2025 NBA Draft

[scottspurs]

I have watched some of Saraf. Need to watch more. Very crafty and sneaky athletic but the dude is allergic to finishing at the rim! Misses so many layups. Gets abused by physical defenders. Falls down a lot. Needs to add some lower body strength. 3-pt shot needs work he pushes it up there sometimes and other times it’s decent. Could be another lower body strength issue.

[scottspurs]

Dejounte makes a good point about the Spurs liking players that do well in workouts. Another guy I think will do well in workouts is Kasparas Jakucionis. He plays at a great pace and never gets sped up by defenders. In a three on three workout situation he will really take over. Even one on one he has a high skill level and high IQ. One of the reasons teams do 3 on 3 in workouts is because it shows a players ability to operate with space. Something you may not see on film at the college level because of all the zone defenses and pressing. Kasparas will thrive with the spacing

[RC_Drunkford]

I initially thought not staggering Fox-Paul was to give Castle primary ball handling reps, but Wesley over Branham gave me pause. Was is just because they needed another guard when Fox was shut down and are done with Branham or because they don't see Castle as a primary creator in the non Fox minutes?

If it's the latter, then obviously it means continuing to play smallish on the perimeter with Vassell playing more SF than SG and creates a need for a backup creator since Wesley is a replacement player.

Which brings me to Jakucionis. Could serve as Fox's understudy/apprentice throughout his initial contract and if all all goes well, eventually give them a succession plan so they don't feel obligated to extend the latter into his late-post prime years. Good theoretical fit with Castle too.

I don't see Lopez accepting a backup position, especially when teams like the Warriors/Lakers have a gaping hole in the middle.

agree with the Jakucionis take, which is why I said in the draft thread we should draft him if he's there at 8. He would basically cement our 3 guard rotation and give us a replacement option when Fox' next deal runs out. I also don't think Lopez would accept being a back up but there were rumors of us trying to sign him the year we drafted Wemby, so maybe the Spurs envision him being a starter with Victor and then staggering them. Not sure if it's optimal, but they might attempt it.

[scottspurs]

Nique Clifford is also going to abuse some people in workouts because he is a grown man compared to these other prospects. He will physically abuse them. He is a good all around player with a good physique

[spurraider21]

spurs dont need "1 on 1 bag" type players tbh

wemby is pretty ball dominant. and in the backcourt, fox is an effective on-ball player who also plays a lot of minutes. thats our 1-2 punch for the foreseeable future. castle had a very good rookie campaign but saying he's part of a 3 man core is hyperbolic at this stage. early returns and glimpes are one thing. being a core franchise piece is something else.

we need guys that can fit around wemby/fox. i dont see how on-ball players without good outside shots are what you'd be looking for. and if we wanted to have one player we are trying to develop in that respect, its already Castle. adding another one like Saraf/Queen doesnt seem right. if Queen falls to us at 8/9 and theres demand for him, i'd explore a trade back.

with the hawks pick, id rather have somebody like essengue over saraf by quite a bit, and im not even that high on Essengue (another buttershot), but at least knows how to play off-ball as a role player

demin also feels like a poor fit since his early season shooting seems to have been a mirage. these are talented players, just not the fit we are looking for.

Kon/Bryant/Fleming/McNeeley... these are the types. if we wanted high caliber reserves, i'd look at richardson/sorber

[SpursGenius]

Dejounte makes a good point about the Spurs liking players that do well in workouts. Another guy I think will do well in workouts is Kasparas Jakucionis. He plays at a great pace and never gets sped up by defenders. In a three on three workout situation he will really take over. Even one on one he has a high skill level and high IQ. One of the reasons teams do 3 on 3 in workouts is because it shows a players ability to operate with space. Something you may not see on film at the college level because of all the zone defenses and pressing. Kasparas will thrive with the spacing

bad athlete who cant shoot, ill pass

[scottspurs]

bad athlete who cant shoot, ill pass

You haven’t watched him if you think he is a bad athlete lol! And even if he was there is more to basketball than athleticism. His shot looks better than most in this class. Good form. People need to stop looking at percentages and look at the form. Even then he shot 31% not bad for a college freshman. He has some Luka to his game. Shows some real playmaking skills. You have to project what young prospects can be. If you want the best athletes why not bring Lonnie Walker back. The best “shooter”? I’m sure you can get Reed Sheppard for cheap! He had a great shooting percentage in college. lol I’m convinced some here don’t watch any of these guys and just take some bad take and run with it.

[Vienna]

I answer you and you get your panties in a bunch.

right. sorry, my bad.
it was more of a rhetorical question on my side and you answerd it straight, I should have noticed that.

[CGD]

Video has been out for one hour and the video is four hours long.

but also if you’re watching the videos and counting makes and misses you’re not doing a good job evaluating the player, tbh. You can look up the stats for that and formulate your opinion from there. That’s clearly not what these videos are for smh. Anyone here actually serious about this

I guess? I mean Blake Welsey blows by his player regularly too, but in a far superior league and he still clanks/smokes easy bunnies at the rim too. He's been in the league 3 years now.

[CGD]

Dejounte makes a good point about the Spurs liking players that do well in workouts. Another guy I think will do well in workouts is Kasparas Jakucionis. He plays at a great pace and never gets sped up by defenders. In a three on three workout situation he will really take over. Even one on one he has a high skill level and high IQ. One of the reasons teams do 3 on 3 in workouts is because it shows a players ability to operate with space. Something you may not see on film at the college level because of all the zone defenses and pressing. Kasparas will thrive with the spacing

If there, I like Kasparas at 8. He not only helps fill the shooting need, but also has the secondary playmaking potentially that the Spurs have been missing (and hoping Dev would provide).

[Dejounte]

I guess? I mean Blake Welsey blows by his player regularly too, but in a far superior league and he still clanks/smokes easy bunnies at the rim too. He's been in the league 3 years now.

We will agree to disagree. All this talk about superior leagues is nonsense to me when you have two players from the OTE league in Amen and Ausar looking like they have the brightest futures and several players from the Ignite team that are currently playing important roles for their teams when many counted them out and didn’t think they’d last in the league.

[rascal]

We will agree to disagree. All this talk about superior leagues is nonsense to me when you have two players from the OTE league in Amen and Ausar looking like they have the brightest futures and several players from the Ignite team that are currently playing important roles for their teams when many counted them out and didn’t think they’d last in the league.

Those guys are "athletic" something you don't value

[exstatic]

We will agree to disagree. All this talk about superior leagues is nonsense to me when you have two players from the OTE league in Amen and Ausar looking like they have the brightest futures and several players from the Ignite team that are currently playing important roles for their teams when many counted them out and didn’t think they’d last in the league.

The Thompsons are A+++ level athletes. Unless your prospect is in that category, level of compe ion absolutely matters.

[Dejounte]

The Thompsons are A+++ level athletes. Unless your prospect is in that category, level of compe ion absolutely matters.

them being athletic didn’t seem be that important to you before they were drafted:

His floor is scary low, like out of the league in 2-3 years if he was just beating up on 15 YOs.

The twins are why I’m interested in trading back if we don’t get Wemby. Two fool GMs are going to take them, leaving players of higher value at 5-7.

[exstatic]

them being athletic didn’t seem be that important to you before they were drafted:

Underestimated it. MOST players who are maybe a B+ or an A wouldn’t have made it. Apparently, the grapevine had Amen on the Spurs radar.

[scottspurs]

The Thompson Twins are a perfect example as to why you should project what a player can be not what they are. Amen showed he could be a creator and Ausar’s shot was less broken. Both showed tremendous defensive versatility though. The best athletes to come into the league since MJ. I’ve seen Amen in person alot and he is bigger than his listed 6’7 200 lbs.

That’s why I’m very interested in the athletic testing for Joan Beringer. Dude moves like a gazelle listed at 6’10. Former soccer goalie and it shows. Has elite reflexes at the rim. Now if you can just teach him basketball he could be a very versatile on defense. The Thompson twins are 11 out of 10 athletes and on film Beringer looks like 10 out of 10 but he is also running against grown men. If his athletic testing is closer to the Twins I would just say screw it and take him at 14.

[Mr. Body]

It's totally fair to say that Amen and Ausar were playing against absolutely awful compe ion. They were. It turned out to not be a big issue.

It's still not great to claim that any great athlete can become a good basketball player. We see many many times that this doesn't happen.

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

I agree about Beringer. Some team is going to be highly impressed by his tools and athleticism and overdraft him. Might even be Spurs, although I don’t think he fits their mould. Spurs like players who can play different positions, have plus size and who project to become the coveted dribble/pass/shoot archetype, even if they’re not quite that at the time of the draft, which can obviously lead to mistakes easily.

Perhaps with Wemby and Fox they’ll change and look more for fit and safer projects but we’ll see.

[Mr. Body]

Isn't Beringer looking a lot like this year's Saluan?

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

Isn't Beringer looking a lot like this year's Saluan?

Indeed.

But even better tools and even more raw.

[itzsoweezee]

It's totally fair to say that Amen and Ausar were playing against absolutely awful compe ion. They were. It turned out to not be a big issue.

It's still not great to claim that any great athlete can become a good basketball player. We see many many times that this doesn't happen.

Yes. People assume that because the Thompsons can’t shoot that they are unskilled. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Those two were legit basketball players with elite athleticism.

[The Truth #6]

Amen also had a great handle, solid passing instincts, and decent to good bbiq...paired with elite athleticism.

[scottspurs]

Indeed.

But even better tools and even more raw.

Spot on! Whoever drafts him probably can’t expect much until year 2-3

[vy65]

The Spurs have long wanted two PGs on the floor at the same time. We saw that all the way back in 2003 with Parker and Kidd. I think Castle's size was appealing to him not because they wanted to play a 6-7 PG with a 6-9 SG, a 6-11 SF, a 7-foot PF and a 7-3 C, but because they wanted to play a 6-7 PG who could play with a second PG without having to compromise the defense in the way that playing two guards under 6-4 often does.

I don't think the Spurs see Fox and Castle as the entire main PG rotation going forward because simply put it's not enough PG play for their liking. Even not going into whether they SHOULD trust Castle to be the sole PG on the court at times if they're seriously trying to win, we're talking about a team that had no issue playing Paul with Jones or Wesley. It would be weird if the team didn't try to find at least one quality player to add to that depth chart, be it a cheap vet or a mid-draft pick.

A lot of people have been getting upset about the idea of trading Castle. I find that sort of odd given how many also believe the Spurs should be trying to bring in another name. If you think they should slow-play this and see what they have with Fox and Wemby for a full summer and some modest changes to the roster, that's fine. That's basically where I'm at. But if you're talking about adding a third star, cleaving to Steph doesn't make a ton of sense. They would definitely not have the touches to develop Castle as a star, and they may not have the leeway to let Castle figure things out as a role-player. If the team kept him and leveraged the unprotected picks needed to get a star without him, they could be forced into a situation where they can't play him high in the rotation. A guy like Knueppel may just be a better fit. So if folks want to hop back on Markkanen or Booker or Giannis or Sabonis or JJJ, that's where it's at.

The only star who could come in and meaningfully open a window for the Spurs but not either cost Castle or limit Castle's long-term path with the Spurs would be Durant. The Spurs might be able to get Durant with Vassell, Johnson/Barnes and some protected picks/lesser projects. His age would make it to where Castle could take over in a couple of years when KD aged out. I still don't think Steph could start for that team without improved shooting and a commitment to consistently good defense. Let's say Vassell, Johnson, Sochan and some future protected picks get it done.

Then in the draft, go Queen at 8, Richardson at 13/14 and Isaiah Evans at 38. In free agency, through a modest deal at Jake LaRavia and bring back Biyombo and promote one of Ingram/Minix. That leaves 14 roster spots taken as follows:

Fox, Richardson, Wesley
Champagnie, Castle, Branham,
Barnes, _____, Evans
Durant, LaRavia, Ingram
Wembayama, Queen, Biyombo

I'd REALLY want the Spurs to find a vet wing who could fill in that last rotation spot, be it a SF to back up Barnes or a SG to start in place of Champagnie, but there's a dearth of competent wings in the NBA right now. There's no one worth the MLE, even as a trade candidate.

Just a fun thought experiment, but what do you see happening with Castle if either pick jumps into the top 4?

[Mr. Body]

Just a fun thought experiment, but what do you see happening with Castle if either pick jumps into the top 4?

Nothing.

He's on long-term, big building block. The people here discussing trading him are lunatics.