Official San Antonio Spurs 2021 NBA Draft Discussion Thread

[mo7888]

For me,

At best: Taller Manu, with better defense and less flopping

Likely: Taller Goran Dragic, with better defense

At worst: A cross between Andre Iguodala and Robert Covington

Franz has a very "Euro" style to his game, in a good way.

Those aren't bad comps... I just think if he has the proper mentality and he can shoot above 38% from 3 he can be the best player in this draft and the best player on a team that can compete. If he doesn't have that mentality or if his shot doesn't develop then he's a nice role player that can initiate offense and play D. It's his upside that's most intriguing to me.

[rjv]

I can't give wagner a "taller manu" comp and that's not a knock on wagner. manu had a lot of intangibles coming out of virtus bologna and one of them was the lack of fear in big moments. we have too small of a sample size from wagner to measure this. he didn't have a tourney in 2020 and he was solid for most of the 2021 tournament with the exception of the UCLA game, in which he was very underwhelming. franz does seem to have the IQ. he does seem to have the toughness but whether or not he has that "it" factor isn't known yet.

[Dejounte]

I can't give wagner a "taller manu" comp and that's not a knock on wagner. manu had a lot of intangibles coming out of virtus bologna and one of them was the lack of fear in big moments. we have too small of a sample size from wagner to measure this. he didn't have a tourney in 2020 and he was solid for most of the 2021 tournament with the exception of the UCLA game, in which he was very underwhelming. franz does seem to have the IQ. he does seem to have the toughness but whether or not he has that "it" factor isn't known yet.

Manu has had his fair share of botching big moments; I recall the 2013 Finals where he was clearly one of the main reasons for the loss due to the sloppy play and many turnovers he had. happens, but like with all things, it's a gamble and hopefully he has been scouted enough by the Spurs to be able to tell his basketball mentality.

[rjv]

Manu has had his fair share of botching big moments; I recall the 2013 Finals where he was clearly one of the main reasons for the loss due to the sloppy play and many turnovers he had. happens, but like with all things, it's a gamble and hopefully he has been scouted enough by the Spurs to be able to tell his basketball mentality.

big time players botch big moments. lebron has botched some games. what i mean is that manu never lacked the balls to compete, perhaps to a fault at times. you have that or you don't. i hate to say it but i don't think lonnie does. i think samanic might. i haven't seen enough from wagner (due to cir stances outside his control) to know. but he does have some of the other components. of course, i think it's a moot point because if wagner has a solid enough combine, i think he's gone before 12.

[The Truth #6]

I'm on board with Wagner if he's still available, though would probably prefer Moody if he was somehow still available.

Wagner has a low chance of busting. I mean, his floor is super solid. How he improves and adapts will be the question in regards to how good he can be, but that's a question for every single player. Players like this typically have good trade value for contenders, so that's reassuring in case he ever is to be moved. I know we need to find the next star, but we also need player who can come in and bring some IQ to the game—that's really needed. We are likely going to lose next year no matter what, but I'd prefer the team still played an interesting brand of basketball. An anti-Derozan player isn't the worst thing.

Dejounte: this is a random question/thought, but have you seen much of his brother's play? I think he's in the NBA. Granted brothers can have vastly different games (see Steph vs Seth, obviously) but I'm curious to see how his brother's game was evaluated before he was drafted and if there are any similariteis there to glean from. Anyway, just a random thought...

[rjv]

another mock draft that has josh giddey to the spurs (with a ricky rubio/even turner comp):

https://ftw.usatoday.com/lists/nba-m...ouston-rockets


btw, it has wagner at 17 (no comp given) and moody at 13 (mikail bridges comp).

[GreekSpursfan]

I'm already in the 2022 NBA draft where we should go after Nikola Jovic. We need to tank hard next season.

[Russ]

NBADraft.net just updated.

They have the Spurs picking Kai Jones at 12.

The next 13 picks, to Tre Mann, are listed below. The players most discussed here are bolded.

13 Indiana Corey Kispert 6-7 220 SG/SF Gonzaga Sr.
14 *Golden St. Ziaire Williams 6-8 185 SG/SF Stanford Fr.
15 Washington Franz Wagner 6-9 220 SF/PF Michigan So.
16 Boston Josh Giddey 6-8 205 PG Australia Intl.
17 Memphis Ayo Dosunmu 6-5 200 PG/SG Illinois Jr.
18 *Houston Josh Christopher 6-4 215 SG Arizona St. Fr.
19 New York Nah'Shon Hyland 6-3 175 PG VCU So.
20 Atlanta Jaden Springer 6-4 205 SG Tennessee Fr.
21 *New York Cameron Thomas 6-4 210 SG LSU Fr.
22 *LA Lakers Miles McBride 6-2 200 PG West Virginia So.
23 *Houston Usman Garuba 6-8 230 PF/C Spain Intl.
24 *Houston Johnny Juzang 6-6 210 SF UCLA So.
25 *LA Clippers Tre Mann

I'm starting to like Usman Garuba as a high-end sleeper. Hard to see him falling to 23.

[cd98]

How about use the pick and a player to trade up? It would be nice, though probably not going to happen in this draft.

[mo7888]

How about use the pick and a player to trade up? It would be nice, though probably not going to happen in this draft.

Only if a player and pick gets you into the top 5... after 5 it's more of a crap shoot and not worth moving up...

[BackHome]

I'm already in the 2022 NBA draft where we should go after Nikola Jovic. We need to tank hard next season.

Haha that boy plays with very bad intentions definitely not close to being called soft so I am not sure he would fit on this team. He was one of the first guys I looked at and I was like let me check out this 2022 draft and you know I think it’s better then this draft. Besides Nikola I like Patrick Baldwin, Paulo Branchero, and off course Chet.

[look_at_g_shred]

Haha that boy plays with very bad intentions definitely not close to being called soft so I am not sure he would fit on this team. He was one of the first guys I looked at and I was like let me check out this 2022 draft and you know I think it’s better then this draft. Besides Nikola I like Patrick Baldwin, Paulo Branchero, and off course Chet.

Branchero's build is crazy. At that size the way he handles the ball.....sheesh. Def my pick

[GreekSpursfan]

Haha that boy plays with very bad intentions definitely not close to being called soft so I am not sure he would fit on this team. He was one of the first guys I looked at and I was like let me check out this 2022 draft and you know I think it’s better then this draft. Besides Nikola I like Patrick Baldwin, Paulo Branchero, and off course Chet.

Agreed

[The Truth #6]

Jalen Johnson. I’m really curious about how the Spurs do their due diligence on him. I mean, he easily could be available. I get the concerns: motivation, dedication, outside shooting. I’d like to think he’s like Diaw: seen as lazy or difficult but dud well in the Spurs. Yes, I know the situation is different. I realize he could bust like a less motivated Wiggins. But at 12 the Spurs have to find out for themselves. Anyway, I could see him as a darkhorse, so to speak, for a player they pick if their other guys are gone. I’m not advocating either way, just speculating.

Either he is a steal of the draft or he steals a team’s money.

[Mr. Body]

Jalen Johnson. I’m really curious about how the Spurs do their due diligence on him. I mean, he easily could be available. I get the concerns: motivation, dedication, outside shooting. I’d like to think he’s like Diaw: seen as lazy or difficult but dud well in the Spurs. Yes, I know the situation is different. I realize he could bust like a less motivated Wiggins. But at 12 the Spurs have to find out for themselves. Anyway, I could see him as a darkhorse, so to speak, for a player they pick if their other guys are gone. I’m not advocating either way, just speculating.

Either he is a steal of the draft or he steals a team’s money.

Isn't he an incredibly ty defender?

[duncan2150]

Isn't he an incredibly ty defender?

his weakness is the shoot, by the numbers 1.2 Steal and 1.2 Block in 21 minutes per game is pretty good. He has a good lateral quickness and he can guard multiple positions imo.

[rjv]

I'm okay with taking someone who is not a great shooter at this point but they better have the potential to shoot. And if the Spurs pick up another average shooter I sure hope they make up for that by going after some shooters in FA.

[Dejounte]

his weakness is the shoot, by the numbers 1.2 Steal and 1.2 Block in 21 minutes per game is pretty good. He has a good lateral quickness and he can guard multiple positions imo.

Watch him a little bit. Don't just look at numbers. He's a bad defender. The same, if not worse than, level of defender as Obi. His hips are stiff, and is often caught out of position.

[duncan2150]

Watch him a little bit. Don't just look at numbers. He's a bad defender. The same, if not worse than, level of defender as Obi. His hips are stiff, and is often caught out of position.

man, i don't look to the numbers only and i watched some tape. Im not saying he is good on D but when you average more than a block as a wing ( in 21 minutes) you can't say it's an hazard.

My opinion is that he is not bad and he has all the tools to be a good defender.

And if i was only watching the numbers i would tell you that he can shoot the three ( 44% with 1.4 attempts per game ) but that's not the case.

[exstatic]

Manu has had his fair share of botching big moments; I recall the 2013 Finals where he was clearly one of the main reasons for the loss due to the sloppy play and many turnovers he had. happens, but like with all things, it's a gamble and hopefully he has been scouted enough by the Spurs to be able to tell his basketball mentality.

Dallas 2006, the Dirk foul.

[exstatic]

man, i don't look to the numbers only and i watched some tape. Im not saying he is good on D but when you average more than a block as a wing ( in 21 minutes) you can't say it's an hazard.

My opinion is that he is not bad and he has all the tools to be a good defender.

And if i was only watching the numbers i would tell you that he can shoot the three ( 44% with 1.4 attempts per game ) but that's not the case.

Dejounte isn’t lying about the hips. They are the absolute key to lateral mobility. I posted this last year, but college DBs with flexible hips go on to be NFL cornerbacks,and make a ton of money. Those without become NFL safeties, and make far less money as a group.

[PhantomDashCam]

A good case for Jaden Springer at #12 (if available)...

Turns 19 in September and "may not have finished growing with both parents over 6′9"

https://www.prospectiveinsight.com/p...jaden-springer

Summary

The point of the lottery is to find upside bets. For the modern NBA, these bets take the shape of two-way advantage creators with strong physical tools that are versatile on both ends of the floor. Springer has the chance to be one of those players. He offers guard creator skills in essentially a 3 & D wing’s body, taking away the usual deficiencies that come on the defensive end. We’ve seen the value of a player like Jrue Holiday and Kyle Lowry in the playoffs. Not only does it allow their teams to potentially keep five positive defenders on the court in late-game situations, but it also presents the opportunity to play them alongside a “negative” defender, increasing the different lineup combinations that a team could roll out offensively. Springer is a strength-based player with rim pressure and a dogged on-ball defender.

[Dex]

Dallas 2006, the Dirk foul.

Perfect case of you "you live by the Manu, you die by the Manu".

Spurs actually wouldn't have even have been that close without him...then he got too aggressive on a defensive play that didn't call for it

[exstatic]

Perfect case of you "you live by the Manu, you die by the Manu".

Spurs actually wouldn't have even have been that close without him...then he got too aggressive on a defensive play that didn't call for it

After Pop stressed in no uncertain terms…NO FOULS.

[ace3g]