Interesting, thanks for letting me know this.
i still dont have it in me to cleanly decide between Reed and Dilly as my PG1 in this draft (though both are cleanly above Castle to me). ive leaned one way or another for a couple of months now and still cant make my mind up. id be thrilled with either at 4.
Sheppard at 4 is a no brainer if he's there IMO. The only other guy I'm realistically drafting over him that might also be at 4 is Risacher.
My biggest issue with him is his playmaking.
I don't expect him to become an all-time great floor general, but I've been trying to convince myself that he can become good enough to be an actual point guard.
Feels like one of Risacher, Sheppard or Castle being at #4 is a guarantee.
I just don't think the team sees the need for a "true" PG alongside Wemby tbh. Whether you agree/disagree with that line of thinking is another story but hoping for them to draft a Nash type or trade for Young might be a fruitless exercise.
Once you look at it from that lens, Sheppard seems like a non brainer with the lights out shooting, playmaking and BBIQ that he'd provide in theory. Like he'd probably already be a top 3 passer on the team next season.
I also think the '25 draft just has much better lead guard prospects in Traore and Harper so I'm not too worried about drafting the PG of the future in this one. I think they'll get enough lead guard creation from Vassell next season. The Spurs need better passers and playmaking period, doesn't necessarily have to be from the PG spot.
After careful deliberating, I've come to this conclusion:
1. If Sarr or Risacher drop to 4 draft either one.
2. Reed Sheppard if both of the above are gone. He can give more immediately than most anyone left, even as a backup.
3. Castle if Sheppard is gone. Same as above.
Anyone else isn't worth the #4 pick in this so so draft. I have a feeling the 8 pick will be a reach. Either that or the spurs trade the pick for a player & something in 2029 draft. They always play silly mind games so who really knows.
Absolutely. Shooting is just too valuable in today's NBA and with what we are looking at in this draft he's the best shooter. I think a lot of people are overthinking it.
Seems like there are four guys who are worth taking at 4. Nice problem to have. 8 will be the fun one to watch.
i mean sure but i dont necessarily see castle at 4 as some prize
This I agree with. I don't want Castle over Shepperd, but if it happens I'm not going to be pissed off. I just think shooting is more valuable the way the team is currently constructed. It will be very interesting to see where they go with number 8
We definitely don't need a Nash type, but I'd like someone who can take the ball and create something when the offense goes stagnant.
Kind of how Steph doesn't really play the traditional point guard role, but can do it when needed. I'm not saying Sheppard will be even close to Steph, just comparing those hybrid roles.
Another thing is his defense. He's got great IQ and decision making for team defense, but we'd still need a POA defender.
Devin isn't one and sliding two of them down a position would inevitably create a lot of unfavorable matchups for us.
I guess we can't fix everything at once.
No one in this draft is a prize at number 4. Like I said, people are overthinking it. But isn't that what we do here?
You said everything with this one statement.
It becomes about what part of the deficiencies of this team you would like to fix right now. There are no complete players where we are picking. I would prefer the elite shooter. I'm not going to be upset with the good defender. There are a few good options to fix some part of something. Then you work everything out later on.
I think shooting is more valuable too, but having an elite defender who can run the offense is a nice consolation prize. Coming out if the draft with a bunch of sabermetric boxes checked for Vic will be nice.
My ideal scenario has been:
Risacher or Sheppard at #4 and Castle at #8. Unlikely but I don't think it's that far fetched especially if Clingan goes Top 3 like I hope he will.
More I think about it, the more I have a more definitive stance on Sheppard > Castle. I’ll definitely be disappointed if Sheppard goes at #3 right before we pick.
Hoping Houston ends up trading the pick tbh…feel like a team in full-on rebuild might chase one of these other guys (I.e. Clingan or Buzelis) over Sheppard.
Reading over what everyone here thinks and wants, I'm going to laugh so hard when the Spurs select Salaun with the 4th pick.
Think about how many times the Spurs lost games and Popovich said they made shots and we didn't. Remind me again how you fix that?
The only real issue with Sheppard is how much he can hang on defense. If he can somehow prove not to be a complete liability, I'm taking him without thinking twice. On offense he will be fine, he doesn't need to be prime Iverson. With the type of elite shooting he provides, I'm fine with him being a Kirck Hinrich type that brings the ball up, plays some basic pick and rolls and can make an entry pass.
He'd be fine on defense. Would survive an entire playoff series being targeted on defense a lot better than Dillingham obviously. Think Conley/Jamal Murray in terms of being able to hide him and still have a good D tbh.
as limited as he may be physically, at least he's a smart and active defender. he may get torched but should make enough heady plays over the course of a game to justify him being out there. and even if he gamed the vert for a few inches (which means his standing reach is better than listed, anyway), he still has pretty good explosion when he can gather to go up and challenge a shot
The challenge with Reed at 4 is not a high ceiling. He's a statistical darling and I'm not against him at 4, but very curious how his intangibles carry over. If not, could be too close to a Jared McCain.
Remind the coaching staff. Evidently they think it was just a coincidence that guys had their worst shooting nights against Bruce Bowen.
Seems like the big divider in a lot of outcomes is desire. Jimmy Butler, SGA, Anthony Edwards, even going back to Kawhi. Those guys are great because they relentlessly worked to improve. There are NBA players with more talent who barely crack rotations. Maybe that is what the Spurs should be looking for other than guys with freakishly long arms.
Obviously not a fan of that, but I’m really starting to think thats the direction they go lol he’s repped by the same agent as wemby, from all accounts he’s a hard worker- Destined to be a a spur.
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