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That's who I want for us this year. He's also left-handed, which gives him another advantage.
He can do everything except shoot. We need shooters more. His form doesn't look broken like Sochan, but he's at only 25% from 3.
That's who I want for us this year. He's also left-handed, which gives him another advantage.
Now that the Fox trade has gone through, the Spurs' draft strategy and way forward becomes a lot more clear. Guards like Edgecomb, Harper, and Fears are no longer viable options. The easiest guys to draft are probably 3 and D wings, and there are quite a few in this draft with varying levels of shooting and defense:
More "3"
Alex Karaban
The good: tall, consistent shot. UConn traditionally has not overly inflated the measurements of their guys - see: Jordan Hawkins, Andre Jackson Jr, Castle, Clingan, who all measured without shoes within an inch of their listed heights. If Karaban is listed at 6'8", he is in all likelihood something like 6'8.5" in shoes. Career 39% 3 point shooter on high volume and 84% on FT combined with his height, probably the safest bet in the draft for a guy whose shooting will translate.
The bad: Old, consistently poor defender, limited athleticism for his height; basically no upside; probably not much better (if any) than Sam Hauser
Kon Knueppel
The good: best shooting stroke among all the freshmen; has the potential for true movement shooting; shooting 87% FT, 38% 3s on high rate with higher degree of difficulty than just spot ups; Surprisingly underrated defender - top 10 in freshman defensive BPR this year and moves his feet well, good positioning; 3:1 AST:TO indicates good decision-making, sometimes used as an initiator at Duke indicates playmaking potential at the next level
The bad: short (there is no way in he's 6'7"), stubby arms, limited athleticism. 3 point % drops off a cliff the better the compe ion gets, suggesting he may not be able to get his shot off against more athletic defenders at the next level (40% against trash ACC compe ion, 31% vs top 100 compe ion, 23% vs top 50 compe ion). If it wasn't for the athleticism concerns he might have some Desmond Bane equity, but the numbers against good teams make that a lot less likely
Liam McNeeley
The good: probably a legit 6'8" in shoes, one of, if not the best shooters in his class in high school; not quite a movement shooter but can do more than just spot up from the corners, more athletic than Knueppel. Best defender on this year's UConn team just purely based off defensive BPR
The bad: I have no idea how good he is - he underwhelmed early in the season, then had 1 game where Hurley decided to run his offense through him and did very well, then has been out with an ankle injury. His stat profile is very "meh". Kispert seems reasonable
Nice Balance
Miles Byrd
The good: long, athletic, good defender, generates stocks like crazy. Career high volume 3 point shooter shooting 36% from 3 and career 84% from 3. Career 5 BLK% 4 STL% is pretty crazy even in SD State's defensive system which traditionally inflates stock numbers. 1.5:1 AST:TO with 19 AST% and ball-handling ability indicates at minimum connector potential
The bad: Abysmal rim finishing numbers, frame might be too slight to defend stronger wings at the next level. Not a bad bet to be Danny Green at the next level, or alternatively what Devin Vassell was supposed to be when he got drafted, as opposed to who Devin Vassell wants to be / thinks he is
More D
Rasheer Fleming
I'll just leave this to Dejounte. I think halfway between Eason and Aichuwa is very reasonable. He seems great but I'm very concerned about his shooting translating at the next level - career 65% FT shooter with 1 year high level catch and shooting isn't enough evidence for me to confidently say one way or the other whether he'll shoot. Otherwise, amazing physical profile and havoc generator.
Carter Bryant
The good: long, athletic, good defender, generates stocks like crazy (6 BLK%, 4 STL%). Shot 85% FT at Nike EYBL and currently shooting 39% from 3 on medium volume exclusive spot-ups as a freshman.
The bad: Currently shooting 55% from FT, not sure whether this is an anomaly or whether he actually sucks at shooting. Very limited minutes and only scoring 5 PPG, so this would be Primo-style "pre-drafting", but with actual evidence that he could be good vs Primo where there was basically no evidence. Shades of Jeremy Sochan but with significant shooting potential.
Rasheer also has shades of Naz Reid. He can be anywhere between those three guys: Reid, Achiuwa, Eason. The team needs defense badly and someone in the pipeline in case Sochan doesn’t workout. PF should be top priority as I don’t see Barnes as being the long term solution either.
What do you mean, he can't shoot.
He's a robust 1-13 from three in the last four games!
(But he is a monster under the basket on both ends, has an overall 55% shooting % and does at least hit 75% from the line. He's a bit like Castle, you can just watch him move on the court, without focusing on one thing, and see that he's a basketball player.)
I guess you have a point...he is in the Vassell sphere of 3 point shooting... touche'
You absolutely draft Edgecombe if he's available at 7 or 8 (though I doubt he will be). That kid has star upside and is the Vassell replacement. I'm pretty good with the rest of the list at varying points in the draft though.
VJ is number 2 overall on my draft board not accounting for team needs and I'm a huge fan, but the combined probability that a) he would be available at 7 or 8 and b) the spurs would actually get a pick at 7 or 8 is - well, let's just say I would be willing to wager a lot of money that those two events don't occur in combination.
If the assumption is that he's off the board when we pick then I get it. I could say the same about Johnson and Kasparas as well.
About Kon Knueppel's height. Duke is very athletic, there are nothing but giants on the team. So perhaps he seems small in the middle of all these giants.
As for his supposed lack of athleticism, I've only seen it once, but he seems to me to be a typical non-jumping player with real athleticism. He seems heavy, strong and smart; in defense, it's always useful. I was really impressed by the quality and intelligence of his game. Typical Spur.
Other players, this time scheduled for the second round, who could fit are Noah Penda and Zacharie Perrin. Two very versatile forwards with a strong basketball IQ and already having solid international experience (Perrin doesn't play much and he's value is low but he's special and often led young French teams). Two more typical players for Spurs. The mock drafts prefer Essengue while I see him more as a second Alex Sarr with a lot of long-term uncertainties.
It should also be remembered that the Spurs hold the rights to Juan Núñez who currently plays (little) in Barcelona and who could either join the roster next year or be used in an exchange. This makes guard choices all the less necessary.
I hope we manage to be able to get Maluach with our own pick. Need a backup big
Thanks for the write up SpursBills - I always look forward to your scouting reports!
I'm not jazzed about this draft at all outside of the top guys. I think we hold on to our lottery tickets, but if they don't hit, we look to punt. I can't get excited about the guys you listed, except for maybe Fleming.
I'd be interested in McNeeley in the late teens, and Drake Powell in the 20s, but all the others you listed would be a massive "meh" in the 8-18 range, IMO.
I was seeing this draft as about four or five players deep.
Flagg
Harper
Bailey
Edgecombe
Jakucionas
Tre Johnson
And then it takes a significant dip. Every player other than Flagg is a bit problematic. Bailey just doesn't seem like he makes smart decisions, but is improving. The more I watch Jaku, the more I dislike his lack of athleticism, shift, and burst, and his handles are pretty bad. Still, a smart player. And Harper has been hurt more than not.
Edgecombe is super attractive if he's hitting from deep, as he has been. A weird fit for us, maybe. And Tre Johnson is a great scorer but I'm not sure about the fit and the ball really sticks with him, he does the pound the ball or stand there deliberating before acting thing that killed Johnny Davis.
The DFox trade changes everything. No longer need a shot-getter. I can stop watching Jeremiah Fears games hoping he's good. Need a toolsy shooting wing and a solid back-up big, but neither is in supply in the lottery. I'm not sure about busting picks for a McNeeley or Kneuppel, but that depends on where we pick.
But at least we no longer need a star from this draft.
Here's my updated board post Fox trade
1. Cooper Flagg
2. Dylan Harper
3. V.J. Edgecombe
4. Ace Bailey
5. Kasparas Jackucionis
6. Tre Johnson
7. Sergio De Larrea
8. Jon Knueppel
9. Liam McNeely
10. Rasheer Fleming
11. Egor Demin
12. Danny Wolf
13. Shaman Maluach
14. Jase Richardson
15. Dink Pate
16. Ben Saraf
17. Asa Newell
18. Miles Byrd
19. Will Riley
20. Nolan Traore
21. Collins Murray-Boyles
22. Alex Karaban
23. Johni Broome
24. Derick Queen
25. Ian Jackson
26. Drake Powell
27. Noa Essengue
28. Jeremiah Fears
29. Tyrese Proctor
30. Boogie Fland
I'm high on Demin. He's a point forward who would fit in our offense. Not a great shooter yet, would have to be developed, but I think he got star potential.
If he shot well from deep he'd be top 3 in this draft
Fox trade means no cap room to sign Naz Reid, just the MLE and he can do more easily
I do see some similarities with Fleming but Fleming isn't as fluid as Naz, some stiffness to his game
Ace Bailey is a pipe dream but would fit this roster like a glove.
If we're in the late lottery, then Tre Johnson and Kon are obvious targets.
I really, really like Essengue as a project with the lower of the two picks but I honestly think he's gonna go Top 10.
There is absolutely no scenario where we need to waste a lottery pick on a backup big like Maluach. I don't care how horrible Zollins and Bassey have been, you can find a backup big for cheap.
Ben Saraf and Dink Pate could be bargains -- upside + available, a unique combination.
The problem with my favorite, Tre Johnson, is that he's in the dreaded "Doughnut Hole" -- between 5 and 8 or so, which is a place the Spurs literally cannot get to in this draft.
The Spurs will probably have picks in the top four or worse than 8th.
There's just no way for them to have, say, the 6th pick, which is where Tre Johnson (and Asa Newell) will probably land.
I'll agree that right now that does appear where they'll land, but things change and we're a long way to the draft.
We can definitely create cap space though for someone like Naz or Aldama if we need it. I think the rest of this year is a tryout for guys like Devin, Keldon and maybe even Sochan. No more excuses for them. Keldon and Devin is nearly $50MM in cap space we could create if we needed to.
I think the world of Maluach and believe he would be an excellent backup center (he would be a rich man’s Bassey from day one, in my view).
I like him a lot more than his teammate Knueppel. Although I think the latter is super smart, plays hard, and is a good shooter and playmaker, I just can’t look past his physical tools (or lack thereof). I really believe a big function of his success is benefiting from all the attention that his teammate Flagg gets.
Speaking of Flagg, I think he is hands-down the best player in this draft (and all of college basketball for that matter) and would immediately vault us into the playoffs next year and set us up for a dynasty down the road.
My dream scenario is for the Hawks to win the lottery and for us to use that pick on Cooper Flagg, then use our own pick to draft Maluach.
Actually, considering our newest offense initiator is left handed, it’s not. Sacto used the right handed Malik Monk to run the pick and rolls with the left handed Sabonis. Fox and Sabo struggled to click on the PnR.
What are yalls thoughts in trading atl 2025 1st, spurs 2025 1st, and another future 1st to whoever gets the #1 pick for flagg? Any snowballs chance?!
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