The San Antonio Spurs stands out as the luckiest crew within the NBA. Three years in a row, they’ve jumped forward within the NBA Draft Lottery to place themselves ready to construct a long-term playoff contender. On Monday evening, the Spurs leapt from the eighth to the 2nd choose within the 2025 NBA Draft. Additionally they maintain the 14th general choose courtesy of the Atlanta Hawks. They’ll have some massive selections to make at each picks.
Trades however, San Antonio might seize two good prospects with their picks. The 2025 draft class has been heralded as top-heavy, with 4 prospects seen as a minimize above the remainder. The Spurs will get to draft a type of gamers at two and discover one other gifted participant at 14. Listed below are just a few prospects they might choose at each spots.
Second General
Dylan Harper, 6-6 guard, Rutgers
Dylan Harper has been thought-about the second-best prospect within the draft for a lot of the course of. The scoring guard from Rutgers produced at a excessive degree in his freshman season regardless of lacking the NCAA Match. Harper averaged 19.4 factors and 4 assists on 48.4% taking pictures from the sphere and 33.3% from deep on his strategy to an All-Huge Ten season.
Harper is a pure scorer with the potential to be a three-level menace. The lefty guard is a strolling paint contact with an superior deal with and ending strikes across the basket. He’s a stable passer whose help numbers had been damage by the dearth of offensive expertise round him at Rutgers. He’s not often known as a catch-and-shoot soar shooter, nor as an off-ball participant. Harper has the potential to be an isolation and pick-and-roll offensive engine on the subsequent degree.
His slot in San Antonio is shaky. With De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Citadel, the Spurs have two guards who’re massive elements of their future. Victor Wembanyama wants extra gamers who can shoot and defend on the perimeter to maximise his capacity. Loading up on massive guards who aren’t knockdown shooters will not be optimum. Harper’s expertise makes him laborious to cross up on.
V.J. Edgecombe, 6-4 guard, Baylor
Two of the 4 prime gamers on this draft are combo guards. V.J. Edgecombe profiles as extra of an off-ball participant, whereas Harper is best recognized for his on-ball scoring. Edgecombe is among the most athletic gamers within the draft. He makes use of his pace and explosiveness to assault off the bounce, end with athleticism, and hound ball-handlers.
Edgecombe received the Huge-12 rookie of the 12 months averaging 15 factors, 5.6 rebounds and a couple of.1 steals on 43.6% taking pictures from the sphere and 34% taking pictures from deep. Whereas he’s not but an superior scorer with the ball in his palms, he confirmed sufficient flashes, mixed together with his athleticism, to challenge as a long-term two-way star within the NBA. He shot the ball effectively from deep, notably on catch and shoots. Edgecombe will come into the league instantly and compete on protection, and might plug in simply to most offenses.
His match with the Spurs could also be higher than Harpers’ due to his capacity to play off the ball. His body is sort of equivalent to Victor Oladipo, and together with his excessive athleticism, he ought to be capable of compete with wings and guards defensively. He received’t want the ball in his palms to make an affect together with his spot-up taking pictures and slicing. Nonetheless, the Spurs guard room will get crowded with Edgecombe, Citadel and Fox.
Airious “Ace” Bailey, 6-8 wing, Rutgers
The perfect match stands out as the most shaky prospect for San Antonio. In principle, a participant like Bailey could be simply what the Spurs want. A protracted wing who can shoot, create his personal shot and has the instruments to be an affect defender. Bailey by no means proved he can try this constantly in his freshman season at Rutgers the place he averaged 17.6 factors and seven.2 rebounds on 46% taking pictures from the sphere and 34.6% from deep.
Bailey’s shot choice is questionable. He took 14.7 pictures a sport, quite a lot of them had been troublesome. When the ball goes in, Bailey appears like an superior, tough-shot making wing who has the size to get the ball over defenders. He’s very slight at 202 kilos, and would wish to get stronger to compete at a high-level on each ends within the NBA. His defensive outcomes had been blended. There’s potential there, however the crew that draft him must unlock it.
San Antonio wants assistance on the wings. They want taking pictures. They want extra scoring. There’s a universe the place Bailey gives all of these issues. There’s one other the place he fizzles out within the NBA. The Spurs will should be positive they’ll faucet into his potential in the event that they attain for him with the second choose.
Fourteenth General
Carter Bryant, 6-7 wing, Arizona
Bryant is a protracted, sturdy, athletic wing who shot the ball effectively in his freshman season. He’s simply 1⁄4 of an inch shy of a 7-foot wingspan, and makes use of that size to be an actual disrupter on protection. He could also be the most effective three-and-D wings within the draft, however don’t anticipate him to create quite a lot of offense as a rookie. He averaged 6.5 factors and 4.1 rebounds as a freshman whereas taking pictures 37% from three. The numbers weren’t there, however the tape reveals quite a lot of potential.
Bryant could also be a fast-riser within the draft together with his mixture of dimension, athleticism, protection and spot-up taking pictures. He’s a wonderful match for the Spurs, who might use extra versatile defenders and shooters round Wemby. San Antonio ought to dash to the telephones to pick him if he’s obtainable at 14.
Thomas Sorber, 6-10 heart, Georgetown
The Spurs want a middle. It is going to be a place of focus this summer time. They might seize one to develop with their fourteenth choose. Sorber is a powerful, athletic and lengthy heart regardless of his peak. He has a 7’6” wingspan with a 9’1” standing attain, and used it to dam two pictures a sport in school, together with averaging 14.5 factors and eight.5 rebounds as a freshman.
Sorber hasn’t spaced the floot but, however his soar shot mechanics are clean. Perhaps he develops into a giant who can shoot from deep ultimately. His greatest strengths are his physicality and rim deterrence defensively, whereas offensively he can be a stable weapon as a rim runner and short-roll playmaker within the pick-and-roll.
Liam McNeeley, 6-7 wing, UCONN
San Antonio wants shooters. McNeeley could also be the most effective shooter nonetheless on the board at fourteen. Whereas he didn’t shoot the ball notably effectively final 12 months (31.7% from deep) he has lengthy been often known as a three-point sniper who had scorching taking pictures stretches at UCONN. He has dimension and energy on the wing, performs with fireplace and comes from an incredible school program. Defensively he’ll want some work, however the Spurs might use a knock down shooter to area the ground round Wembanyama, Fox, Citadel and whoever the choose at 2.
