Final Spurs Big Board: Victor Wembanyama and the 2023 Draft

[DrSteffo]

Why draft Walsh when we have Sochan who is better in all aspects of the game? I hope for a PG or combo guard and possibly a big who can shoot.

[rascal]

The Spurs will take Jacquez and slot him as the future 6th player off the bench like they did Manu.

After they draft him you'll hear similarities to Manu.

[rascal]

I want Walsh in the second round also. Just seems like a guy who is primed to have a long career as a solid role player. High basketball IQ, good passer, good around the rim, and willing to do the dirty work. They can get his 3 point shot respectable he seems to have decent mechanics.

He isn't good around the rim.

[Mugen]

Just to be 100% clear, there is nothing stopping them from moving up from #44 to the high 30s if they wanted. They have a ton of 2nd round picks so missing out on a guy that gets drafted 5-8 spots ahead of #44 would be entirely on the FO tbh.

[DesignatedT]

He isn't good around the rim.

I watch a decent amount of SEC basketball and he was a menace down low and a great slasher.

[rascal]

I watch a decent amount of SEC basketball and he was a menace down low and a great slasher.

Andre Jackson is much better defensively and as a finisher around the rim.

They are both on the board better to take Jackson.

[BatManu20]

The guy I’ve been stanning the most the past 3 weeks . I’d be elated if he fell to 33 and we pounced on him tbh. Still think he goes 1st Round though.

22. Amari Bailey When I ask opposing scouts to predict who the Spurs will pick in the second round, Bailey is the name I hear the most often. He’s a crafty left-handed point guard prospect who came on late in the year as a freshman and then carried that momentum forward to the combine scrimmages.

[rascal]

I watch a decent amount of SEC basketball and he was a menace down low and a great slasher.

No, Box and One calls him not a great finisher.

Watching him, lacks athleticism and explosiveness as a finisher to the rim. You want defense take Andre Jackson

[DesignatedT]

No, Box and One calls him not a great finisher.

Watching him, lacks athleticism and explosiveness as a finisher to the rim. You want defense take Andre Jackson

Jackson may be a better defender but I think that shot is broken and can't be fixed. Walsh is a good ball handler and passer for his size and I think they can make his shot respectable with a little work.

I agree that we already have Sochan on the roster but you can't really have too many of those types of guys and were talking about a second rounder here. I would be surprised if Walsh didn't carve out a role for himself in the league. JMO

[BatManu20]

Sounds like GG Jackson is going to fall out of the First Round altogether from everything I’ve read the past few days and that’s surprising given he was one projected as a top-10 pick.

[DrSteffo]

I really like Walsh types in general and he is a Spurs type player but don't want him on the Spurs because he is redundant. You can't play him and Sochan together right? And Wemby is a 4/5 so he would just be an injury insurance player. Wish him the best on another team.

[Mr. Body]

Jackson may be a better defender but I think that shot is broken and can't be fixed. Walsh is a good ball handler and passer for his size and I think they can make his shot respectable with a little work.

I agree that we already have Sochan on the roster but you can't really have too many of those types of guys and were talking about a second rounder here. I would be surprised if Walsh didn't carve out a role for himself in the league. JMO

Like your thinking. Jackson to me is a budget Amen Thompson. He does the same things but has UConn championship experience. His shot is probably permanently broken.

Walsh is a junkyard dog type, a guy you can bring in and do all the dirty work. Right now he's a deep bench prospect, but why not? You need that kind of guy in practice. Plus he's only nineteen and has a chance of developing his shot.

[DesignatedT]

Like your thinking. Jackson to me is a budget Amen Thompson. He does the same things but has UConn championship experience. His shot is probably permanently broken.

Walsh is a junkyard dog type, a guy you can bring in and do all the dirty work. Right now he's a deep bench prospect, but why not? You need that kind of guy in practice. Plus he's only nineteen and has a chance of developing his shot.

Agree.

[DAF86]

Amari Bailey > Colby Jones as a possible guard prospect at 33, tbh.

Jones seems like the better player now and the safer pick, but Amari seems like the one with the biggest upside with a lot of coachable flaws. Colby seems like a very mature player that could play right away but that has a clear ceiling as a role player. He lacks that pull up game that the Spurs are so desperately needing. It would be like adding another Tre Jones but with better catch and shoot hability. Which, granted, wouldn't be all that bad, but it doesn't seem like the type of skillset this roster is needing.

[JuneJive]

The more down the board you go the more the schism between offense and defense is prevalent.

Who would you prefer, an offense first or a defense first prospect.

There are some really good-to-great defenders out there.
I'm kind of leaning that way. Hoping the one they pick would learn to shoot eventually.

[DAF86]

Also, huge NO's to these things:

-trading up for Anthony Black or any of the Thompson twins.
-Drafting Walsh
-all these "rugged" bigmen that are circuling around.

We already drafted Sochan and Tre, there are no more spots in the rotation for non-shooting threats.

[ChumpDumper]

Just to be 100% clear, there is nothing stopping them from moving up from #44 to the high 30s if they wanted. They have a ton of 2nd round picks so missing out on a guy that gets drafted 5-8 spots ahead of #44 would be entirely on the FO tbh.

What makes you think they even want three picks?

[rankingtear]

Hope it is not Bilal, everybody would be complaining non stop again when Doug plays more than him. Bufkin is as close to Derrick as anyone in this draft. He is more an off ball guy right now than an engine. A true combo.

[Mr. Body]

The more down the board you go the more the schism between offense and defense is prevalent.

Who would you prefer, an offense first or a defense first prospect.

There are some really good-to-great defenders out there.
I'm kind of leaning that way. Hoping the one they pick would learn to shoot eventually.

Depends on the player, but I pick defense over offense. A player can get better offensively. A bad defender is almost always a bad defender.

[DAF86]

Depends on the player, but I pick defense over offense. A player can get better offensively. A bad defender is almost always a bad defender.

Should be the other way around, tbh. Offense many times comes down to skill level, while defense should be more improvable with effort, coaching schemes and experience.

[Mr. Body]

Should be the other way around, tbh. Offense many times comes down to skill level, while defense should be more improvable with effort, coaching schemes and experience.

Except it's not true. A piety of draft season is if someone has the right frame or 'tools' they can become a good defender. Then why aren't they a good defender already? Effort is one thing; instinct and innate ability are another.

[John B]

Thanks Timvp. Splendid list. My wish list:

#1 Wemby
#7 Black or Amen (either from Keldon trade plus CHA, CHI, TOR picks, however gets it done.
#13 Bilal, SRP’s plus future Spurs FRP’s.

or
#33 Podziemsky
#44 Nnaji

Bilal will be a bonus if they really want to please Wemby. I’m not thrilled and he seems overrated. I expect Spurs to bring in 3 rookies the most with 1 on a 2way contract.

I’d be extremely hapoy with #1 and #7 if it happened. Go Spurs Go

[SpursFan86]

People complaining about Walsh not having a spot because of Sochan…what? He’s being talked about as a 2nd round pick. I don’t think anyone is expecting to draft him and have him be a huge core piece who starts every night. Unless he wildly exceeds expectations, we’re likely talking about a solid 7th or 8th guy on the team who can be a gritty/high-effort player off the bench. Saying that he’s redundant with Sochan seems silly to me - they’d have entirely different roles and expectations.

[DAF86]

Except it's not true. A piety of draft season is if someone has the right frame or 'tools' they can become a good defender. Then why aren't they a good defender already? Effort is one thing; instinct and innate ability are another.

Sure, I'm not entirely disagreeing with you. I'm just saying it should be the other way around.

Although, there are some examples of guys that were seen as horrible defenders that became decent when putting in some effort.

[DAF86]

People complaining about Walsh not having a spot because of Sochan…what? He’s being talked about as a 2nd round pick. I don’t think anyone is expecting to draft him and have him be a huge core piece who starts every night. Unless he wildly exceeds expectations, we’re likely talking about a solid 7th or 8th guy on the team who can be a gritty/high-effort player off the bench. Saying that he’s redundant with Sochan seems silly to me - they’d have entirely different roles and expectations.

How many non-shooting threats can you get away with on a 9/10 men rotation in today's NBA? The Spurs are pretty much at their limit, I'm not sure they can afford to add many more of those.