the dream route of sitting still and banking on things to work out. Nah... for me they need to go for it. Not necessarily Dame but make something happen. Timmy ringed in what.. year 2? We need to get a star pretty quickly. No one on our current squad has that potential do be at least 99' David Robinson.

If we go your route, gun to the head... when would we start competing for titles with this group?

[paperboy77]

Because you visibly don't understand the concept of 'young" and "future" and running an NBA franchise. And you also don't understand the concept of "time line" and then why Lillard (or other marquee FAs) has no business coming here and spurs have no business trading their young players for him...

but that's fascinating how some spurs "fans" will denigrate anything positive about the franchise. Like they don"t want, they're pissed spurs would actually have the best young core in the NBA.

There goes that timeline word again. Can't just sit still and hope it works out. I think under the current status of the organization we can afford to take risks. In the "timeline" of the spurs franchise... i think this might be peak scenario right now to make something happen. I don't think we've ever been positioned like we are right now.

[poopbox]

Spurs obviously sat down KJ and Vassell... traded Poetl halfway through the year. They shatter their preseason over/under if they tried.

Maybe. Here is what I do know. I see a lot of websites and I hear a lot of people talking about how good Devin is. So then I go back in time on those websites and those people who do those podcast and I try to find clips of them or artciles of them talking about how good Devin is BEFORE the spurs drafted Wemby. Most of the time I can't find even one over a two year span. It's almost like the national media doesn't know shit about the spurs and so Devin is just the name they gravitate to the most. :lol

[TekXX]

Oh we have a good young core that will win 30 games.

[MannyIsGod]

I mean we literally saw the non-Wemby team. They were tied for the 3rd worst record in the league. OKC has a way better roster… except for one guy babay!


But is OKC more talented or is their young core further along on the time line? SGA is too old for consideration here.

[MannyIsGod]

You are literally the dumbest poster on here. It’s between you and Ducks. But atleast Ducks mainly hides away in the political forum. You bring your dumbass here in the main forum saying incorrect things loudly in hope that one day you might actually get something right. Well I won’t stop you junior. Keep on saying your stupid takes and maybe one day you will get something right. Hell when you learn how to read, you might actually learn something reading my takes.

You had a meltdown bc we were discussing Austin Reaves. You provide nothing of substance anytime you don’t know how to counter an argument you mistakenly think that you’re being clever by saying “well tell PATFO” or “nice to know” bc you can’t back up any of your claims with reason or you bring in random arguments that literally nobody makes to try to prove how correct your POV is. It’s your go to move.

Spurstalk: hey maybe we should look into Dame
Mr. body no brain randomly screaming “why don’t we just trade 15 FRPs then and sabotage our whole future!”
Spurstalk: hey maybe we should discuss a possible rfa signing in Austin Reaves
Mr. Body no brain “The lakers are going to match!” I’m sorry that’s not doing you justice. This was you. FOR THE LAST TIME, THE LAKERS ARE GOING TO MATCH.” When it was your 17th time and sadly far from your last time. Apparently only our young core can improve and not Austin Reaves.

And now this time: hey our young core won 23 games which was a franchise worst.
Mr. Body no brains: oh so they can’t improve bc they weren’t drafted high. It’s an argument nobody made. I expect Tre to improve and still be a back up level and I expect Vassell to improve to lower end all star level (if his knee holds on) but yeah KJ is tapped. I expect zero improvement from him. And the rest (Wemby excluded ofc)don’t even know how to play basketball yet so even if they do improve it will be minimal and not really of any help.

Disagree with you on the thread topic but this post is 1000000000% accurate lol

[MultiTroll]

I don't think it's about what dame wants is where Portland is willing to ship him to. I don't buy that the guy will just sit out if it's not miami.
Is Lillard stating / inferring he will sit or is that just clickbait writers?
Does he have a No Trade?

[exstatic]

An alternative to consolidating the picks is to try and roll them forward. For example, maybe a middling team like Sacramento would want the CHI or TOR pick from the Spurs in return for a pick with the same protections in later years like 2026/27/28.

:tu There was a trade that Denver was involved in just before the draft where just that thing happened. Ideally, you'd want four cracks at the pick conveying, so 28 might be too far out, since you can now, and until 1 July next year, only trade out as far as 2030.

[MultiTroll]

the concept of "time line"


I don't think it's about what dame wants is where Portland is willing to ship him to. I don't buy that the guy will just sit out if it's not miami. Miami plus Dame minus whatever they have to give up probably doesn't really contend in my opinion. They already lost 2 critical guys via free agency and they are apparently going back to Hero which is actually subtraction by addition.

You're right, the spurs FO typically doesn't' "operate that way" but then again we don't have Timmy Tony Manu to buy us time. Do you remember what it was like to have a playoff team? I always felt optimistic going into the post season. Now it seem like we are going to just wait and see if things work out. Wemby looks to be all world but he also high risk of having a career cut short by injury.

Also, to me it feels like the Spurs already have the dream scenario to take big risks. We have $, draft capital, pretty good to very good young players, AND we already got the pick of all picks in Wemby. Why take the dream route of sitting still and banking on things to work out. Nah... for me they need to go for it. Not necessarily Dame but make something happen. Timmy ringed in what.. year 2? We need to get a star pretty quickly. No one on our current squad has that potential do be at least 99' David Robinson.

If we go your route, gun to the head... when would we start competing for titles with this group?
May the Spurs need to incorporate both of your thoughts?
Ideally a "Time line" that has players that will fit and grow with Wama is fabulous. Tim Tony Parker in similar form.
But, with todays NBA and the massive player movement and *stars* (legit or not) either pouting their way or legitimately asking their home team to trade them away.....
Might the Spurs have to get in on some of that in the future?

Great if Vasell or Sochan or ___ grows into All Star level. Home grown organic would be the best pot we could toke and make brownie Chips out of.
Or will :lol todays NBA force the Spurs to have to take on a pouter?
If the Warriors implode (don't see that happening next year) and Steffie gets PMSy with Warrior management would you take a Curry in 2025? :lol Ok not the most realistic example but you get the drift. Might the Spurs have to acquire a star via trade?

We scored so heavily with Robert Horry, Bowen, Kerr for year, Michael Finley before he fleeced us as a Pops Pet.
Can we luck out again with role players? I dunno.

[Big Empty]

Im glad we got the golden egg in Wemby, but The Pistons are gonna make some noise this year as are the Thunder. Im jealous of the Rockets draft and offseason. Gonna be fun this year.

[scott]

:tu There was a trade that Denver was involved in just before the draft where just that thing happened. Ideally, you'd want four cracks at the pick conveying, so 28 might be too far out, since you can now, and until 1 July next year, only trade out as far as 2030.

It will be difficult, but I'd like to see us try to roll forward the CHA pick. Primary reason is I don't think we actually want 3 FRP in any of the years the CHA pick may convey (2024 or 2025 - and in 2025 it has the potential to even by our 4th FRP). I'd like to see us roll the CHA pick forward to a year where we currently only have 1 FRP, so that we can essentially line ourselves up to have 2 FRPs every season going forward. We still won't want to use all those picks, but it avoids have a glut in any one year when teams will know we have to sell and we'll get low-balled on our return.

I say it will be difficult, because the CHA pick is of real risk of not conveying and teams will know that. But even if we could flip it forward for another similarly protected pick in 2028, 2029, 2030... I'd be game for it.

[slick'81]

Im glad we got the golden egg in Wemby, but The Pistons are gonna make some noise this year as are the Thunder. Im jealous of the Rockets draft and offseason. Gonna be fun this year.


our division is going to be tough

[TD 21]

If Favale or any writer had the Spurs young core buried, you wouldn't have been posted it and the usual suspects would be crucifying it if someone else did.

This is mostly about your boy Wembanyama (the same way the Pelicans still are Williamson) and the arbitrary cutoff at 23, leaving out Gilgeous-Alexander who'd easily vault the Thunder to first.

[Ariel]

An alternative to consolidating the picks is to try and roll them forward. For example, maybe a middling team like Sacramento would want the CHI or TOR pick from the Spurs in return for a pick with the same protections in later years like 2026/27/28.
I don't like this for the Toronto or Chicago picks, they have a pretty decent chance of conveying in the lottery and that is rare. A future pick with similar protections doesn't necessarily have the same potential. I would 100% do it with the Charlotte pick though.

[BacktoBasics]

Disagree with you on the thread topic but this post is 1000000000% accurate lol

It resides in a vacuum solely reflective of the record. It completely disregards the context of the team and motives.

They weren’t trying to maximize wins while only being able to muster 23.

They deliberately played players who were quite ready for the minutes they received. They didn’t optimize lineups for maximum success. They rested injured players longer than normal and allowed players a lot of latitude in exploring the outer limits of what they can and cannot do on the court.

Literally almost every aspect of how the team was run and managed played into deliberately tanking not winning.

I honestly think you’re way smarter than endorsing that post.

[JPB]

There goes that timeline word again. Can't just sit still and hope it works out. I think under the current status of the organization we can afford to take risks. In the "timeline" of the spurs franchise... i think this might be peak scenario right now to make something happen. I don't think we've ever been positioned like we are right now.

Spurs believe exactly the opposite... They litterally said they were gonna do the opposite, and that's what they're gonna do, see what they have, who they'll keep around and then only use their assets to upgrade... Not jumping on the first FA passing by just because they can while Wemby has played 0 NBA games.

[Ariel]

Im glad we got the golden egg in Wemby, but The Pistons are gonna make some noise this year as are the Thunder. Im jealous of the Rockets draft and offseason. Gonna be fun this year.
Houston is an interesting case. Jabari seems to be on the verge of taking a pretty big leap, and (to my surprise) Amen Thompson looked legit. That plus Sengun, Tari Eason, and the new vets plus coaching, they should have enough to fight for the play in at least.
With Detroit it's not so clear to me. There is a senseless accumulation of overlapping talent and a lack of purpose. Monty Williams is a good addition, but they have to get Cade back and make a few moves before taking a step forward.
OKC is clearly way ahead of all the young teams, they should make the playoffs and, if Presti is willing to draw from the war chest of picks to get some vet support, they're not far from a deep playoff run.

[JPB]

I mean we literally saw the non-Wemby team. They were tied for the 3rd worst record in the league. OKC has a way better roster… except for one guy babay!

what we saw is a tanking team with Pop ignoring defense and throwing funky lineups in the 4th and spurs DNP'ing their best players for long stretches anytime they were making two shots in row not to hurt the tanking effort. Players also knew they were tanking and weren't leaving it all out on the court in close games.

[exstatic]

Houston is an interesting case. Jabari seems to be on the verge of taking a pretty big leap, and (to my surprise) Amen Thompson looked legit. That plus Sengun, Tari Eason, and the new vets plus coaching, they should have enough to fight for the play in at least.
With Detroit it's not so clear to me. There is a senseless accumulation of overlapping talent and a lack of purpose. Monty Williams is a good addition, but they have to get Cade back and make a few moves before taking a step forward.
OKC is clearly way ahead of all the young teams, they should make the playoffs and, if Presti is willing to draw from the war chest of picks to get some vet support, they're not far from a deep playoff run.

Houston isn't a team, they're a collection of players, most of whom are NOT team oriented guys.

[Ariel]

Houston isn't a team, they're a collection of players, most of whom are NOT team oriented guys.
Houston had 2 main problems: 1) no direction (leadership, game plan, accountability) 2) horrible backcourt (selfish and stupid chuckers)
They've addressed those 2 main concerns. They're not a contender by any stretch of the imagination, but to think they're in the same place they were last year is foolish.

[Obstructed_View]

A. Bleacher report is stupid.

2. Any young core with Victor in it is automatically number one. I am super excited about our core to the point of being homerish about it and I understand that reality.

[DAF86]

Wemby --> the Franchise
Vassell --> at the very least, a high end 3 and D wing.
Sochan --> all-NBA defensive caliber guy that can work as a secondary playmaker on offense

That's the real core going forward that we need to build around.

PG:
SG: Vassell
SF:
PF: Sochan
C: Wembanyama

The best scenario would be to complete those other 2 spots with:

-An dinamic, all-star level PG that can get his own and playmake for others. A 20/25 pts, 7/10 assists guy.

-A 6'8" ish 3 and D SF.

Current guys I could see sticking around for bench/role playing roles:

-Champagnie definitely if his current play is his norm.
-And one of Collins, Bassey and Barlow as Wemby's replacement.

I just don't see how Keldon and Tre fit in the long run. They MIGHT have a role in the bench but their next contracts could prove too expensive for such roles, specially Keldon's.

[Obstructed_View]

Wemby --> the Franchise
Vassell --> at the very least, a high end 3 and D wing.
Sochan --> all-NBA defensive caliber guy that can work as a secondary playmaker on offense

That's the real core going forward that we need to build around.

PG:
SG: Vassell
SF:
PF: Sochan
C: Wembanyama

The best scenario would be to complete those other 2 spots with:

-An dinamic, all-star level PG that can get his own and playmake for others. A 20/25 pts, 7/10 assists guy.

-A 6'8" ish 3 and D SF.

G
Current guys I could see sticking around for bench/role playing roles:

-Champagnie definitely if his current play is his norm.
-And one of Collins, Bassey and Barlow as Wemby's replacement.

I just don't see how Keldon and Tre fit in the long run. They MIGHT have a role in the bench but their next contracts could prove too expensive for such roles, specially Keldon's.

The Spurs seem committed to starting Collins next to Victor. The other spots may boil down to who can defend those positions.

That said, I saw some report that Graham realizes how good Wemby will make his game and he's working his ass off to make the rotation.

I've also stated before that I wouldn't be surprised if Victor and McDermott score so many points together that Pop shakes up the roster to maximize their time together.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

Wemby --> the Franchise
Vassell --> at the very least, a high end 3 and D wing.
Sochan --> all-NBA defensive caliber guy that can work as a secondary playmaker on offense

That's the real core going forward that we need to build around.

PG:
SG: Vassell
SF:
PF: Sochan
C: Wembanyama

The best scenario would be to complete those other 2 spots with:

-An dinamic, all-star level PG that can get his own and playmake for others. A 20/25 pts, 7/10 assists guy.

-A 6'8" ish 3 and D SF.

Current guys I could see sticking around for bench/role playing roles:

-Champagnie definitely if his current play is his norm.
-And one of Collins, Bassey and Barlow as Wemby's replacement.

I just don't see how Keldon and Tre fit in the long run. They MIGHT have a role in the bench but their next contracts could prove too expensive for such roles, specially Keldon's.

I want to see how Keldon does with a reduced role before I pass judgment. Tre just feels like a guy set to run the second unit, not necessarily the guy at point. That said, no one on the current roster beats Tre out of the starting 1 spot.

How some of the other guys fit and how this team evolves will be fascinating. Pop basically got last year off as the Spurs weren't trying to win. He probably worked harder assuring lineups that could lose than he did trying to win. Seeing him re-focus and seeing the team set on winning will be awesome to watch. I do know Keldon is a scrapper and this could be a great chance for him to not be the focus and contribute to the greater good. I could see the Spurs make a move by the deadline if they're doing better than expected.

It's going to be fun! :tu

[DAF86]

The Spurs seem committed to starting Collins next to Victor. The other spots may boil down to who can defend those positions.

That said, I saw some report that Graham realizes how good Wemby will make his game and he's working his ass off to make the rotation.

I've also stated before that I wouldn't be surprised if Victor and McDermott score so many points together that Pop shakes up the roster to maximize their time together.

Sure, and I don't mind that for his rookie season. I was talking more about 2, 3 years down the road. There's no doubt in my mind Wemby and Sochan will be the starting frontcourt duo of the future.

[MannyIsGod]

It resides in a vacuum solely reflective of the record. It completely disregards the context of the team and motives.

They weren’t trying to maximize wins while only being able to muster 23.

They deliberately played players who were quite ready for the minutes they received. They didn’t optimize lineups for maximum success. They rested injured players longer than normal and allowed players a lot of latitude in exploring the outer limits of what they can and cannot do on the court.

Literally almost every aspect of how the team was run and managed played into deliberately tanking not winning.

I honestly think you’re way smarter than endorsing that post.

Not endorsing that part which is why I said I disagreed with him on the thread topic but also I worded it like shit so I can see why you think I did endorse it.

[Dejounte]

If Favale or any writer had the Spurs young core buried, you wouldn't have been posted it and the usual suspects would be crucifying it if someone else did.

This is mostly about your boy Wembanyama (the same way the Pelicans still are Williamson) and the arbitrary cutoff at 23, leaving out Gilgeous-Alexander who'd easily vault the Thunder to first.

“I wouldn’t have posted it”

This is the issue. Of course I wouldn’t have. Maybe someone else would. Who cares? Why is there such a stupid divide among people who visit the same forum and follow the same team? There’s this ridiculous notion that we’re so different, but in reality we’re all one community here with the same interest. Why is the hate for other people so great for some folks that they can’t help but let their experience on this forum revolve other people’s opinions? Are people so unoriginal?

[TD 21]

“I wouldn’t have posted it”

This is the issue. Of course I wouldn’t have. Maybe someone else would. Who cares? Why is there such a stupid divide among people who visit the same forum and follow the same team? There’s this ridiculous notion that we’re so different, but in reality we’re all one community here with the same interest. Why is the hate for other people so great for some folks that they can’t help but let their experience on this forum revolve other people’s opinions? Are people so unoriginal?

I'm speaking to bias, not hate.

[Seventyniner]

I don't like this for the Toronto or Chicago picks, they have a pretty decent chance of conveying in the lottery and that is rare. A future pick with similar protections doesn't necessarily have the same potential. I would 100% do it with the Charlotte pick though.

I see your point. Toronto and Chicago look like middling to bad teams in the near future, which is perfect given the protections the picks have.

For most teams sooner picks are more valuable than later. Perhaps the Spurs could get a team to give up a 1-4/1-4/1-4 protected pick later on for one of the Chicago/Toronto picks.

[scott]

I see your point. Toronto and Chicago look like middling to bad teams in the near future, which is perfect given the protections the picks have.

For most teams sooner picks are more valuable than later. Perhaps the Spurs could get a team to give up a 1-4/1-4/1-4 protected pick later on for one of the Chicago/Toronto picks.

I still wouldn't do it for the TOR pick, *maybe* the CHI pick. The TOR pick is valuable because it is so immediate and we have as good of a feeling as possible without the season actually starting of whether it will finish in the money immediately. The Chicago pick is a little more iffy, and in fact I'm slightly concerned that it won't convey in 2025 (which actually might end up a good thing if it can land us the #9 or 10 pick in a subsequent year).

We could use the same model Ariel put together to value pick swaps to estimate the EV of a far out protected 1-4 and compare against your "gut" expectations for where the TOR pick will fall this year (my gut says somewhere between 7 and 14). Even though the protections would be better on a 1-4 pick in the future, you have a risk of that team being better in the future than TOR will be next season.

[The Truth #6]

I actually like many of the Rockets picks (Sengun, Eason, Amen, and liked all of them as prospects) but a young core is still bound to its organization and Houston ownership is a disaster and has sped up their process too fast in my opinion, and in a way that seems dumb in some ways, but at least it’s a step towards competing. But doesn’t mean I’m a Rocket fan. I love Victor and Sochan and excited to see who steps up and who gets shipped out. Victor plus Pop and stable ownership is a great starting point, which is better than most cores. Anyway. Just rambling.

[exstatic]

Houston had 2 main problems: 1) no direction (leadership, game plan, accountability) 2) horrible backcourt (selfish and stupid chuckers)
They've addressed those 2 main concerns. They're not a contender by any stretch of the imagination, but to think they're in the same place they were last year is foolish.

You consider FVV and Brooks to be leaders? Wow.

[paperboy77]

Is Lillard stating / inferring he will sit or is that just clickbait writers?
Does he have a No Trade?

Honestly never bothered to confirm about his position. I think he doesn't have a trade clause.

[paperboy77]

Spurs believe exactly the opposite... They litterally said they were gonna do the opposite, and that's what they're gonna do, see what they have, who they'll keep around and then only use their assets to upgrade... Not jumping on the first FA passing by just because they can while Wemby has played 0 NBA games.

Yeah you're probably thinking right by not jumping at the first FA you see but Dame is not just another guy either. Of course timelines are a real thing but not the only thing. In my view, seeking a big FA right now would be the thing to do.

Let's say we do get someone like Dame. Let's say it works like I say. At that point you give more weight to timelines and possibly make decisions off that. That's what SA did when they were winning. Everything is a little better when you're winning.

[Ariel]

I still wouldn't do it for the TOR pick, *maybe* the CHI pick. The TOR pick is valuable because it is so immediate and we have as good of a feeling as possible without the season actually starting of whether it will finish in the money immediately. The Chicago pick is a little more iffy, and in fact I'm slightly concerned that it won't convey in 2025 (which actually might end up a good thing if it can land us the #9 or 10 pick in a subsequent year).

We could use the same model Ariel (https://www.spurstalk.com/forums/member.php?u=3526) put together to value pick swaps to estimate the EV of a far out protected 1-4 and compare against your "gut" expectations for where the TOR pick will fall this year (my gut says somewhere between 7 and 14). Even though the protections would be better on a 1-4 pick in the future, you have a risk of that team being better in the future than TOR will be next season.
Yeah, I'm extending it beyond unrestricted 2 way swaps with uniform outcome distribution: n-way with arbitrary restrictions -direct order, swap with "the lesser" or "better of" wording-, arbitrary outcome distributions for every team involved, picks with varying protections through time, etc. I'll probably get to it on the weekend and I'll post it here, maybe we can do a power ranking, it'd be interesting to figure out how we compare to OKC, Utah, and the like. Just have a little patience :lol

[Ariel]

You consider FVV and Brooks to be leaders? Wow.
I consider IME to the the leader, and Van Vleet will be his lieutenant. Brooks is a headache, best case he's a soldier, worst case he's the enemy within. But anyway I don't see how anyone can argue they're not improved, regardless of whether the money they paid was justified or not (I think you can make a case for VanVleet's contract, but Brook's is hideous).

[scott]

Yeah, I'm extending it beyond unrestricted 2 way swaps with uniform outcome distribution: n-way with arbitrary restrictions -direct order, swap with "the lesser" or "better of" wording-, arbitrary outcome distributions for every team involved, picks with varying protections through time, etc. I'll probably get to it on the weekend and I'll post it here, maybe we can do a power ranking, it'd be interesting to figure out how we compare to OKC, Utah, and the like. Just have a little patience :lol

You need to put together an analytics blogs for some of this stuff man! Golden.

[Obstructed_View]

I'm not positive Branham cracks the rotation, even before his offensive struggles the last few days.

[Obstructed_View]

So who is this retard they have coaching this team? He's really bad.

[MultiTroll]

Gregg with 2 g's.

But he's won 5 titles you know.

[ambchang]

With the number of young prospects the spurs have, they’d be going close to the tax with extensions just with our own players in a few years. Why would anyone want to add $60m/yr to this and force the team to give up good young talent.

Lillard is a decent player, but is exactly the type of players that leads a team to mediocrity through cap bell. Good enough to get a max deal, not good enough to win you a title or even lead you deep in the playoffs

[cutewizard]

They forgot the Cavs

[Obstructed_View]

With the number of young prospects the spurs have, they’d be going close to the tax with extensions just with our own players in a few years. Why would anyone want to add $60m/yr to this and force the team to give up good young talent.

Lillard is a decent player, but is exactly the type of players that leads a team to mediocrity through cap bell. Good enough to get a max deal, not good enough to win you a title or even lead you deep in the playoffs

As you said, you solve that problem with the assets you have to give up to acquire Dame in the first place.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

They forgot the Cavs

Easy to do.

[slick'81]

But I thought we were devoid of talent

[MultiTroll]

Can next years Spurs approach the core of the Patty - Bryn - LMA - DDR era?

[MultiTroll]

While we'd all love to see the Spurs have a playoff appearance next year, and even advance beyond R1......

1. Wonder whom if any star FA's will appear next summer?
2. Can't miss draft projects next June?

[spurraider21]

wemby is doing a lot of heavy lifting here, because OKC has an incredible amount of talent under 23, which excludes SGA who just turned 25

everyone talks about the same guys OKC but even then kind of operate under the assumption that Ousmane Dieng isnt going to be a thing. he just turned 20 and is having himself a strong summer league