With two top-ten picks within the 2024 NBA Draft, the San Antonio Spurs may go away with two core gamers. These two picks have overshadowed the opposite two choices the Spurs have. San Antonio has the thirty fifth and forty eighth picks within the second spherical. As many Spurs followers know, you could find gems in spherical two – Manu Ginobili resides proof.
The 2024 Draft has been known as “weak” by many evaluators, however the second spherical has a variety of expertise together with intriguing worldwide prospects and faculty veterans who may assist the Spurs. With two first-round choices and as much as $21.5 million in cap area this summer time, San Antonio shall be near the utmost 15 gamers on their roster. These second-round picks are prone to be traded for different property down the road. If the Spurs do make their choices within the second spherical, hold your eyes on the next gamers.
Dillon Jones, 6-foot-6 wing, Weber State
2023-2024 stats: 20.8 factors, 9.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 48.9% FG, 32.4% 3PT, 85.7% FT, 52.7% eFG
Of all of the second-round prospects, Jones screams Spur. He’s a flexible wing who has loads of ability with the ball in his palms. Jones was the Huge Sky’s participant of the yr as a senior. Rightfully so, as Weber put himself on NBA staff’s radars together with his potential to attain within the decide and roll, isolation and off the catch.
Jones isn’t a supreme athlete, however he’s sturdy and has nice consciousness. He had a 31% help fee final season and was superior making performs for others. He has nice persistence within the decide and roll. He handed Damian Lillard on Weber State’s all-time help checklist. On high of all of it, he has nice dimension at 6-foot-6 with a 6-foot-11 wingspan. The knock of Jones is his three-point shot and his lack of above-the-rim athleticism. He made simply 32.4% of his threes final season. Jones’s shot appears clear, he has good contact indicators and he hit some deep pictures final season. There needs to be some optimism that he can finally be a good shooter on the subsequent stage.
Jones would slot in nice with the Spurs. He’d give them a veteran faculty participant who can create for himself and others. He can play off the ball recognizing up, and seize and go in transition. As San Antonio continues to construct out its wing depth, including sensible gamers who can rating like Jones may finally supercharge their offense. He reportedly labored out for the Spurs earlier than the draft.
Antonio Reeves, 6-foot-4 guard, Kentucky
2023-2024 stats: 20.2 factors, 4.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 51.2% FG, 44.7% 3PT, 86.3% FT, 60.3% eFG
San Antonio wants capturing, and Reeves offers it in bunches. In Kentucky’s high-powered offense that included Reed Sheppard and Rob Dillingham, Reeves stood out. The fifth-year senior was explosive for the Wildcats final season and has an extended monitor document as a ground spacer. He labored out for the Spurs pre-draft.
Reeves can shoot off motion or the bounce. He has a pleasant floater he can get to if he’s pushed off the three-point line and displayed a capability to complete on the rim. Deciding on Reeves can be completely predicated on his scoring potential. If the Spurs are taking bets on shooters within the second spherical, Reeves needs to be excessive on their checklist of targets.
Tristen Newton, 6-foot-5 guard, UCONN
2023-2024 stats: 15.1 factors, 6.6 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 41.5% FG, 32.1% 3PT, 80.8% FT, 49.5% eFG
If the Spurs choose Stephon Citadel within the first spherical, maybe they may additionally take his backcourt mate within the second? Newton was a starter on each of UCONN’s nationwide championship groups and was a consensus All-American final yr. At 6-foot-5, Newton offers nice dimension for the guard place and labored wonders as a pick-and-roll ball-handler and distributor for the Huskies.
Newton is efficient getting downhill and confirmed some potential to hit pictures from deep. He hit 36.6% of his pictures from deep final season, however simply 32.1% of his threes as a fifth-year senior. Newton’s not a swing-for-the-fences type of second-round decide, however he’s carried out so nicely in faculty that it’s exhausting to think about him not being an efficient position participant within the NBA.
Drafting gamers like Newton who’ve received at a excessive stage and know the right way to play in a heavy ball-movement system makes a variety of sense for the Spurs. Newton possible wouldn’t think about instantly however can be a strong depth piece at guard. Of all of the second-round decisions, Newton appears like a safer wager to develop right into a backup guard.
Nikola Djurisic, 6-foot-7 wing, KK Mega
2023-2024 stats: 14.4 factors, 2.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 45.4% FG, 33% 3PT, 73.9% FT
Final season Bilal Coulibaly leaped up draft boards because of his stellar play subsequent to Victor Wembanyama. Djurisic may have the same trajectory on this draft, taking part in alongside Nikola Subject. The wing from Serbia is a flexible participant with a excessive basketball IQ. At occasions he seemed like a giant, shot-creating wing who can dish the ball. Different occasions he disappeared from Mega’s video games.
Djurisic has proven some potential to deal with the ball within the pick-and-roll and create pictures for himself on pull-up jumpers. He’s a very good athlete for his dimension and finishes nicely on the basket. Djurisic has a handsome jumper however he didn’t shoot it persistently sufficient to raise to the extent of a first-round decide. Groups that consider in Djurisic are betting on his shot creation and basketball IQ translating to the following stage.
San Antonio may take Djurisic as a developmental mission within the second spherical a la Sidy Cissoko. Djurisic may develop in Austin, getting loads of on-ball reps to discover ways to create for himself and others towards NBA-level competitors. The Spurs may discover themselves one other European, inventive offensive wing.
Jamal Shead, 6-foot-1 guard, Houston
2023-2024 stats: 12.9 factors, 6.3 assists, 2.2 steals, 40.9% FG, 30.9% 3PT, 77.9% FT, 45.8% eFG
San Antonio has a uncommon alternative to construct the most effective defenses within the NBA. Wembanyama is already one in every of, if not the very best rim protectors within the NBA. They’re creating good wing defenders in Jeremy Sochan and Julian Champagnie. With one in every of their second-round picks, they may look to seize the most effective defensive gamers within the draft.
Shead is a defensive canine. He hounds ball handlers – with a 4.3% steal fee final season (Wembanyama had the very best on the Spurs final season at 2.0%). He was a consensus All-American and a back-to-back convention defensive participant of the yr (one within the AAC, and the opposite within the Huge-12). Offensively he’s a fantastic distributor together with his 39% help fee. He’s capable of get to the rim and end with runners. He wasn’t a fantastic shooter at Houston and might want to develop a leap shot if he needs to have a well-rounded offensive recreation.
With Tre Jones on an expiring contract, the Spurs may have to start fascinated about how they need to substitute him. It will be nice to maintain the ground normal long run, but when his contract turns into too costly in free company, cheaper choices could also be a greater match. Shead would give the Spurs a tenacious defensive guard on the level of assault who may also distribute the ball off the bench.
Adem Bona, 6-foot-10 middle, UCLA
2023-2024 stats: 12.4 factors, 5.9 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, 58.8% FG, 0% 3PT, 69.6% FT, 58.8 eFG
With Wembanyama, Zach Collins, Dominick Barlow and Charles Bassey, San Antonio isn’t missing our bodies on the middle place. So in the event that they worth a giant man, they’ll choose one within the second spherical and take time to develop him. Bona would give them a developmental massive with the most effective motors within the draft.
Bona is a sophomore middle from UCLA who obtained some first-round buzz within the 2023 Draft. He interviewed with the Spurs on the 2023 mix, however there was no phrase of him being concerned with San Antonio in the course of the 2024 pre-draft cycle. Bona is an undersized however hard-working middle who defends the rim. He isn’t as expert as different bigs, and received’t present any ground spacing, however he is without doubt one of the hardest-working facilities within the draft with nice athleticism (he has a 40-inch vertical leap).
San Antonio may take Bona with both of their second-round picks and hope to develop his expertise in Austin. They’d be betting on his potential to turn into an superior two-way rim finisher/protector. Together with his athleticism and motor, Bona appears like a worthwhile big-man mission who may turn out to be a rotation piece down the road.
Earlier Prospects:
Rob Dillingham
Reed Sheppard
Nikola Subject
Zaccharie Risacher
Stephon Citadel
Tidjane Salaun
Ron Holland
Matas Buzelis
Devin Carter
Dalton Knecht
Cody Williams
Ja’Kobe Walter
Jared McCain
Carlton Carrington
Alex Sarr
Donovan Clingan
