Random Thoughts After The Spurs Pick Luka Samanic, Keldon Johnson and Quinndary Weatherspoon In The 2019 NBA Draft

[SpursRussia]

Skinny Boban. He's not as slow as Boban, but he's even more raw. If he manages to live up to his hype, it will take pretty much the whole rookie contract period to get him there, if not longer. My opinion - we'll know soon enough.

I could be wrong, cause I only watched highlights, but he looked much faster and more agile than Boban, could put the ball on the floor a little bit and had a quick release on a 3. Also he moves his feet better on defense and isn’t so foul prone. He is just really fluid in his movements for such a tall guy, while Boban is exactly what you expect him to be in terms of moving his body.

I’d like to make a bet on him, but potential locker room problems really change the perspective for such high risk prospect

[Truth4sale$]

Sorry TimVP, usually your write ups are great. I was warming up to these picks but after reading the write up, I am souring on these guys drafted again. I know it was a not a deep draft but I just feel these guys are roleplayers, and the Spurs needed someone who could emerge or develop to a superstar. The spurs currently DONT have a superstar to pair with these young role players
....,hoping for the best and that I am wrong and PATFO are right again.

[ZeusWillJudge]

I could be wrong, cause I only watched highlights, but he looked much faster and more agile than Boban, could put the ball on the floor a little bit and had a quick release on a 3. Also he moves his feet better on defense and isn’t so foul prone. He is just really fluid in his movements for such a tall guy, while Boban is exactly what you expect him to be in terms of moving his body.

I’d like to make a bet on him, but potential locker room problems really change the perspective for such high risk prospect

He's faster, no doubt. But not as smart, and not as experienced. Boban doesn't get to where he needs to be on the floor because he's slow. Bol won't get there because he won't know where to be. Different causes, but same outcome. I wasn't saying that they're the same player.

You can't teach quick, so I guess Bol will have a chance to get there. If his body holds up. He's just a lot of time investment and a lot of risk. I think that's why he fell, and why the Spurs didn't take him.

[Play Boban]

I could be wrong, cause I only watched highlights, but he looked much faster and more agile than Boban, could put the ball on the floor a little bit and had a quick release on a 3. Also he moves his feet better on defense and isn’t so foul prone. He is just really fluid in his movements for such a tall guy, while Boban is exactly what you expect him to be in terms of moving his body.

I’d like to make a bet on him, but potential locker room problems really change the perspective for such high risk prospect

Boban >>>> Ball Ball

[313]

How did we not draft Brandon Clark? he was the second best player in this draft and fell to 21.

This kid is putting up video game numbers, and the spurs passed on him for Semanic

as a basketball fan I'm glad he ended up in Memphis, though. Pop would have him wasting his rookie season in the gleague.

PATFO

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

Read the op again, basically everything Samanic has shown is exactly on point.

Johnson’s game has really progressed in Austin though. Timvp, have you changed some of your initial thoughts and projections about him after watching him? I’d never have expected of him to drive and finish so relentlessly at the rim, or to be given the ball in the half court to run the offense ad much as he’s been allowed to. It seems they see more in him than a 3 and D type.

[RC_Drunkford]

Read the op again, basically everything Samanic has shown is exactly on point.

Johnson’s game has really progressed in Austin though. Timvp, have you changed some of your initial thoughts and projections about him after watching him? I’d never have expected of him to drive and finish so relentlessly at the rim, or to be given the ball in the half court to run the offense ad much as he’s been allowed to. It seems they see more in him than a 3 and D type.

That's because Johnson was a 3-and-D in college. If a 19-year old player has a 3-and-D skill set that means he has a lot of room to grow into more.

[timvp]

-So, if he has all these tools, why wasn't Samanic picked higher in the draft? He hasn't put it all together. And there's a legitimate chance that he never does. Samanic is definitely a boom or bust prospect. If he never connects all the pieces of his puzzle, he won't see a second contract in the NBA. He also has to answer the questions about his commitment and tenacity that dogged him in Europe. But if he works at it, stays mentally engaged throughout the process and figures it all out, he could become a very valuable building block for the franchise as the Spurs transition to the next generation.

-For Samanic to unlock his potential, his first step on offense is to become a unignorable three-point shooting threat. Right now, he can shoot the three but he only makes them at about a 30-33% clip. The good news is he has a quick release, a high release point and he comfortably shoots a soft ball with impressive range. Why doesn't he shoot a better percentage? It appears like he has a lot of fixable, small issues. For example, his footwork during shot preparation is sloppy and inconsistent. He also doesn't always square his shoulders up to the basket. But those are exactly the type of shooting mechanics minutiae Chip Engelland knows how to teach.

-Beyond his shooting, Samanic's offense just needs a lot of tightening up. His dribbling in the halfcourt has to be more controlled, he needs to see the floor better to make the right pass, he needs to be more patient when in traffic, he needs to better use his athleticism when finishing at the rim, etc. While it won't be an easy process, it's doable -- there don't appear to be any fatal flaws.

-Defensively, Samanic just needs to work on his mental approach and his strength. On the ball, he's already solid. He seems to relish the opportunity to switch onto smaller players and fights for defensive boards. Where he struggles is when he's off the ball; he'll all too often fall asleep when on the weakside. And, as I previously stated, while he is unlikely to ever become a notable shot-blocker, adding strength should allow him to hold up better in the lane against rugged bigs and slashing smalls.

So, yeah, unfortunately Samanic didn't answer the questions about his commitment or tenacity. He didn't become a legit three-point threat; he remained a 30%-ish shooter from deep. His dribbling in halfcourt never got more controlled (to say the least, tbh ). His patience didn't get much better and he never learned to really use his athleticism to his advantage. His passing looked good in summer league but was underwhelming in all other levels. Defensively, I don't think his strength was ever a problem but his mental approach never really developed beyond being able to move his feet on the perimeter if he felt like it.

I still don't have a problem going with a boom or bust prospect at 19. Good try, unfortunate outcome.

[Manu&Duncan fan]

So, yeah, unfortunately Samanic didn't answer the questions about his commitment or tenacity. He didn't become a legit three-point threat; he remained a 30%-ish shooter from deep. His dribbling in halfcourt never got more controlled (to say the least, tbh ). His patience didn't get much better and he never learned to really use his athleticism to his advantage. His passing looked good in summer league but was underwhelming in all other levels. Defensively, I don't think his strength was ever a problem but his mental approach never really developed beyond being able to move his feet on the perimeter if he felt like it.

I still don't have a problem going with a boom or bust prospect at 19. Good try, unfortunate outcome.

Fully agree! Thank you TiMVP!

[John B]

So, yeah, unfortunately Samanic didn't answer the questions about his commitment or tenacity. He didn't become a legit three-point threat; he remained a 30%-ish shooter from deep. His dribbling in halfcourt never got more controlled (to say the least, tbh ). His patience didn't get much better and he never learned to really use his athleticism to his advantage. His passing looked good in summer league but was underwhelming in all other levels. Defensively, I don't think his strength was ever a problem but his mental approach never really developed beyond being able to move his feet on the perimeter if he felt like it.

I still don't have a problem going with a boom or bust prospect at 19. Good try, unfortunate outcome.

Good take on Samanic mental toughness and falling asleep on the weakside. Still I think it’s too early to cut him.

[exstatic]

Good take on Samanic mental toughness and falling asleep on the weakside. Still I think it’s too early to cut him.

If it were just the basketball stuff, I might see your point, but he’s still the same lazy, disinterested that showed up two years ago. That can’t be fixed, unfortunately. My guess is, they hoped it was just immaturity, and not that he was just a jerk. They were wrong, and days away from having to commit ANOTHER $4M to him for next year, is pretty much the perfect time to cut him.

[jjspur]

If it were just the basketball stuff, I might see your point, but he’s still the same lazy, disinterested that showed up two years ago. That can’t be fixed, unfortunately. My guess is, they hoped it was just immaturity, and not that he was just a jerk. They were wrong, and days away from having to commit ANOTHER $4M to him for next year, is pretty much the perfect time to cut him.

Completely agree. Some months ago I wrote something very similar saying that Samanic looked rather uninterested at times, but with your colorful descriptions, you hit it one the nail. Even with all the size and talent in the world, drive and at ude still count ... especially for players on this team.

[exstatic]

Completely agree. Some months ago I wrote something very similar saying that Samanic looked rather uninterested at times, but with your colorful descriptions, you hit it one the nail. Even with all the size and talent in the world, drive and at ude still count ... especially for players on this team.

His talent was still unrealized too, for the most part. His shot motion is pretty consistent, quick release and sound, yet, he’s still only hitting around 29-30% from long. That tells me he’s probably not putting up 500 shots a day after practice.

[talkspurs]

If it were just the basketball stuff, I might see your point, but he’s still the same lazy, disinterested that showed up two years ago. That can’t be fixed, unfortunately. My guess is, they hoped it was just immaturity, and not that he was just a jerk. They were wrong, and days away from having to commit ANOTHER $4M to him for next year, is pretty much the perfect time to cut him.

So why dont you feel the same way about simmons? He does not get better every year. He may have started out better but has not really improved.

[spurraider21]

So, yeah, unfortunately Samanic didn't answer the questions about his commitment or tenacity. He didn't become a legit three-point threat; he remained a 30%-ish shooter from deep. His dribbling in halfcourt never got more controlled (to say the least, tbh ). His patience didn't get much better and he never learned to really use his athleticism to his advantage. His passing looked good in summer league but was underwhelming in all other levels. Defensively, I don't think his strength was ever a problem but his mental approach never really developed beyond being able to move his feet on the perimeter if he felt like it.

I still don't have a problem going with a boom or bust prospect at 19. Good try, unfortunate outcome.

good post but ended with a compulsory sniff

[exstatic]

So why dont you feel the same way about simmons? He does not get better every year. He may have started out better but has not really improved.

Because Simmons doesn’t lack the basketball stuff. He’s a three time AS. Try to keep up, and keep the awful analogies out of sight

[LaMarcus Bryant]

Maybe the next big man drafted over the next 10 year quota isn't an uncut Euro
We got more mileage outta a DeJuan Blair type pick than this

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

I remember thinking Luka wasn't a great pick, but then I was thrilled we still managed to draft Keldon that far down in the first round. And I liked the choice of Q in the second round.

Timvp made me feel better about the Luka pick, and I think he was right at the time...lots of potential, just couldn't get it right between the ears.

[spurraider21]

I remember thinking Luka wasn't a great pick, but then I was thrilled we still managed to draft Keldon that far down in the first round. And I liked the choice of Q in the second round.

Timvp made me feel better about the Luka pick, and I think he was right at the time...lots of potential, just couldn't get it right between the ears.

this forum gets infatuated with our second round picks quite often tbh

remember all the blossomgame love?

[talkspurs]

Because Simmons doesn’t lack the basketball stuff. He’s a three time AS. Try to keep up, and keep the awful analogies out of sight

Simmons is on the Decline and has been mostly led by hype. I notice you still have not replied to my post about usage. did you finally figure out your wrong on that. maybe one day you will see Ben is not as good as you think.

BTW I figured that would be your response. its your only response. AS games and defense teams.

[Biggems]

based on the last two seasons, who should we have taken at 19, assuming we still get Keldon where we got him at the end of the 1st?

[CGD]

^ sure Mattise was there, but I’m not sad about the pick there. I can see the reasoning: it would have been a huge pick up if dude got right between the ears over the last to season. Win some, lose some. Time to move on.

[Sugus]

^ sure Mattise was there, but I’m not sad about the pick there. I can see the reasoning: it would have been a huge pick up if dude got right between the ears over the last to season. Win some, lose some. Time to move on.

It's just Spurstalk posters that can't compute the difference between a high-risk, high-reward pick, and an outright bad pick. Probably due to being far too spoiled by such good overall drafting through the years, that the Spurs haven't had too many examples of both of them, tbh.

Thybulle is the retrospectively-looking better pick seeing as he's still in the league, albeit probably a forever negative on O and permanent bench player. I'd still take the swing on Luka and his ceiling over Mattisse's ceiling at #19 any day of the week.

[K...]

imagine knowing that it would take 4 busts to get a star. the spurs have only had a few sub 20's picks and have gotten a decent guy in vassel, and a potential star in primo and one bust. the future is bright as the tank commeth, theyre will be more busts, but the spurs are still ahead of the curve.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

this forum gets infatuated with our second round picks quite often tbh

remember all the blossomgame love?

I remember the draft almost being an afterthought when this team was worth a darn. . It would be watched with casual curiosity to see who the latest “draft and stash” player or roster filler was going to be. Now it’s life and death for this group in order to not to f’up the future!