While this season may not have gone to plan for the San Antonio Spurs, having Victor Wembanyama on the roster should be enough to keep fans excited about the future. And on top of that, they should have a top pick in the upcoming 2024 NBA Draft. And if the Toronto Raptors’ pick falls out of the top six, they’ll get that selection, too.
In a recent NBA Mock Draft compiled by Sam Vecenie of The Athletic, the Raptors’ pick falls to seven, meaning the Spurs get to make two selections in the top 10. That would be a game-changer for the future of the organization and the potential timeline of a Wembanyama-led core.
With the seventh overall selection, Vecenie has the Spurs taking Matas Buzelis of the G League Ignitte – a 19-year-old, 6-10 forward.
“This is earlier than I would personally select Buzelis, but the feedback I get from scouts has been more positive than his overall numbers would indicate, given he’s averaging 13.0 points with a negative assist-to-turnover ratio and a true shooting percentage below the league average,” Vecenie wrote. “Much as they do with Holland, many evaluators are giving Buzelis the benefit of the doubt for the G League’s Ignite’s poorly constructed roster, especially at the guard positions.
“Scouts would love to see Buzelis do more as a shot creator, and they aren’t sure how well his on-ball defense will translate. But many have also appreciated the way Buzelis is settling into a role with the Ignite and playing more intelligently. Buzelis doesn’t try to do too much. He cuts sharply on offense and has impressed scouts with timely off-ball rotations, particularly around the rim, where he’s averaging 1.8 blocks per game. In the open court, he attacks in a way that makes many sense his long-term upside as a ballhandler and scorer. There’s some downside risk in taking Buzelis this high, but it appears unlikely he gets outside of the lottery and is consistently mentioned in the No. 4-12 range.”
Would Buzelis be a good fit next to Wembanyama? Or should the Spurs look elsewhere if they got this Raptors pick?
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