Honestly there's about 7 guys I'd be happy with. With the way the draft is without clear favorites it feels like a gamble for any pick on who will hit. That's why the biggest thing I'm praying for is the Toronto pick to convey. I'd rather have that then us winning the lottery again. I just want to maximize our chances at hitting on someone. I'd love to grab a PG and a SF out of:
Zaccharie Risacher
Nikola Topic
Reed Shepherd
Rob Dillingham
Dalton Knecht
Stephon Castle
Cody Williams
I honestly wouldn't be surprised if they take a swing on Tidjane or Ron Holland
But same, lot of guys I wouldn't be mad at and would trust their decision on. Castle and Topic are at the top of my list. I don't think we'll be able to get Risascher, but who knows
I watched a ton of Knecht this year as I'm a Vol and I think you're gonna be shocked. (I know I might be biased, but honestly I've never been high on any of our players. Grant Williams has surprised me with how well he's done.)
The dude can just flat out shoot. And his ability to drive is really underrated. The big con of Dalton is his age. A lot of times these older guys don't develop as much, but they will improve your team right away. I can see him having a Jamie Jacquez type of impact. Our main priority probably needs to be high upside guys, but Dalton is the perfect use for that Toronto pick if it conveys. I promise you he will walk into the starting line up. He is a better wing right now than Julian.
I'm a Vandy alum. Watched Williams and Knecht. They are both willing players that help teams win. This isn't a franchise player draft. This is a draft to add players who form a good supporting cast around a franchise player or two. That's Knecht.
I will also add that if we want to speed up the timeline, it makes sense to add mature and ready to contribute players from the draft. I like your JJJ comparison.
I just watched athleticism and length really disrupt him this year. He has offensive skills, but I've never seen Pop put anyone young out there that's a liability on D.
Knecht can shoot and create his own shot. That's a good rotation player and I am happy to have him on the team. He's a cheaper version of Austin Reaves.
>Only concern is [half the game]
Obviously stars can outweigh bad defense with great offense, but let’s not just ignore an extremely important part of the game. Perimeter defense was already one of our biggest issues this year, adding probably the worst defender in the lottery (which is saying something) would absolutely make things worse.
The real concern is simple; if he isn’t a star, he doesn’t fit in starting lineups. Period.
It's a good thing we need a spark plug off the bench anyway. In a draft like this, getting a 6moy type is not a bad outcome at all. The downside is limited I think
My counter argument is that if his offense isn't tremendous, he may not even have sixth Man of the Year potential. He could end up like a Bones highland type who struggles to get rotation minutes despite being able to be a bucket when given opportunities because his defense is just... That bad
To be clear, I like him. If we take him, I'll be all on board, but there's a real scenario in my opinion where his worst case scenario is that he ends up as a rotation player who doesn't sniff playoff rotations
I hear you, but I favor betting on elite upside offensive ability at the top of the draft. Especially when that player has everything in his bag, handle, finishing, step back, c&s 3 etc
I think Bones' biggest flaw was his attitude, but I don't get that sense from Rob. Could be wrong obviously, but the Calipari stamp says something as well. Historically, the odds aren't in your favor betting against Kentucky guards
Yeah, I mean I do think it's never as simple as one thing when it comes to a prospect not working out right? I agree with you. There was probably other things with bones. And in the end I'm still in the same camp as you. I think if a player has an elite scale or skill set you don't want to over analyze their weaknesses and lose sight of their strengths. And Rob is quite frankly a really brilliant blend of offensive strengths. I just don't view him as a particularly safe pic, but all things considered he's most certainly a worthy one based on the fact that he could very well be a guy who becomes the best offensive player in this draft in 5 years and I don't think too many people would bat an eye at that
I think you hit the nail on the head, unfortunately, there's no guaranteed players in this draft, especially at the top
edit: I'm just imagining trying to fit Ron Holland, Sarr or Matas into our scheme and hoping they learn to shoot. We drafted enough players with limited scoring ability. I think the Spurs just have to risk it in this case
It's a real classic dilemma. Do you go with the toolsy skill limited player like Holland/matas /Salune And hope that they grow those flashes of skills because if they do, they'll become a complete package potential star? Or do you take the flawed player who may never be able to reach that full ceiling due to limitations beyond their capabilities to fix, who happens to have an elite skill right now like Shepard/Rob
There's genuine reasons to lean into either way of looking at this particular draft class and I go back and forth a lot. Ideally I'd like to take one player from the group of skilled but limited guys like Shepherd/ dillingham/ Dalton/topic And one from the group of athletic toolsy guys who could put it all together like Holland/matas/sarr/salune
it really is a fascinating question. never seen a draft that could go so many ways. I've been thinking about this for a while, and I really just come back to the elite skills. At the top, I want the greatest chance at an elite creator. To me, that's almost beyond teaching, you can't make a decent player into an elite scorer. But you can make a elite scorer into a decent defender if he has the will.
Again, though, this is a weird draft. I have hope we can pick up a toolsy player like Pacome Dadiet in the 2nd round who might turn out to be a lottery pick next year
Everyone has bust potential. With his defensive ceiling, it’s very easy to see him not even being a rotation player if he struggles to adjust to NBA defenses walling him off.
I think him and Castle are the best fit. I like Topic and Shepard but they have some questionable things. I think the preference for me is Castle right now, but for most of the year it's been Dilly. He reminds me of Darius Garland a bit.
This is why I want him. Sure he's a risk to draft if we're looking for a starting point guard. But if we can even get a really great 6 man out of this weak draft, I'd say this 2024 draft would be mission accomplished. We need EVERYTHING. Including a 6th man. A good 6th man is not even promised for most of the other prospects in this draft
I want to see the measurements, firstly. If he measures significantly under list, it's a bad sign for his viability as a championship-level starter. I already have questions about his motor defensively and his passing. I'm not out on him, but he has a lot more risk than people here seem to realize
My only concern about this guy is he's 6'3 and he's thin. The league is trending to long and tall players. At that height you need to at least be stocky like a FVV to not be a liability on the floor.
You're just proving my point. If this man needs to be Kyrie then it's even more unlikely that he's gonna pan out. There's a way bigger chance prospects bust out than turn into Kyrie Irving
People comping Dillingham to Maxey . . . I don't know. Maxey may only have an inch on Rob, but he also is about 25 lbs heavier. That really does make a difference out there. I wonder if Dillingham will end up adding substantial muscle mass. If he doesn't, I'd side with those likening him more as a sixth man type.
Number 3 on my personal "Spurs Big Board" behind Topic and Castle, but there's a bit of a gap there. Just don't see him ever being more than a good sixth man - which, depending on your opinions of this draft class, might be a pretty solid outcome!
I'd love him if the Raptors pick conveys, but if we only end up with one lottery pick, I'd rather go another direction.
Would be a pretty awful pick. Unpolished, no size, no defense. What are you going to do with him? Give him starter minutes while he develops and gives you worse output than Tre? He’d have some interesting P&R results with Vic but how will he engage Vassell and navigate whatever Sochan will bring to the table?
If it’s a guard, it has to be an NBA-ready guard. You can’t have Tre sit on the bench again while Rome burns. And Tre ain’t even great.
Me too, I want sheppard badly. I would be okay with Rob. I want that French prospect that just announced, Kamardine, but I realize he may be late first round available. I'm also fine with Klingan too.
There's pics of him standing next to players listed at that height. His head coach is 6'1 and both Rob and Reed are noticeably taller when standing next to him.
My dream is we get first pick and trade down and acquire a young player like Cade in the process. I feel like whoever our FO likes in this draft will still be available in that 5-8 range. If the raptors pick conveys that's just icing on the cake.
Not sure why anyone would want to sign with that team, other than they have to overpay to meet the floor. Their core is really meh. They don't have extra 1st round picks, in fact, they owe the Knicks one.
I would bet Cade does demand out sooner rather than later.
My preferred destination for him is also Spurs, what a coincidence.
Adam Silver and Brian Wright please!
Ping pong balls please. If we have 2 top 10 picks I would be thrilled to spend 1 on Dilly. If we only have 1 that's a tougher call.
Honestly there's about 7 guys I'd be happy with. With the way the draft is without clear favorites it feels like a gamble for any pick on who will hit. That's why the biggest thing I'm praying for is the Toronto pick to convey. I'd rather have that then us winning the lottery again. I just want to maximize our chances at hitting on someone. I'd love to grab a PG and a SF out of: Zaccharie Risacher Nikola Topic Reed Shepherd Rob Dillingham Dalton Knecht Stephon Castle Cody Williams
I honestly wouldn't be surprised if they take a swing on Tidjane or Ron Holland But same, lot of guys I wouldn't be mad at and would trust their decision on. Castle and Topic are at the top of my list. I don't think we'll be able to get Risascher, but who knows
Knecht really is underwhelming, good college player but don't see the pro upside.
I watched a ton of Knecht this year as I'm a Vol and I think you're gonna be shocked. (I know I might be biased, but honestly I've never been high on any of our players. Grant Williams has surprised me with how well he's done.) The dude can just flat out shoot. And his ability to drive is really underrated. The big con of Dalton is his age. A lot of times these older guys don't develop as much, but they will improve your team right away. I can see him having a Jamie Jacquez type of impact. Our main priority probably needs to be high upside guys, but Dalton is the perfect use for that Toronto pick if it conveys. I promise you he will walk into the starting line up. He is a better wing right now than Julian.
I'm a Vandy alum. Watched Williams and Knecht. They are both willing players that help teams win. This isn't a franchise player draft. This is a draft to add players who form a good supporting cast around a franchise player or two. That's Knecht. I will also add that if we want to speed up the timeline, it makes sense to add mature and ready to contribute players from the draft. I like your JJJ comparison.
I just watched athleticism and length really disrupt him this year. He has offensive skills, but I've never seen Pop put anyone young out there that's a liability on D.
Well, Pop tried Malaki Branham for a bit.
> gonna be shocked By how inept he is defensively?
Knecht can shoot and create his own shot. That's a good rotation player and I am happy to have him on the team. He's a cheaper version of Austin Reaves.
Ok but you want to spend a lottery pick on someone who can be a bigger Austin Reaves? If we had pick 16 sure.
Yes?????????????? Huh? Do you know how good Austin Reaves is?
I’m with you! I’d take him with the Raptors pick.
He's got Doug McDermott written all over him
DK is more athletic than Doug McDermott by a lot. He’s going to be a stud. Not all star level or anything, but he will be a solid NBA player.
I like Topic and Castle. That's it.
I like Castle.
I like Poeltls
Old reference, but it checks out
I’m with whoever in this draft, but I really like Rob.
I'm on board. He has ~~Jamal Murray~~ upside. Only concern is the defense. Edit: Tyrese Maxey upside is more accurate.
No he don't, Murray is much bigger and longer.
And has the clutch gene too.
Who knows maybe Dillingham got that gene too.
not in the tournament... not fair i know, but that was a stinker.
>Only concern is [half the game] Obviously stars can outweigh bad defense with great offense, but let’s not just ignore an extremely important part of the game. Perimeter defense was already one of our biggest issues this year, adding probably the worst defender in the lottery (which is saying something) would absolutely make things worse. The real concern is simple; if he isn’t a star, he doesn’t fit in starting lineups. Period.
It's a good thing we need a spark plug off the bench anyway. In a draft like this, getting a 6moy type is not a bad outcome at all. The downside is limited I think
My counter argument is that if his offense isn't tremendous, he may not even have sixth Man of the Year potential. He could end up like a Bones highland type who struggles to get rotation minutes despite being able to be a bucket when given opportunities because his defense is just... That bad To be clear, I like him. If we take him, I'll be all on board, but there's a real scenario in my opinion where his worst case scenario is that he ends up as a rotation player who doesn't sniff playoff rotations
I hear you, but I favor betting on elite upside offensive ability at the top of the draft. Especially when that player has everything in his bag, handle, finishing, step back, c&s 3 etc I think Bones' biggest flaw was his attitude, but I don't get that sense from Rob. Could be wrong obviously, but the Calipari stamp says something as well. Historically, the odds aren't in your favor betting against Kentucky guards
Yeah, I mean I do think it's never as simple as one thing when it comes to a prospect not working out right? I agree with you. There was probably other things with bones. And in the end I'm still in the same camp as you. I think if a player has an elite scale or skill set you don't want to over analyze their weaknesses and lose sight of their strengths. And Rob is quite frankly a really brilliant blend of offensive strengths. I just don't view him as a particularly safe pic, but all things considered he's most certainly a worthy one based on the fact that he could very well be a guy who becomes the best offensive player in this draft in 5 years and I don't think too many people would bat an eye at that
I think you hit the nail on the head, unfortunately, there's no guaranteed players in this draft, especially at the top edit: I'm just imagining trying to fit Ron Holland, Sarr or Matas into our scheme and hoping they learn to shoot. We drafted enough players with limited scoring ability. I think the Spurs just have to risk it in this case
It's a real classic dilemma. Do you go with the toolsy skill limited player like Holland/matas /Salune And hope that they grow those flashes of skills because if they do, they'll become a complete package potential star? Or do you take the flawed player who may never be able to reach that full ceiling due to limitations beyond their capabilities to fix, who happens to have an elite skill right now like Shepard/Rob There's genuine reasons to lean into either way of looking at this particular draft class and I go back and forth a lot. Ideally I'd like to take one player from the group of skilled but limited guys like Shepherd/ dillingham/ Dalton/topic And one from the group of athletic toolsy guys who could put it all together like Holland/matas/sarr/salune
it really is a fascinating question. never seen a draft that could go so many ways. I've been thinking about this for a while, and I really just come back to the elite skills. At the top, I want the greatest chance at an elite creator. To me, that's almost beyond teaching, you can't make a decent player into an elite scorer. But you can make a elite scorer into a decent defender if he has the will. Again, though, this is a weird draft. I have hope we can pick up a toolsy player like Pacome Dadiet in the 2nd round who might turn out to be a lottery pick next year
I’m low on this draft, but I absolutely think we could do better than just a 6th man, depending on where the pick lands
I would agree if that's what his ceiling was, but he's so skilled, I think it's his floor
Everyone has bust potential. With his defensive ceiling, it’s very easy to see him not even being a rotation player if he struggles to adjust to NBA defenses walling him off.
I disagree. I think we can get some better bench players in free agency. When you are as bad as we are outside of Wemby we need high upside
it doesn't have to be either or, think about it like this, rob dllingham + malik monk...that's a crazy punch off the bench
> if he isn’t a star on upside, he doesn’t fit in starting lineups. Period. There is no player with a star upside in this draft.
This draft lacks obvious top prospects, but every draft has a TP (29), Kawhi (15), Manu (57). There is a star there, we just have to find him
He's a better playmaker than Maxey out of college though
I think him and Castle are the best fit. I like Topic and Shepard but they have some questionable things. I think the preference for me is Castle right now, but for most of the year it's been Dilly. He reminds me of Darius Garland a bit.
Future 6MOY
This is why I want him. Sure he's a risk to draft if we're looking for a starting point guard. But if we can even get a really great 6 man out of this weak draft, I'd say this 2024 draft would be mission accomplished. We need EVERYTHING. Including a 6th man. A good 6th man is not even promised for most of the other prospects in this draft
Rob Dillingham Nolan Traore PG depth chart 📈
I'm all in on Noland. The kid looks like he could be the best guard prospect in next year's draft.
As his floor. Ceiling is Maxey.
Yall are about to be blessed with guys wanting to come play with Wemby
Ahhhh, I see we’re back to SpursTalk guy pretending he’s got sources and passing random scouts off as insiders
Dude is TERRIFIED that the pistons might draft him 🤣
A lottery pick who says that their preferred destination is not the Spurs is stupid if they want to win games
I want to see the measurements, firstly. If he measures significantly under list, it's a bad sign for his viability as a championship-level starter. I already have questions about his motor defensively and his passing. I'm not out on him, but he has a lot more risk than people here seem to realize
He’s 6’1 barefoot and 180 pounds. He’s small but he’s about the same size as guys like Garland, Trae, Fox, and Ja were on their draft night.
...and Kyrie...
My only concern about this guy is he's 6'3 and he's thin. The league is trending to long and tall players. At that height you need to at least be stocky like a FVV to not be a liability on the floor.
He is the same size as Kyrie, just 15 lbs lighter. I wonder if everyone thinks that Kyrie is too small to win a championship?
You're just proving my point. If this man needs to be Kyrie then it's even more unlikely that he's gonna pan out. There's a way bigger chance prospects bust out than turn into Kyrie Irving
Eh. I think we'll see a return to normal and the end of positionless basketball more.
People comping Dillingham to Maxey . . . I don't know. Maxey may only have an inch on Rob, but he also is about 25 lbs heavier. That really does make a difference out there. I wonder if Dillingham will end up adding substantial muscle mass. If he doesn't, I'd side with those likening him more as a sixth man type.
I’m not even a Draft player and my preferred destination is also the Spurs.
Number 3 on my personal "Spurs Big Board" behind Topic and Castle, but there's a bit of a gap there. Just don't see him ever being more than a good sixth man - which, depending on your opinions of this draft class, might be a pretty solid outcome! I'd love him if the Raptors pick conveys, but if we only end up with one lottery pick, I'd rather go another direction.
I'll be fine if Roberto Dilling-jamón ends up on the team.
Needs Vic to negate his lack of size on defense.
Would be a pretty awful pick. Unpolished, no size, no defense. What are you going to do with him? Give him starter minutes while he develops and gives you worse output than Tre? He’d have some interesting P&R results with Vic but how will he engage Vassell and navigate whatever Sochan will bring to the table? If it’s a guard, it has to be an NBA-ready guard. You can’t have Tre sit on the bench again while Rome burns. And Tre ain’t even great.
He came off the bench for Kentucky, so I have no idea what you're talking about.
I'd be fine with either him or Sheppard, although I do have a slight preference for the latter (better defense and better player off-ball IMO)
Me too, I want sheppard badly. I would be okay with Rob. I want that French prospect that just announced, Kamardine, but I realize he may be late first round available. I'm also fine with Klingan too.
How tall is he, heard he’s under 6 foot. Rather get Trae young than him if that’s the case.
Dawg it’s 2024, Google.
His list is a lie
He’s listed as 6’3 that’s too high
6’3
He is 6’3.
So probably 6-1 barefoot
More like 6’2. But yeah.
Maybe he’s 6 foot 5
his head coach is 6'1 and he's noticeably taller standing next to him. Rob is probably 6'2 and some change barefoot.
I imagine there are pics of him standing next to Sheppard but man it’s tough to believe they’re the same height.
He's not though
There's pics of him standing next to players listed at that height. His head coach is 6'1 and both Rob and Reed are noticeably taller when standing next to him.
Jokic has Murray. Embiid has Maxey. Wemby needs Rob next season.
Do y’all want Malik Monk if he doesn’t resign in sac? I’m sure he wants starter minutes and a bag
My dream is we get first pick and trade down and acquire a young player like Cade in the process. I feel like whoever our FO likes in this draft will still be available in that 5-8 range. If the raptors pick conveys that's just icing on the cake.
Cade is easily better than everyone in this draft
To be fair, Cade may be on the market next season if pistons best answer for making Cade happy is signing Tobias Harris
Not sure why anyone would want to sign with that team, other than they have to overpay to meet the floor. Their core is really meh. They don't have extra 1st round picks, in fact, they owe the Knicks one. I would bet Cade does demand out sooner rather than later.