Draft projects to watch besides Wembanyama & Henderson

[Ariel]

His basketball skills are still pretty rudimentary.

https://www.tankathon.com/players/cam-whitmore

His basketball skills are not rudimentary, he's very good at creating his shot, with adequate ball handling and a nasty crossover, has very good footwork and is crafty around the basket with a good repertoire of moves, he's a freight train of a slasher and excellent at finishing through contact, reads defenses well and is a good cutter, great in transition, has improved a lot as a shooter with the ability to shoot the 3 though his release isn't fast, is an active defender with lateral quickness and a good read of passing lanes that gets a good number of steals.
On the negative side right now he isn't a good passer, I chalk low AS/TO ratio to his tendency to finish everything by himself leading to too many turnovers, he needs to play more within the flow of the offense and to take advantage of his teammates, but that can improve in time with proper coaching which the Spurs have, kind of like Jaylen Brown did. If he measures well at the combine (over 6'6" barefoot with good wingspan) I think he's an excellent option if we don't strike gold in the lottery.

[Mr. Body]

His basketball skills are not rudimentary, he's very good at creating his shot, with adequate ball handling and a nasty crossover, has very good footwork and is crafty around the basket with a good repertoire of moves, he's a freight train of a slasher and excellent at finishing through contact, reads defenses well and is a good cutter, great in transition, has improved a lot as a shooter with the ability to shoot the 3 though his release isn't fast, is an active defender with lateral quickness and a good read of passing lanes that gets a good number of steals.
On the negative side right now he isn't a good passer, I chalk low AS/TO ratio to his tendency to finish everything by himself leading to too many turnovers, he needs to play more within the flow of the offense and to take advantage of his teammates, but that can improve in time with proper coaching which the Spurs have, kind of like Jaylen Brown did. If he measures well at the combine (over 6'6" barefoot with good wingspan) I think he's an excellent option if we don't strike gold in the lottery.

Yeah, his skills are pretty rudimentary. If basketball was played 1-on-1 he'd be better. It's not. If he's considered a PF, his rebounding is low, he doesn't block shots, he doesn't get to the free throw line, he doesn't impact winning, and the excuses for his very poor AST/TO stats and AST/USG stats don't really make much sense. If you watched him, you saw a player who forces things because he's tunnel visioned and doesn't have a good grasp on what teammates can do.

I can see him pop above the Thompsons if people fall in love with his athleticism. I don't rank him as high as all that. You're basically drafting Keldon Johnson and we already have Keldon Johnson.

https://www.tankathon.com/players/co...keldon-johnson

[Vince Carter's ankle]

Why pass when you're the best player on the floor.

first of all, this is a stupid take
secondly, he just can't pass and has tunnel vision

he also has an inconsistent shot and doesn't get many free throws
mediocre basketball player, good athlete
no wonder you rate him highly

[duncan2150]

What was this guy's issue?
It was passing, right?

Passing and non existent mid range game, he's a slasher and can shoot the 3 actually. I will not be as harsh as Mr Body but yes he's actually a little bit rudimentary in a good way : athlet who can slash and shoot, imo his ballhandling is heavy but really interesting and improving ( agreed with Ariel on this one).

He has a big upside imo

[exstatic]

Yeah, his skills are pretty rudimentary. If basketball was played 1-on-1 he'd be better. It's not. If he's considered a PF, his rebounding is low, he doesn't block shots, he doesn't get to the free throw line, he doesn't impact winning, and the excuses for his very poor AST/TO stats and AST/USG stats don't really make much sense. If you watched him, you saw a player who forces things because he's tunnel visioned and doesn't have a good grasp on what teammates can do.

I can see him pop above the Thompsons if people fall in love with his athleticism. I don't rank him as high as all that. You're basically drafting Keldon Johnson and we already have Keldon Johnson.

https://www.tankathon.com/players/co...keldon-johnson

Keldon was even on TOs and assists, shot better from 3, and rebounded better as a SF than Cam does as a PF.

[rascal]

first of all, this is a stupid take
secondly, he just can't pass and has tunnel vision

he also has an inconsistent shot and doesn't get many free throws
mediocre basketball player, good athlete
no wonder you rate him highly

Get a sense of humor.

[rascal]

Passing and non existent mid range game, he's a slasher and can shoot the 3 actually. I will not be as harsh as Mr Body but yes he's actually a little bit rudimentary in a good way : athlet who can slash and shoot, imo his ballhandling is heavy but really interesting and improving ( agreed with Ariel on this one).

He has a big upside imo

Passing the ball is the easiest thing to get better at.

Speed, quickness and athleticism is the hardest, you naturally either have those skills or you don't.

[rascal]

Yeah, his skills are pretty rudimentary. If basketball was played 1-on-1 he'd be better. It's not. If he's considered a PF, his rebounding is low, he doesn't block shots, he doesn't get to the free throw line, he doesn't impact winning, and the excuses for his very poor AST/TO stats and AST/USG stats don't really make much sense. If you watched him, you saw a player who forces things because he's tunnel visioned and doesn't have a good grasp on what teammates can do.

I can see him pop above the Thompsons if people fall in love with his athleticism. I don't rank him as high as all that. You're basically drafting Keldon Johnson and we already have Keldon Johnson.

https://www.tankathon.com/players/co...keldon-johnson

He's a SF at 6'6", not a PF.

[rascal]

Keldon was even on TOs and assists, shot better from 3, and rebounded better as a SF than Cam does as a PF.

Cam is a SF not a PF.

[Mr. Body]

He's a SF at 6'6", not a PF.

I agree that Whitmore is a SF, but he's listed as a PF in many places. Regardless, Keldon Johnson may have been a better prospect than Whitmore is. He's simply ranked too high in my estimation.

[duncan2150]

Passing the ball is the easiest thing to get better at.

Speed, quickness and athleticism is the hardest, you naturally either have those skills or you don't.

Agreed

Shooting is also a difficult thing to really improve but that's not the case for Withmore. On the other hand the feel for the game is not something you could have and improve easily and that could be a concern for him.

[Mr. Body]

Eh... we know that passing isn't simply 'passing,' right? You have to see the floor as an environment where very athletic and talented bodies are moving in space and reading by body position and movement whether they can access your pass or not and then instantly deciding to make that pass. If you've played basketball at any compe ive level, you know sometimes you'll make a pass without fully deciding to: your concept of space and availability makes it for you. The game is so fast and dynamic at the NBA level that you need to have exceptionally sophisticated processing and vision.

In any case, we're not talking about a bunch of five year-olds practicing bounce passes in an empty gym. We're talking the ability to see what is available in extremely narrow and changing moments.

I'm not going to say that Whitmore can't develop some passing skills, but he did look like a guy that has very poor skills, as in not even seeing dump-offs for better positioned players under the basket as he was driving.

There's a reason I bring up Keldon -- Keldon has tunnel vision when he's driving, too. Not as bad, but if he's not shooting a three, he's going all the way to the basket. Tunnel vision is sometimes selfishness. Sometimes it's just not being able to register and define options other than the primary goal of your movement.

Watching Whitmore, I think it's a combination of selfishness and inability to process not trying to bash the ball into what his primary goal is. That's not something easy to learn not to do and in many cases is impossible.

[Ariel]

Eh... we know that passing isn't simply 'passing,' right? You have to see the floor as an environment where very athletic and talented bodies are moving in space and reading by body position and movement whether they can access your pass or not and then instantly deciding to make that pass. If you've played basketball at any compe ive level, you know sometimes you'll make a pass without fully deciding to: your concept of space and availability makes it for you. The game is so fast and dynamic at the NBA level that you need to have exceptionally sophisticated processing and vision.

In any case, we're not talking about a bunch of five year-olds practicing bounce passes in an empty gym. We're talking the ability to see what is available in extremely narrow and changing moments.

I'm not going to say that Whitmore can't develop some passing skills, but he did look like a guy that has very poor skills, as in not even seeing dump-offs for better positioned players under the basket as he was driving.

There's a reason I bring up Keldon -- Keldon has tunnel vision when he's driving, too. Not as bad, but if he's not shooting a three, he's going all the way to the basket. Tunnel vision is sometimes selfishness. Sometimes it's just not being able to register and define options other than the primary goal of your movement.

Watching Whitmore, I think it's a combination of selfishness and inability to process not trying to bash the ball into what his primary goal is. That's not something easy to learn not to do and in many cases is impossible.

It depends on WHY you aren't passing, and I think his blackhole mindset has a lot to do with that, rather than being unable to recognize the right move at any given time. Of course I don't think he's Sochan, but I have a lot more confidence in him learning to at least kick out more often when overmatched at just 18, than the Thompsons learning to shoot at 20 when reportedly they've been working on it A LOT already with little to nothing to show for it. A lot was made of Tari Eason's poor bball IQ last year, and he did just fine. Cam is a hybrid forward like him, and since there is no sure fire prospect at that range I'll take my chances with him over a lot of the alternatives
You can make a list of every player's concerns, they all have one or more:
Wemby: health
Scoot: shooting, finishing, size, ego
Miller: character, finishing, performance under pressure.
Cam: passing and or bball iq (if you think that's the cause)
Hendricks: putting the ball on the floor, creating his shot
Black: shooting, ceiling
Thompsons: everything
it's pick your poison.

[rascal]

I look for athleticism( quickness getting past a defender and ability to finish at the rim-explosiveness and power, jumping ability, dribbling ability and handle) how a player looks with lateral quickness and has the ability to get off the ground to pose a shot blocking threat as a defender and does he have a quick release on his shot and good shooting form. Cam checks all those boxes

[exstatic]

I look for athleticism( quickness getting past a defender and ability to finish at the rim-explosiveness and power, jumping ability, dribbling ability and handle) how a player looks with lateral quickness and has the ability to get off the ground to pose a shot blocking threat as a defender and does he have a quick release on his shot and good shooting form. Cam checks all those boxes

0.3 blocks. Not exactly checking that box. His rebounding is for , too.

jumping
high
isn't
everything

[The Truth #6]

I’ve seen some videos where I wonder if Cam is actually able to get by players with his dribble. Being so insanely strong perhaps it’s less of an issue. I know he can jump super high. But I’ve seen clips that make me wonder about his lateral quickness. Among with other reasons mentioned I have some doubts about him and his overall functional athleticism (not just jumping high and destroying the rim), but I’m happy to change my mind if convinced otherwise.

[Mr. Body]

I’ve seen some videos where I wonder if Cam is actually able to get by players with his dribble. Being so insanely strong perhaps it’s less of an issue. I know he can jump super high. But I’ve seen clips that make me wonder about his lateral quickness. Among with other reasons mentioned I have some doubts about him and his overall functional athleticism (not just jumping high and destroying the rim), but I’m happy to change my mind if convinced otherwise.

Was going to say. His lateral quickness isn't all that good, in fact is pretty basic for a SF at best. If he's a PF, it's not quite as bad. To be sure, he's very strong and he can jump real high. I'm not sure the strength will come through against NBA caliber players as much but the jumping ability will help.

One thing that keeps getting me about Whitmore is that his steals per game are nice, but his advanced defensive metrics aren't all that great. In fact, Gradey 's are better.

[The Truth #6]

We need talent obviously, and Cam is young so I’m not saying he is awful or can’t improve. I will say he could benefit from slowing down at times and adding in some old man game of back down players so he can see his teammates more.

I do see him as a SF and that is super needed. But he is an off ball player and maybe that’s why I have him lower than Amen who is comfortable with the ball in his hands. Amen needs to shoot better obviously but needs to learn to do less. To me it’s harder learning to do more, such as play on ball to score and pass. So to me that’s what limits Cam’s upside: he has to learn how to work in the pnr and find his teammates to be a star. For me, Amen has less obstacles to be a star. Having said that, Cam totally has an easy path to be a solid role player. For me, I’m less interested in a role player. But again, just my opinion and I’m happy to be convinced otherwise.

[Silverheart80]

Hendricks has no shot creation to speak of. The opposite of what the Spurs need right now tbh. If anyone watches this long vid (i encourage it), you’ll notice he barely has the ball in his hands and when he does, he only takes a one or two dribbles before shooting. The Spurs should have higher expectations from their top pick being a catch and shoot player. At least Jarace Walker has some semblance of a mid range game.

Good video. Thanks for posting. Hendricks was my preferred pick for the Spurs, if they don't land the #1. But yeah, I now see the limitation and agree with the point about needing a more well-rounded player. I just don't know who that prospect would be, given the candidates in this draft.

If I were Spurs GM, the only one I'm definitely sure I *wouldn't* draft is Scoot. Makes sense for short-term hype, but not as the centerpiece of a team building toward a ring in an NBA future where playmakers will be much taller and much longer for the elite teams. There will be plenty of short point guards, same as ever in the coming years, but *not* on the teams chasing les. So if the ring is the thing, then winning roster designs will have to feature long, agile playmakers that can shoot, not just to create offensive mismatches vs. opponents, but to avoid creating gaping defensive mismatches for themselves.

That's gonna be the legacy of KD, but also the global influence Wembanyama's hype will have, no matter where he goes or what he does. Kids aren't gonna suddenly grow taller, but the ones that are genetically freakish will be influenced to play like KD and VW from here on. Players that are 6'2" will be such liabilities on defense that I don't seem them being desirable starters on perennial playoff teams in the near future. Might work today but not in years to come, no matter how "athletic" they are.

So who *do* you think is the right draft pick for the Spurs, Dejounte? (VW aside)

[KobesAchilles]

If we get Can more then we are screwed as a franchise. He is like Carmel Anthony but without his offensive talent

[The Truth #6]

Cam seems like a good citizen and, hey, he plays the baritone saxophone. The FO still gets excited about details like that imo. They may think: 1. they can mold him into a better player, and 2. He has good character and motivation to become great. For me, that’s several years just until he can possibly run a pick and roll and I don’t see the wait being worth it.

[rascal]

If we get Can more then we are screwed as a franchise. He is like Carmel Anthony but without his offensive talent

If Cam can be a ten time all star like Carmelo then the Spurs did well with him as their pick.

[The Truth #6]

“But without his offensive talent”…

[jjspur]

If we don't get a top 3 pick, then the next 5 or so picks, have their strengths and weaknesses so we aren't getting a player with guaranteed all star skills but we should be a be able to land a player with skills that can be developed even more. Whitmore falls into that category if we happen to pick 4th or further down.

[BacktoBasics]

If we don't get a top 3 pick, then the next 5 or so picks, have their strengths and weaknesses so we aren't getting a player with guaranteed all star skills but we should be a be able to land a player with skills that can be developed even more. Whitmore falls into that category if we happen to pick 4th or further down.

I completely understand taking a swing at Amen at 4. The athleticism warrants it. 5th pick on and the best player who has the potential to change the dynamic of your team is Black. Probably not his rookie season but he’s loaded with intangibles and has that “it” factor when it comes to being a guy who can dictate the pace of a game rather than be solely reactionary.

I get there are a few others that speak to contribution but Black has something that I think would really glue the Spurs together in a way we haven’t seen yet. He really would bridge the gap between Sochan and Vassell/Keldon. Instead of being interesting players on the same team I feel he would glue it together. Tough to verbalize. I’m a Black believer.

Giddey like. Yes I understand that Giddey was a bit more developed on draft night.