NBA Draft: Realistic Possibilities for Spurs

[BatManu20]

Only a couple days before the draft so I figured I'd make a thread about a few guys that the Spurs have worked out or interviewed in the past few weeks. Frenchman Livio Jean-Charles is the early favorite candidate as a draft-and-stash, but these are other guys who the Spurs have worked out, interviewed, and/or shown interest in.



1.



-I know, another PG.. but the Spurs worked him out a couple weeks ago. Only 6'0 which is why he'll be a later first rounder, but he has a 6'4.5 inch wingspan and a 40.5' inch vertical. He plays with a ton of heart, like many smaller players do to try and compensate. He's strong too for his size (weighs almost 190 lbs at only 6'0). But this kid can really shoot the ball. He was one of the best 3-point shooters in college the past 3 seasons. Shot 46% from 3 his Jr year and was a top 5 scorer in the nation last season. He's basically a bigger, stronger, and much more athletic Patty Mills. Very scrappy and loves to compete. He ran a lot of PnR in college too which is a bonus.






2.



-This would my pick for the Spurs if he were still there at 28. He's perfect for our system. A 6'7" athletic wing who plays really good defense and is a great 3-point shooter. He's basically a better version of Danny Green. Seriously. Unfortunately, he'll likely be long gone by the time we pick, because from everything I've read he's been tearing it up at the combine and in private workouts. plus he's a well-spoken, mature, hard working kid. He's moved from a late 1st to mid-first round pick over the last 6 weeks. If he's somehow still there at 28, we'd be dumb not to take him. But at this point, I think he goes late teens-early 20's.





3.



-Would be a nice replacement for Splitter should he leave via FA or trade. It's weird how similar they are tbh. Same size and weight (Withey weighed in at 6'11" 236 lbs at the combine). But, Withey's a much better defender and shot blocker. He was the 3rd leading shot blocker in the nation last year at 4.0 bpg. He runs the floor well and has solid maneuverability. He defends the post well and stays down on up fakes. He still needs to get stronger, but that will come with time in an NBA weight room. He runs the PnR well and finishes pretty well around the rim too which is huge obviously. He may be drafted earlier but he might still be there at 28.






4.


-This kid is the biggest wildcard in the entire draft. Ranked the #6 prospect in the nation coming out of high school in 2011, he committed to his hometown school of Providence but never played a single game due to academic ineligibility. He's got a lot of talent though. Prototypical size for SG at 6'6" and he's a pure scorer. Has good handles, can create of the dribble, and can shoot the ball well, esp from 3. Reminds me of a smaller, young Joe Johnson. The Spurs worked him out 2 weeks ago. It's hard to get handle on a kid who hasn't played a real game in over a year but he's projected to go anywhere from 15-30. He's a low risk/high reward player if he's available at 28. There's no denying this kid's talent. With the right coaching, he could be a huge steal. Wouldn't mind at all if we picked him. Could definitely see him going earlier though. Both the Pacers at 23 and Knicks at 24 are said to really like him, and the Clippers have all but guaranteed they'll take him if he's available at #25.







5.



-This guy is one of my favorite players in the draft and might be the biggest sleeper in the draft. No other big man in this years draft has more skill than Mike Muscala. He's projected as late 1st/early 2nd due to his lack of great athleticism, lack of strength, and the fact that he played lesser compe ion. This kid has great skill in the post though, can finish with either hand, and has a great jump shot for a Center. He can shoot the NBA 3. He shows good mobility and and excels in PnR and PnP. The Spurs interviewed him last week at the combine. And he's another Spurs kind of player; smart, hard working, team player, yada yada. Young for a Sr too at only 21 years old. Reminds me of a young Brad Miller, only better. Will likely be there when we pick at 28.







2nd round prospects:

6.


-Arguably the best rebounder in the entire draft. He worked out for the Spurs last week. This guy I think could be a steal in the 2nd round, but we'd have to move up to get him. He's a lot like Paul Millsap coming out of college in that he's an undersized 4 with great athleticism and is a monster on the boards. [u]He has a ridiculous 7'4" wingspan and massive 11.5" inch hands at 6'8". He was one of the top rebounders in the nation last year. He's a pretty good shot blocker as well. He doesn't have a lot of skill offensively though. Needs to develop a jump shot. Gets most of his buckets on put backs and lay ups off of PnR. Also a Spurs kind of guy: Nice kid with great work ethic. Could be a steal in the 2nd round though down the line.





7.


-Would like to take a chance on him at pick #58 if he's still available. He's basically Bonner's replica. Both only do one thing, and that's shoot 3's. Although Kelly's a better mid-range shooter than Bonner. Both un-athletic and poor defenders. He's a legit 7'0 with shoes on though. Could be a stretch 4 and would benefit from playing in Pop's system. Could be Bonner's replacement and would allow us to use Bonner's contract as trade bait this year. Been well coached by Coach K for 4 years. Worth a shot that late if he's still available.





Anyways, these are just options that the Spurs have shown interest in. Hopefully we find a gem or make a trade to being in a top-tier player. Should be interesting.

[BatManu20]

One more option who would be a "surprise" pick at the end of the 1st round:




-The Spurs worked him out earlier this month. He's a stretch 4 who's being compared to as a "more athletic Matt Bonner." Could be his replacement. He's basically only a spot up 3-point shooter at this point, but he's only 19. He shocked everybody by declaring for the draft after only one season at Arizona where he only averaged 5 pts and 3 rbs per game. He's kind of awkward/goofy in his movements and the way he runs. Much like Cory Joseph, he's not ready for the NBA, but the Spurs might draft him and let him develop in Austin for a couple years. He does have potential and room to improve though.

[N0 LyF3 ScRuB]

As an NC State fan, I got to watch Ryan Kelly and Reggie Bullock. Both are solid, but Kelly is inconsistent and Bullock is really young. Bullock should have stayed in school one more year.

They should really look into NC State's Lorenzo Brown.

[RD2191]

I have a feeling that Ledo is going to be something special.

[SpurPadre]

I'd like to get either Tim Hardaway Jr., Glen Rice Jr. or C Lucas Nogueira from Brazil.

[Dex]

Get ready for Whosthat Whatshisnameitz to be called on draft day.

[spursince#99]

Ledo is the only one with star potential in our draft range. He will be a stud.

[RD2191]

^Lol. So true.

[RD2191]

Ledo has one shot in my eyes, if he gets drafted by a organization like the Knicks, his career will be over before it starts.

[dylankerouac]

Thanks for the post, enjoyed reading the descriptions and looking through the videos.

[raybies]

I would like the spurs to draft ledo also. Not sure if he's a "spur", but he did work outs, so..

[SanDiegoSpursFan]

It's crazy how all these late 1st round prospects in a weak draft are as good as or better than proven NBA rotation players. I'd go with Bullock, another 150 or so 3s would be a great benefit to the team.

[tbear280]

Great post. Love all the info. a draft and stash. Lets get someone whose gonna make SG that's gonna make a diffrence 5 minutes after he's drafted!

[MR-Clutch]

?I've always like Muscala, Ledo is pretty intriguing though.

[mute]

If we decide to go big... CAN WE GET A BIG... THATS ACTUALLY BIG.

ENOUGH with the 6'7-6'8" dejuan blairs, mcdyess, malik roses, kurt thomases

[MR-Clutch]

I also like James Ennis if he falls to the 2nd round.

[K-State Spur]

Re: Withey

Would be a nice replacement for Splitter should he leave via FA or trade. It's weird how similar they are tbh. Same size and weight (Withey weighed in at 6'11" 236 lbs at the combine). But, Withey's a much better defender and shot blocker. He was the 3rd leading shot blocker in the nation last year at 4.0 bpg. He runs the floor well and has solid maneuverability. He defends the post well and stays down on up fakes. He still needs to get stronger, but that will come with time in an NBA weight room. He runs the PnR well and finishes pretty well around the rim too which is huge obviously. He may be drafted earlier but he might still be there at 28.

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

He's maybe a better shotblocker than splitter, not a better defender - not even close when it comes to defending smaller guys or hanging with PnR. I would dare say he was even "exposed" last year on the rare occasion that he couldn't just play quasi-zone & camp under the rim - a defensive 3 second rule in college would have cut his block totals in half. He looked very mediocre when opposing Bigs could hit a jumpshot and pulled him out from under the rim. His post defense was very good, but it's still a bit of an unknown how it will translate because he rarely had to play guys his own size. He typically just overwhelmed opponents over the top using a 5-6 inch height advantage.

And while he is a very good shotblocker, his block totals were inflated thanks to a very small Big 12 - half the lineups in the league played 4 guards, and half of the other half started a center 6'8 or shorter. For comparison, Jordan Henriquez (most of you are rightly saying "who?") was one of the few other legit 6'11+ players in the Big 12 and averaged almost identical per minute block totals the last 2 years, also by just being taller than everybody else.

Withey's offense is garbage. Didn't finish well in traffic (despite always being the biggest player on the floor). When opponents body up to him, he shoots the ball off his shoulder rather than just going over the top of them, upper body strength very much in question.

None of that is to say that you're going to do much better with a big man at 28, but there is a reason that a legit 7 footer with crazy stats is going to fall into the late 20s or even the second round. He is very very flawed. I'd much rather see us draft combo wing, or - if we must go big - grab one of the foreign projects whose athleticicsm translates better to this level. Withey is less of an 'unknown' - but what is known is that he would be a huge downgrade from Tiago. I think poor man's Scott Pollard is a better comp.

[BatManu20]

If we decide to go big... CAN WE GET A BIG... THATS ACTUALLY BIG.

ENOUGH with the 6'7-6'8" dejuan blairs, mcdyess, malik roses, kurt thomases

I think Mbakwe would be a solid pick, even at 6'8". He has a ridiculous 7'4 wingspan and a 37 inch vertical and is an absolute beast on the boards. After watching the Spurs give up rebound after rebound after rebound to Miami, I wouldn't at all mind taking a guy who would clean the glass for us. He's a legit 6'8" too, not 6'5" and heavy like Blair.

[Darius McCrary]

So help me God, if we draft another PG, I'm gonna lose my .

[RD2191]

Ledo

[Thomas82]

Rudy Gobert

[Uriel]

Dieng or Gobert would be nice. Chad Ford's Mock Draft 5.0 and 6.0 have us taking each of them respectively.

[look_at_g_shred]

Nice prospects.

[dallasmaverickslose]

Mike Muscala anyone?

[spurs10]

Thanks BatManu20! Great information to have on Thursday!