The NBA Draft is an annual tradition in my household. Each year, I set up shop, either in front of the TV (when I had cable) or in front of my laptop, open up tabs for nbadraft.net and spurstalk.com and sit and wait for the end of the 1st round to hear whom the Spurs select.
Except this year was different. This year, the Spurs’ 50-wins-per-season streak ended, and they wound up with the 18th overall pick: the highest I’ve ever seen the Spurs pick at. I remember the reaction to the George Hill-Kawhi Leonard/Davis Bertans/Erazem Lorbek trade. People were stunned that Pop had traded one of his favorite player for an unknown who couldn’t shoot.
Fast forward 6 years, and the Spurs are in the midst of a partial rebuilding effort. The starting lineup has question marks. The list of free agents numbers 7. Danny Green has been said to be opting in for his last year of his contract with the Spurs. Tony Parker, the aging Frenchman demonstrated he couldn’t consistently guard anyone on the Warriors. Dejounte Murray has a very high ceiling, he’ll make progress when he can consistently make 3’s and has a reliable mid-range jumper. Patty Mills, while undersized as a SG at 6-feet can still make it rain from time to time. Manu Ginobili’s return to the bench is up in the air. Rudy Gay opted out of his contract and will be an unrestricted free agent come July 1st. Bryn Forbes shot well as a 6’3″ undersized SG, but his lack of length hurt him on defense consistently against Golden State. Brandon Paul had such limited playing time that it’s really unfair to grade his performance in his rookie year. Both he and Forbes are free agents this summer and might not have minutes available. Derrick White was relegated to Austin most of the season and developed his offensive game in the G-League.
Kyle Anderson, while slow-footed, was consistently the best defender on the team, statistically speaking, but without a reliable outside shot, or consistent scoring, is a big question mark as a restricted free agent. He should be playing consistently at PF only, and exploiting bigmen’s lack of coordination to initiate the offense. Davis Bertans is also a restricted free agent, but he can shoot. REALLY WELL. Davis has range out to 25-27 feet consistently with a high-release on his shot. He can be invaluable as a versatile 6’10” small-ball PF and a SF on defense. Laterally, he can block shots at the rim and get in passing lanes with his length.
LaMarcus Aldridge, the focus of the Spurs offense last season, had arguably his best season of his career, at 32 years-old. With that being said, he needs help and proper spacing to maximize his effectiveness against any opponent. Pau Gasol is 37 years-old. He can’t guard Steph Curry. He can’t guard Kevin Durant, and he can’t keep up with Draymond Green on the perimeter. With that being said, his re-invention as a stretch-5 with a 40% consistent 3-pt shot has changed the game the Spurs play. His playing time will depend solely on match-ups next season due to his defensive struggles. Joffrey Lauvergne played well in limited playing time at the beginning of the season, but injuries derailed him for the rest of the season. As a non-shot blocker/rim-protector without a consistent outside shot, his effectiveness was limited solely to playing well against poor defenders. His status is unknown as he has a player option for next season.
You’ll notice that I left Kawhi out, because, well, he barely played, and he wasn’t 100% all year. Hopefully, he returns to the Spurs and signs a nice contract extension, solidifying his place as the centerpiece and franchise player for the San Antonio Spurs.
Which brings me to the 2018 NBA Draft. The Spurs selected Lonnie Walker IV with the 18th pick in the first round. I won’t lie, this college basketball season was the first in 12 years that I didn’t get to closely follow and analyze. Walker is a new-age SG. 6’4.5″ 205 lbs, 6’11” wingspan. He fits the 3-and-D prototype wing to a T. I’ve read critics slam his shot selection and his defensive skills. Those critics forget he’s only 19 years-old, and just finished his freshman year in college. Give him some time, maybe 2-3 years, and THEN make a judgment. He will get plenty of opportunities to develop with the Spurs organization.
In the second round, Chimezie Metu was drafted with the 49th overall pick. He’s a project big, and I’ll be honest, I hadn’t watched any film of his collegiate career until the pick was announced. That being said, he’s got potential. 6’10” 225 lbs with a long wingspan. He can develop into a backup bigman or possibly turn into a Clint Capela-type PnR bigman who hits 73%+ of his free throws (unlike Capela). Who knows, maybe he could turn into a second round gem!