I've said it before, but Holland does seem Spurs like, right down to being rated significantly higher entering the season.
As much as his shot is highly suspect, the same could be said for every top wing prospect in the draft to varying degrees.
A couple things I don’t want are unathletic or undersized players. Unathletic raises concerns about ability to defend and undersized raises concerns on both ends of the court as well as game translating to the NBA.
That said, Dillingham if he can play some PG, Buzelis/Risacher, Edey (backup C) would be a decent haul.
We are pretty lucky though, is Sarr a no brainer for Spurs if lightning strikes yet again and we pick #1 overall?
He plays hard. He's learning to play on ball. He's got a long way to go but likely won't bust, rather will have a low ceiling if he doesn't pull it together. As a Spurs prospect he would have to survive under Pop, and for a sort of low BBIQ player, that could be a concern. But if he's confident, Pop could also love him. He will likely be available so it will be interesting to see how the FO sees him.
In “thread the needle” news - Atlanta moves one step closer to threading the needle with their SAC pick (protected 1-14) with the Kings win over GSW. If the Kings beat the Pels, the Hawks will get a pick in the mid to late teens.
that would be a heist with their own ATL pick at 10 too.
Something to monitor. Would greatly influence the 2025 roster that will be determining Spurs ATL 2025 FRP value.
well damn
If they’re willing to trade those picks. That front office seems to be pretty incompetent, though. They seem like a team more likely to get worse next year rather than better.
I don’t know if Ron is good enough to overtake Champagnie. Being realistic, Vassell isn’t going anywhere and Ron isn’t a good fit with him if he doesn’t become a good shooter. Seems like his favorite thing to do is barrel his way to the basket which is a type of player we’ve seen already in Keldon. Yeah, he might be twice the player Keldon is, but again, is he able to prove quickly that he’s a more impactful player than Champagnie? People like to on Champagnie but he plays his role to the T and that’s likely what the Spurs are going to expect from any rookie that comes in— can they play within a team concept and be trusted to do that as they progressively gain the team’s trust with each glimpse of lottery talent they show? Everybody earns their touches on this team through playing as a role player first, even Wemby did.
and yes, the other wings in this draft (even Zaccharie) aren’t that much better as shooters than Ron, but they have size. It makes sense to me that when all things are equal (or not significantly much different, in terms of talent), that you go for the guy with size.
When does the combine start?
The NBA Lottery is May 12th
The NBA Combine is May 13-19
quite simply... I'm going down Tankathon by prospects' Assists per 36min.
If we somehow ended up drafting:
Topic (7.1 a/36)
Dillingham (6.0 a/36)
Kolek (8.4 a/36)
& Nunez (7.9 a/36)
... and ended up with 4 PGs just to see who would pan out... I would be perfectly happy. Make sure we get the PG of the future to pair with Wemby and trade (or release) the rest. Focus on SF/PF in '25
Seems like not enough minutes for four backup point guards. Do they fight to the death a la Thunderdome to see who wins out?
I wouldn't want them to only play like 5 minutes in a game.... but between gleague, practice, and taking turns getting like 30min in a game here and there, I would just hope for a quick analysis of who's the best.
Can drafted stash rights play in Summer League?
Or can you switch a traditional contract over into stash rights at a later point?
shampenny hit 36.5% of his 3's this year. now if he was an on-ball player who also took 3's to create that threat, 36.5% is a fine number. but he was out there basically as the 3pt specialist of the starting unit, and for that role, he was subpar. the idea of shampenny is better than the player he is. but this draft is weak when it comes to finding wings that can shoot well. risacher has bigger question marks now than he did 2-3 months ago when he played himself into the near consensus #1 or #2 overall pick. cody williams has a high % but feels like a mirage given the extremely low volume. otherwise you have Knecht as a plus shooter, but there are questions about whether he can survive at anything but guard with his size/athleticism (combine will be a big indicator for him). he's also not really a physical defender. theres Furphy but he's also not a great shooter.
so yeah, if you want somebody to fill shampenny's role, risacher is the only rookie i'd feel confident in. but if the talent disparity is big enough, you may have to live with it. especially if we also add a good shooting point guard like dilly/sheppard to help w/ the spacing
My top two choices for the Spurs are Sarr and Castle. Love the defensive abilities of these two more than anyone else in this draft.
Much as I'd like an NBA-ready, long, athletic 45% 3-point shooter who can defend all five positions, that guy doesn't exist in this draft. Sarr and Castle are not reliable perimeter shooters yet, but neither looks like a bust there either. Sarr seems to play more comfortably as a wing than as a center. That fits well with VW on both ends. Would take my chances giving him time to develop a reliable shot because his defensive skillset is so solid. Also -- if he keeps honing that turnaround fadeaway jumper above the free-throw line that he seems to like, he's gonna be a big problem.
I like Castle's perimeter defense, plus his maturity at a young age. Only played one year of college ball, but plays with high IQ. Spurs need more of that. His 3-point stroke needs coaching but his game reminds me of a young Jimmy Butler. I've said all year that Vassell is the weakest link in the Spurs' current future plan, but I think we're stuck with him this year, at the very least. My hope is Castle eventually replaces him.
Thanks— so we really won’t have new info on these guys until then. I guess with the exception of maybe the Europeans whose leagues are still going.
New ESPN mock
https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/sto...st-round-picks
5. San Antonio Spurs
Nikola Topic
Mega MIS
PG
Age: 18.6
The Spurs have an opening at point guard and will likely study the fit of both Topic and Dillingham, who is already off the board in this scenario. Pairing Victor Wembanyama with a highly unselfish, creative passer such as Topic would be attractive, as he also has excellent size to play in the backcourt with other guards. His defensive shortcomings might not appear as glaring with Wembanyama behind him, but improving his perimeter shooting will be key. -- Givony
Jeez he has Clingan going #3.
https://archive.is/cQLFo
Hopefully if the Spurs end up at #5 and draft Topic they'll at least have the Toronto pick convey so they can draft a forward too.
Yes, a couple of prior 'stash' picks played in summer league but never signed a real contract with SA. Sanikidze did. Ryan Richards did then a few years later I think signed a camp deal he had no hope of making good on.
But often stash guys have national team obligations, or are under contract with teams who won't allow it, or just won't do it without having an NBA contract in hand. Hanga, Milutinov, and Dangubic never played in summer league as I recall.
Why I thought one way or the other, Spurs will select Reed Sheppard? I will base first my premise in the article “What we learned from the Spurs win over the Suns by Jacob Douglas dated March 26, 2024” of Poundingtherock.com. Douglas opined that “. . . the Spurs are better when they play fast . . .As they look at what to do in the offseason, more players that space the floor and make life easier in the half-court should be a priority.”
First, we can jumpstart a fastbreak (playing fast) through defensive rebounds, blocks and steals. Reed has quick hands as he has 3.1 steals per 36 min. and excel in throwing long outlet pass. He is a decent shot blocker for his size at 0.9 block per 36 min . Of course, Rebounds can be met by other picks.
Second, Reed can space the floor as he averaged 52.1 in 3P% and has a true shooting % of 69.9
Third, Reed is a dog. He came to college as number 23 prospect behind Collier, Holland, Edwards, Wagner, Buzelis, Bradshaw, Williams, Walter, MCCain, Castle, Dillingham before he earned the coveted freshman of the year award through constant improvement.
I’m not as good as various award-giving bodies (ESPN, CBS Sports, Basketball Writers, Basketball Coaches) but there must be a reason why Reed was their choice as Freshman of the Year 2024.
I would be content if Reed is the choice in the draft.
Holland does have some some interesting qualities to him (athleticism, hustle, defense, youth, work ethic) but his 6'6" height with thin shoulders isn't enough for me to overlook he lack of a defined skill set on top of his very poor shooting numbers. Buzelis' aren't anything to write home about, but he's about 6'9", is a more advanced ball handler, better at creating his own shot and looks more resourceful finishing, so I see an easier pathway for him to develop into an important piece in the final minutes of a close playoff game, and that is the ultimate standard by which I'd measure a future core piece. Holland can maybe get there, but his path is harder, so I'd look elsewhere first. But if we were picking a bit later, I'd consider him as well.
Spurs don't like small guards. If they take a guard it's likely to be either Topic or Castle.
Where have you read he has a strong work ethic? If he's a gym rat like Kawhi I'd be much more willing to take a wild swing at him.
Parker, Avery, Mills, Silas etc.
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