Player Projections - for Sh*ts N Giggles

[Mr. Body]

For s n giggles, post what you think will happen with individual players this season. Call your shots.

For me, a range of outcomes for each. Generally I'm on the optimistic side for this campaign.

Keldon Johnson - I fear he's going to regress and perhaps suffer in the roster juggle. If he comes off the bench, either this can bolster him or he will fade. Needs to play defense but don't think that's his thing.

Blake Wesley - Gut says he doesn't show enough improvement and will struggle anytime he comes back to the main squad especially as they establish an iden y. Still a chaotic mess.

Charles Bassey - A hard read. Could both be needed due to injuries or doesn't get enough time to develop. Has a nice basket of goods including a potential jump shot. Could be a big surprise but feel his minutes could be low.

Dougie McBuckets - He's only 31 but his time as a player on the team is mostly over. Not sure he's moved at halftime, but he's a tremendous locker room guy who may eventually coach.

Devonte Graham - A good guy who may get spot minutes to give the starters another look with a shooter. Won't complain about PT and might get moved. Still, I see more floor time for him than McDermott.

Cedi Osman - Hard to get a read on him, depends more on JC than anything I feel. Will get more opportunity than we expect.

Sandro Mamukelashvili - Skill set is a charcuterie board of Pop's favorite things. Probably too weak on defense for a lot of time, but I feel he'll play more than many expect. His passing will unlock a lot of stuff.

Sidy Cissoko - Bigger and stronger than expected, I hope his jumper is merely broken and can be fixed, as some have claimed. I can see him actually play more than expected in a semi-Stanley Johnson role.

Julian Champagnie - There's a slot for him to play off the bench quite a lot if he wants it. Can he scale down from SL and be effective in bursts? A smarter player with a bigger skill set than I thought.

Tre Jones - I like Jones much more than some here. Could round into a great backup and will be fine as a starter if needed for now. He'll never be a three point threat.

Zach Collins - After getting the starting role, had many great moments and games. Great skillset for this team, a nasty vibe. I don't think his stats will explode, but he'll be more than solid at his position.

Dominic Barlow - His Summer League as simply astonishing. In a matter of months for me he completely changed my mind on him. Is all that production real? Can he play productive NBA minutes?

Devin Vassell - With the space Wemby provides, will be able to feast. Will he do it? Hope his efficiency rises and he returns to defensive roots. Can be an All-Star at some point.

Malaki Branham - God, I hate his defense, how he dies on screens, how he's often out of defensive plays, but this guy can be an absolute beast on offense and his bag of tricks isn't even that big yet.

Jeremy Sochan - This guy is going to be a star. I quietly thought he'd become a top three player in his draft class. He's a mismatch nightmare to cover due to size and speed and the rest of his game can explode.

Victor Wembanyama - Somehow he's become forgotten or underrated. Just on defense alone he's going to take away sectors of the court and teams won't challenge him. Midway through the season he'll be near All-Star.

[heyheymymy]

So afraid Blake Wesley is the next Lonnie Walker IV

Blake has a path to mins in this league at least as a decent role player but can he put it all together? Love the flashes I've seen. The defense. Always poking away balls. Insane physicality, his open court burst is pure horsepower granted too unbridled and leads to TOs. Remember that inbounds play were Blake caught I think it was some Mavericks player not looking at him so Blake inbounds the ball off the Mavs players back recovers the loose ball and takes it like baseline perhaps to an easy bucket? Stuff like that shows so much promise.

My hunch is that if Blake ever crystallizes... it'll be this time next year. So get ready for another clumsy trial season for him imho. To be fair that would still be within his timeline to develop in the first 3 seasons- realistic for a #25 imo.

Starting to believe however that Blake just never really flips the pancake so to speak and goes out like Lonnie. Hope I'm wrong

[John B]

So afraid Blake Wesley is the next Lonnie Walker IV

Blake has a path to mins in this league at least as a decent role player but can he put it all together? Love the flashes I've seen. The defense. Always poking away balls. Insane physicality, his open court burst is pure horsepower granted too unbridled and leads to TOs. Remember that inbounds play were Blake caught I think it was some Mavericks player not looking at him so Blake inbounds the ball off the Mavs players back recovers the loose ball and takes it like baseline perhaps to an easy bucket? Stuff like that shows so much promise.

My hunch is that if Blake ever crystallizes... it'll be this time next year. So get ready for another clumsy trial season for him imho. To be fair that would still be within his timeline to develop in the first 3 seasons- realistic for a #25 imo.

Starting to believe however that Blake just never really flips the pancake so to speak and goes out like Lonnie. Hope I'm wrong

That some Maverick player was Luka

Blake has always been advertised as very raw between the 3 draftees last year, high risk big reward kind of guy. It didn’t help that he’s on a “tanking” team. BUT, compare to DJ on his first year, Blake has the better skills. I remember I almost gave up on DJ until his 4th(?) season. Once Blake gets that figured out, he’ll be a special player, reminds me of TP beimg fearless in the paint, undeterred. With everybody improving, excitement for Wemby’s coming, I expect Blake to be working as hard.

[LeBowen]

Keldon Johnson - I think he has to start because without him spacing would be horrible. Can't start with just Devin as a legit 3pt threat. I can see him doing well because he won't need to carry as much offensive load as last season, but he will never get close to becoming an all-star, despite his numbers. His defense is a major concern long-term.

Blake Wesley - I honestly can't see him making it as a point guard. He has intriguing potential, but he's all over the place when he needs to initiate offense. If everyone's healthy, he won't play much.

Charles Bassey - I think we overrated him a bit last season. Solid backup, with some great games here and there.

Dougie McBuckets - Hopefully traded for something useful.

Devonte Graham - I think he'll get more minutes than most people expect because we need shooters.

Cedi Osman - I think Pop will love him and he'll become everyone's favorite player to hate on.

Sandro Mamukelashvili - Less minutes than expected if everyone's healthy. Useful bench player.

Sidy Cissoko - Austin until he stops being completely useless on offense.

Julian Champagnie - Personally I hope he takes Doug's spot and enables a trade.

Tre Jones - Great guy and a solid player, but should be nothing more than a backup.

Zach Collins - Solid, hopefully stays healthy. I could maybe see him getting traded to a contender.

Dominic Barlow - It's going to be a struggle between him, Sandro and Bassey who gets minutes.

Devin Vassell - I have massive expectations. I think he'll be the clear first option this season and I expect 22-24ppg season on good efficency.

Malaki Branham - If he doesn't improve his defense, he won't have guaranteed minutes. Only when he gets hot.

Jeremy Sochan - I'm secretly hoping that we'll see some Point Sochan lineups, his spacing isn't that much worse than Tre's. I'm subjective, but he has the potential to be the next unconventional all-star in a few years.

Victor Wembanyama - ROTY and all-defense. I think he'll struggle on offense because we don't have anyone reliable enough to make use of his talents.

[JPB]

That some Maverick player was Luka

Blake has always been advertised as very raw between the 3 draftees last year, high risk big reward kind of guy. It didn’t help that he’s on a “tanking” team. BUT, compare to DJ on his first year, Blake has the better skills. I remember I almost gave up on DJ until his 4th(?) season. Once Blake gets that figured out, he’ll be a special player, reminds me of TP beimg fearless in the paint, undeterred. With everybody improving, excitement for Wemby’s coming, I expect Blake to be working as hard.

I beg to differ. I don't think Wesley will be anything more than a 3rd string PG at best. The comparison with TP is almost shocking to me. Parker was a starter 4 games in his first season in a contending team, with a lot of pressure. Wesley showed nothing in a tanking team with zero pressure, and with a lot of la ude, that lets suggest he's an NBA player.

Being fearless in one thing but delusional another one, and pointless if you can't finish for your life. At some point, you gotta be realistic about what you can do in the NBA. Wesley's not bad, he's terrible at the rim, and his showing at the SL, against lesser compe ion, didn't help his cause. The 3 he took on that last possession (can' t remember against who) while the ball had to get back to a red hot Wemby any day is telling about the mindset of a player who believes he's the guy. Blake gotta learn his place and path to staying in the NBA.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

Nice exercise Mr. Body. I generally agree with a lot of your thoughts. Mine:



Keldon Johnson Starter but maybe playing significant second unit minutes in-game. His energy is contagious and I don't see him losing that. He might be able to find more of a niche with a true rim protector on the floor, not to mention the attention from defenses that Wemby will command. I think he'll be more of an X-factor than people think.

Blake Wesley I've seen nothing to say this guy is going to be consistent enough to make it in this league. I think he'll get an extended tryout this year, but I'd project his minutes to drop if this version of the Spurs is competing for a playoff spot. Pop won't tolerate his inconsistencies.

Charles Bassey I see him as a situational role player. I'd bet he'll appear around half of the team's games. Probably average 8-12 minutes in those 40-50 games.

Dougie McBuckets His shooting skills will be respected by Pop and he'll get minutes. His energy on offense, spot up abilities, skill at running around screens, and his quick release pick-and-pop threes will mesh well with the offense. I see him being on the court more than people think. He may become a bigger trade piece than he currently is if he's contributing and a contender is looking for buckets and the Spurs are looking ahead to the future. Traded at the deadline: 66.7% chance.

Devonte Graham I agree with the spot minutes prediction on Devonte. I don't see him working his way into the regular rotation.

Cedi Osman - This guy is a head scratcher for sure. I wouldn't have signed him at all, so we'll see. The fact the team wanted him makes me think he's getting a least a long look, but I'd be surprised if he gets meaningful minutes on the A-team.

Sandro Mamukelashvili - Sandro's passing skills and overall skillset make me think he'll see some minutes on the floor and could see his role grow as the season goes on. Guys with the ability to pass and see the court could fit well with Wemby if Pop's trying to revive the Beautiful Game. Agreed on his defense though. His minutes could be limited if he can't rebound and defend at a little higher level.

Sidy Cissoko - Super raw, but I like what he brings. I think he could evolve into an everyday rotation player. I don't expect that out of the gate, and perhaps not until next season. I think he'll spend some time percolating in Austin and watching from the sidelines similar to Keldon in his rookie campaign, but if Pop gets frustrated with some of his other role players I could see him getting some run as the season goes on.

Julian Champagnie - I think he'll be in the rotation to start the year. His game has a lot of upside. I want to see if he can stay in the lineup of if other players will start stealing his minutes.

Tre Jones - His steadiness at the point will earn him a lot of minutes, perhaps leading the second unit. Pop may decide that consistency is needed with the starters.

Zach Collins - If he can stay healthy he'll be the enforcer when he's in the game next to Wemby. I see him playing about the same number of minutes as last year, but perhaps as an early sub and not the starter.

Dominic Barlow - I still see this guy as a limited role player on the A-team. Maybe Bates-Diop type minutes or less. Impressive in the summer league, but I don't think he's in the games much.

Devin Vassell - On paper Devin should be our second best player. My guess is he'll look like an All Star some nights and on some nights he'll struggle a lot. Hopefully on nights he's not hitting shots he'll stay active and focused on defense, because he can still lead even if he's not scoring. I'd love to see his game continue to blossom, and next to Wemby it should.

Malaki Branham - So many good offensive things this guy can do. and he looks awful on defense. I also worry teams will figure out how to stop him merely based on that low release on his shots. I don't know that he's still a Spur when this team is building its roster for contention unless we see a lot of progress in his game in the next year and a half. That said, I think the Spurs will give him that opportunity and that he'll get some good run early in the season. Holding onto those minutes will be up to him.

Jeremy Sochan - You have to love Jeremy's confidence. I see a lot of upside for him. I'll bet we see obvious strides upward this year across his game. Wemby, Devin, Sochan and Keldon should be the top four Spurs this year in terms of minutes and impact. I see Collins, Buckets, Trey and Champagnie as the next four men up to start the year, with an assortment of others rounding out the rest of the playing time. I also see Pop doing a lot of experimenting along the way and some roster changes during the year.

Victor Wembanyama - Only the future of this franchise with superstar expectations. Just be almost as good as Tim Duncan with the same impact on the franchise, your teammates and the community of San Antonio. That's it. Easy...no pressure.

[ismael-robert]

They'll dribble, shoot, play defense, you know, overall play a sport called basketball

[Mr. Body]

So afraid Blake Wesley is the next Lonnie Walker IV

Blake has a path to mins in this league at least as a decent role player but can he put it all together? Love the flashes I've seen. The defense. Always poking away balls. Insane physicality, his open court burst is pure horsepower granted too unbridled and leads to TOs. Remember that inbounds play were Blake caught I think it was some Mavericks player not looking at him so Blake inbounds the ball off the Mavs players back recovers the loose ball and takes it like baseline perhaps to an easy bucket? Stuff like that shows so much promise.

My hunch is that if Blake ever crystallizes... it'll be this time next year. So get ready for another clumsy trial season for him imho. To be fair that would still be within his timeline to develop in the first 3 seasons- realistic for a #25 imo.

Starting to believe however that Blake just never really flips the pancake so to speak and goes out like Lonnie. Hope I'm wrong

The path for Blake isn't that obscure, but he has to hit on a series of things. His SL showed more promise to me than to others. He's still like Bambi, his legs all over the place, but he seems to be cutting out the way he gets stranded going to the hoop. His shot selection is better. The fact that he's not a natural point isn't necessarily a disqualifier. Parker didn't have the best court vision, but learned how to see teammates' marks. Wesley's speed is different from Parker's, but can be useful. He's a good defender. He's a pretty good shooter. He doesn't seem to get down.

He is pretty much raw materials who was thrown into a big role at Notre Dame and wasn't totally ready for the NBA. I think he'll have a good development year. Question is whether he can connect the dots and how long the team can afford to stick with him.

[couchman]

Wemby - will have some "Wow!" moments early, some really huge games here and there, and then struggle a bit for the first half of the season. I'm seeing something like 14 ppg and 8 rebounds and 2 blocks per game but with mediocre efficiency. After the All-star break it will start to come together for him and he'll average closer to 17ppg, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks on better shooting splits, setting the stage for a huge 2nd year leap. I think he stays mostly healthy.

Sochan - his improved shooting from late last year continues (with some streakiness), but he understands how to play at an NBA level more and will do a ton of the little things we need. He may or may not be a regular starter (more likely at PG imo), but he will play starters minutes, sometimes at PG but mostly at the 3 and 4 depending on matchups. He is most likely the future starting 4 when Wemby becomes the 5, but not a lot of that this year.

Keldon - I think he will eventually move to the bench scorer role, but this year I have him starting at the 3 spot. We just need the spacing. Keldon won't score as many points but his efficiency will be slightly better. Branham will become his primary compe ion for playing time. His defense might improve slightly, but mostly as a function of Wemby's help when they share the floor

Devin Vassell - I expect (another?) breakout season from Devin. Last year his numbers improved a ton. This year they improve again but with fewer missed games and better defense. He will come out of the gate healthy, confident, and aggressively seeking his shots. He will be our leading scorer and will initiate the play more that ever before.

Collins - please stay healthy and just do the same thing you did last year. That would be great. That is probably what happens. We are THIN at Center. We have a lot of guys but after Zollins no one that is a proven NBA starter. We need Collins to have a good and healthy season if we are to win some games

Tre Jones - It will be interesting to see how often he starts at PG vs Sochan. I'd love for Sochan to take over PG but I expect Tre to start at least half of the games as long as he stays healthy. His game seems fairly set, and unless he has a big breakthrough on his shooting stroke I expect more of the same steady and above average but unspectacular PG play. If he is the PG we need to play up tempo to unlock his best skills. One thing I like about Tre is his underrated defense. He is small, but he gets it done on that end better than most people think. If the team has more of a focus on D this year his efforts there may become more obvious.

Branham - If we didn't have people ahead of him I'd expect Branham to suddenly be in the conversation for a breakout year scoring wise. The skills and ability are there and it sounds like he is doing the work to develop his game. He may end up in compe ion with McBuckets for that bench scorer role. The differentiator will be which one can play league average D. Can Branham become an ok defender?

Devonte Graham - his PT will largely depend on how well Sochan does at PG. If Sochan only gets spot minutes there then Graham is our most likely backup PG getting good run

Mamu - I expect that he'll get a chance to be the primary backup C behind Zollins. He brings some intriguing skills that can help unlock Wemby a bit.

McBuckets - He may end up being moved imo. It really depends on how rotations shake out. He will start the season as the primary bench scorer

Champagnie - if he continues to shoot the heck out of the ball while playing decent D he will make McBuckets expendable/tradeable

Cedi Osman - deep bench who only plays real minutes if McBuckets is moved or injuries happen ahead of him, or we are tanking

Blake Wesley - He only got PT last year because we were tanking. I think he needs a lot of time in Austin. Summer league did not reveal a big leap forward yet in his game, and he needs for that to happen to create a true NBA career. between Tre, Graham, and Sochan, I don't see a lot of PG minutes left over on the main club.

Bassey and Barlow - I don't expect a lot from them, but they are bigs on a team that doesn't have many, so a path to playing time is easy to imagine. Bassey seems more likely to get PT and he can be solid. Barlow remains a project. Barlow showed in summer league that he will likely become a solid rotation player eventually, but he also struggled to finish at the rim and do other basic big man stuff. I'm high on his future as a solid rotation player.

Cissoko and Bediako and Rice are destined for a lot of time in Austin this year. Birch is waived.

[rascal]

The only all star on the team is Wemby and he'll make the all star team in his first year.

[rascal]

Wemby - will have some "Wow!" moments early, some really huge games here and there, and then struggle a bit for the first half of the season. I'm seeing something like 14 ppg and 8 rebounds and 2 blocks per game but with mediocre efficiency. After the All-star break it will start to come together for him and he'll average closer to 17ppg, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks on better shooting splits, setting the stage for a huge 2nd year leap. I think he stays mostly healthy.

I see the opposite, coming out good averaging 18 a night through the all star game and making the all star game but the wear and tear of the season will see him having some minor injuries
and the Spurs deciding to tank for a good draft pick down the stretch and holding him out or limiting his minutes.

The NBA will also want him in the all star game.