Spurs Mock Draft 1.0: Picking at 9, 20, 25 and 38 for the Spurs

[scott]

I'd love to take a shot like that, but Keldon Johnson types aren't that hard to find so doesn't really sweeten the pot for me if I'm Houston.

I think this is an interesting conversation... so I'm going to push it a little more. Would if we take Ariel's deal but now its Vassell instead of Keldon?

[Ariel]

Watching tape of AJ Griffin, he seems to me exactly the kind of player that amateur draft pundits like us typically underrate.

He lacks elite size. He lacks elite athleticism. His physical measurements don’t jump off the page. In short, he doesn’t have a lot of flashy “upside.”

But man, the kid can seriously play basketball. He could be the best wing scorer on the team from day one and would be a candidate for making the All-Rookie team.

He can SERIOUSLY shoot... he's a sniper, actually. Other than that, he looks 40 to me. I have more lift on my legs than he does. And his injury history is long like a phone book. No way I'm betting on that.

[gilmor2002]

Yeah, I made a mistake. What else is new? All the Spurs haters are ing tonight. I just took a xanax so I'm kind of mellowing down. And I've recently started to reconsider suicide. And before you me out or call me a pussy, this has nothing to do with the draft lottery. I'm miserable right now in my life and I'm starting to come to a breaking point. I'm stuck at a dead end job with ty pay and I get treated like a piece of too there. No respect at all. I am a hopeless piece of and prick. I wasted 5 and a half years in college in the hopes of possibly getting a good paying job or at least a decent paying job. I've been stuck in retail for almost 3 years making a whopping 15K a year. How am I ever going to be happy making ty money like that? Sorry for the rant, I think it's the xanax kicking in.

Take heart.. i had it worse.. much worse

[Mr. Body]

Have you seen him play? He fits this team like a glove.

I sure as wouldn't trade future top picks for him.

[PhantomDashCam]

Watching tape of AJ Griffin, he seems to me exactly the kind of player that amateur draft pundits like us typically underrate.

He lacks elite size. He lacks elite athleticism. His physical measurements don’t jump off the page. In short, he doesn’t have a lot of flashy “upside.”

But man, the kid can seriously play basketball. He could be the best wing scorer on the team from day one and would be a candidate for making the All-Rookie team.

The kid could've gone a long way to dispel any doubts by participating in Combine testing...
He'll likely be invited to Green Room, be selected outside of the lottery and you'll hear stories on draft night about his medical history being the main concern for a team's hesitancy.

He'll then get picked by say, Brooklyn and the media will proclaim they got the Steal of the Draft.

[Mr. Body]

Watching tape of AJ Griffin, he seems to me exactly the kind of player that amateur draft pundits like us typically underrate.

He lacks elite size. He lacks elite athleticism. His physical measurements don’t jump off the page. In short, he doesn’t have a lot of flashy “upside.”

But man, the kid can seriously play basketball. He could be the best wing scorer on the team from day one and would be a candidate for making the All-Rookie team.

He's poor defensively, is poor athletically, and often can't really dribble. I'm not sure I even believe in his shot, either. Definitely not an All-Rookie. He might struggle to stay on the floor. If he does play, he'll require players to set him up constantly. He's like a bigger Bryn Forbes.

[rascal]

Would #9 and two unprotected future FRP's be enough to get #3 from Houston? Think they'd do it?

Don't trade unprotected FRP. Those could be future franchise players. The Spurs could be really bad next year.

[baseline bum]

I think this is an interesting conversation... so I'm going to push it a little more. Would if we take Ariel's deal but now its Vassell instead of Keldon?

Trade them both if there is someone they're in love with at #3 who won't be there at #9. But not unprotected picks. Pop could retire this summer or next and then the Spurs will tank whether they want to or not.

[RC_Drunkford]

If the Spurs can get #3 from Houston without overpaying they should go for it. That's obviously a long shot. The more realistic target to me is Keegan Murray. It's possible that he falls a few spots due to age and we'd only have to move up 2-3 spots to get him. That seems possible. Players on the table should be Poeltl and J-Rich for the right deal. The Spurs have a whole lot of options this offseason, they have to find a way to significantly upgrade the roster. Everything else would be a disappointment.

[BackHome]

Im starting to buy the Deing hype, at least if we’re choosing between him, Griffin, Davis, Mathurian and that tranche. Impressive tools and size, even though he’ll need a few years

Welcome to the house of Dieng...

[Drom John]

USA Today | 2022 NBA consensus mock draft 3.0: How the internet is projecting the first round after order was set
Charles Curtis, May 20, 2022

That means it’s time for another consensus mock draft, in which we round up the internet’s takes on who’s taking whom in the first round. We’re using, of course, our latest NBA mock draft from Bryan Kalbrosky, along with ones from The Athletic, ESPN, Bleacher Report, SI.com, NBAdraft.net and The Ringer.

We’ll average out where each prospect was taken at in the first round, and any player left off a mock will be marked as No. 31.

I'd view this as "best available" at our picks, rather than "Spurs will pick."

9
San Antonio Spurs: Johnny Davis (Wisconsin Badgers: Guard, Sop re, 6-5)

Average: 9.57 Best: 7 Worst: 14

20
San Antonio Spurs (from Toronto Raptors): David Roddy (Colorado State Rams: Wing, Junior, 6-5)

Average: 21 Best: 21 Worst: Out of the first round

If someone's who's best is 21 and worst is out of the first round ends up #20, then the bottom of the first round is all over the place.

25
San Antonio Spurs (from Boston Celtics): Kennedy Chandler (Tennessee Volunteers: Guard, Freshman, 6-1)

Average: 22.67 Best: 19 Worst: Out of the first round

[Drom John]

Fansided 8.9 | NBA Draft Mock 4.0: The best prospect for every team in the first round
Nicolas Kyle Pring, 2 hours ago AKA 20 May 2022

9. San Antonio Spurs – Tari Eason | PF | LSU | 6’8” | 216 LBS

Few teams need help in the frontcourt more than the San Antonio Spurs. Outside of Jakob Poeltl, Gregg Popovich has mainly relied on position up-scaling and small ball to compromise, primarily using the undersized Keldon Johnson to man the 4 spot. This is where Tari Eason could entice them, as the LSU alum combines size, scoring, defending, and rebounding to round up as a do-it-all forward.

20. San Antonio Spurs (from TOR) – Nikola Jovic | PF | Mega Bemax | 6’10” | 209 LBS

This is a classic San Antonio pick. Known for favoring international prospects, Nikola Jovic from Serbia could quickly become a Gregg Popovich favorite with his combination of length, skill, and versatility, adding a much-needed size and flair to a growing Spurs team struggling with consistency and currently on the outside looking in.

25. San Antonio Spurs (from BOS) – EJ Liddell | PF | Ohio State | 6’7” | 240 LBS

The Spurs, rather surprisingly, fared better offensively than defensively this season despite having no top-tier scorers aside from Dejounte Murray. As a point of emphasis, E.J. Liddell deserves a look from San Antonio, as he is a great defender who adds the requisite length to be versatile.

[Drom John]

Philly Sports Today | LJ's 2022 NBA Mock Draft 1.0
LJ Nessler, 1 day ago, AKA 19 May 2020

9. San Antonio Spurs: Bennedict Mathurin, SG, Arizona

The Spurs have a lot of young intriguing wings like Josh Primo, Lonnie Walker, and Devin Vassell to go along with their All Star point guard Dejounte Murray. I think San Antonio dips right back into the well of wing players, taking Bennedict Mathurin from Arizona. Mathurin is the best perimeter defender of anyone selected so far, and he is great in isolation situations. Mathurin has a solid three ball that is streaky at times, but he has shown it can be lethal from deep. The most intriguing part is the raw athleticism that Mathurin possesses. Mathurin can get up and finish with the best of them around the rim, and he has the potential on both sides of the ball to develop into a very good two-way player in a situation like San Antonio.

20. San Antonio Spurs: E.J. Liddell, PF, Ohio State

25. San Antonio Spurs: Kennedy Chandler, PG, Tennessee

[Drom John]

HoopSocial | 2022 NBA Mock Draft 4.0: Lottery Order Set, Full 2-Round Mock
Jordan Ennis, May 19, 2022

9th overall pick the San Antonio Spurs select: Keegan Murray

22: 6’8 215 Forward Iowa. Comp= Marcus Morris who isn’t a dirty player and plays real defense.

The Spurs pick the perfect Spur.

20th overall pick the San Antonio Spurs select: Kendall Brown

19: 6’8 210 Wing Baylor. Comp= Smaller AK47

Brown is a great passing wing who will look much better outside of the Baylor System.

25th overall pick the San Antonio Spurs select: Bryce McGowens

19: 6’7 180 Wing Nebraska. Comp= Jamaal Crawford ish

The Spurs can swing for the fences with these picks and Bryce has Sky High potential.

38th overall pick the San Antonio Spurs select: Jaylin Williams

20: 6’10 240 Big Arkansas. Comp= Ed Davis ish

[Mr. Body]

These are all good picks generally. I feel like these outfits aren't clowning themselves like some of the earlier ones. I can see a situation where Keegan Murray drops, though I'm not sure the Spurs would go with Jovic or McGowens, two terrible defenders. Weird that teams are picking Kennedy sometimes.

[rascal]

These are all good picks generally. I feel like these outfits aren't clowning themselves like some of the earlier ones. I can see a situation where Keegan Murray drops, though I'm not sure the Spurs would go with Jovic or McGowens, two terrible defenders. Weird that teams are picking Kennedy sometimes.

What is Jovic good at other than perimeter shooting for a big man? Looks slow in lateral quickness.

[Brazil]

#9 Gary Neal
# 20 Potato Head
# 25 Keith Bogans
# 38 Matt Bonner

[Drom John]

HoopHype | Aggregate NBA mock draft 5.0: Jabari Smith leaps Chet Holmgren, Paolo Banchero; trade possibilities
Michael Scotto, May 20, 2022

Variation on the USAToday consensus above, slightly different calculation, and I think a few more mocks.

Risers:

Sharpe (Kentucky), Dyson Daniels (G League Ignite), Mark Williams (Duke), Ousmane Dieng (New Zealand NBL), Blake Wesley (Notre Dame), EJ Liddell (Ohio State), Nikola Jovic (Mega Basket Serbia), Walker Kessler (Auburn), Leonard Miller (Fort Erie International Academy), Max Christie (Michigan State), Terquavion Smith (NC State), Jalen Williams (Santa Clara), Jake LaRavia (Wake Forest), Caleb Houston (Michigan), Dalen Terry (Arizona) and Ryan Rollins (Toledo) have all risen within the top 45 picks.

Fallers:

Within the top 10 picks, AJ Griffin (Duke), Johnny Davis (Wisconsin) and Jalen Duran (Memphis) all fell slightly. Ochai Agbaji (Kansas) fell slightly outside the lottery. Kendall Brown (Baylor) had the biggest fall of the projected first-round prospects.

9. Johnny Davis

(Wisconsin: Guard, Sop re, 6-5)

Previous rank: 8 (-1)

Best rank: 6 (ESPN)

Worst rank: 14

Davis, who interviewed with the Spurs and could be on the board at No. 9 overall, said, “Obviously, playing under coach Popovich, the most famous coach in NBA history, is something I would really want to happen.”

20. MarJon Beauchamp

(Ignite: Wing, G League, 6-7)

Previous rank: 19 (-1)

Best rank: 17 (Basketball News)

Worst rank: 29

25. Walker Kessler

(Auburn: Big, Sop re, 7-1)

Previous rank: 26 (+1)

Best rank: 19 (Sports Illustrated)

Worst rank: 34

(Not included in one mock draft)

[duncan2150]

What is Jovic good at other than perimeter shooting for a big man? Looks slow in lateral quickness.

Playmaking.

[exstatic]

Not necessarily, Richardson is probably on the way out, and Primo is still very raw. You could definitely slot Mathurin in there, with him and Vassell sharing minutes at 2/3
If we take Blake Wesley or Hardy, however, that does spell doom for Lonnie. But in all honesty, I think he's doomed regardless...

If the Spurs re-sign Walker, I’ll be more upset than by anyone we might draft at 9.

[Mr. Body]

Yeah, I think Walker is moving on. Good luck to him. I think he could actually do very well on a team like Charlotte that likes to move up and down the court. The Spurs move around a lot, but it's in a halfcourt set.

[Drom John]

Sports Gaming Rosters |2022 NBA Mock Draft – Post Lottery Edition – 5/19/22

Comments in YouTube video.

9 San Antonio Spurs Jalen Duren C Memphis Fr

20 San Antonio Spurs (from TOR) Jeremy Sochan SF/PF Baylor Fr

25 San Antonio Spurs (from BOS) Ismael Kamagate C France N/A

Duren comments implies Memphis players should get a closer look because Hardaway is a bad coach.
YouTube stops after lottery.

[Uriel]

If Keegan Murray falls to #9, you take him, without question.

[T Park]

Keegan Murray falling and getting taken by the spurs would be amazing. He’s literally as perfect a fit at the four outside Banchero there is.

[Dejounte]

Level of compe ion is overrated. If you have a guy who clearly has a set of skills that stand out. You consider him. The draft is mostly a crapshoot.