Tag: 2024-25 san antonio spurs

Another mock draft has San Antonio Spurs take UConn guard Stephon Castle

He’s a popular selection for the Spurs for a number of reasons, from the need in San Antonio for a floor general and defense.

Another mock draft has San Antonio Spurs take NCAA champion UConn combo guard Stephon Castle at No. 4 overall, this one put together by Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey.

A popular selection for the Spurs for a number of reasons from the need in San Antonio for a floor general and defense to the fact that the Husky point guard appears to be trying to steer himself to the Spurs, a Castle selection makes sense for San Antonio. Tied to the Spurs as well by the Athletic’s Kelly Iko, “Castle is probably more of a combo guard than a true floor general,” writes Bailey.

Still, he “shows an ability to manipulate defenses that you seldom see out of non-primary playmakers.”

“His jumper needs work, but there are already fiery flashes of 3-point storms that could be coming in his future,” adds the B/R analyst.

“Defensively, he’s a tone-setter with all of the physical attributes needed to check players across the perimeter.”

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San Antonio Spurs projected to draft Nikola Topic again, this time at No. 8

Topic as a target makes sense at either pick for the Spurs.

KK Crvena Zvezda point guard Nikola Topic has been a popular selection by NBA draft analysts to be taken by the San Antonio Spurs, though most of the mocks so doing have him going to the Spurs at No. 4 overall. As San Antonio’s front office looks to find the right players to surround star French forward Victor Wembanyama, point guard is indeed a position of need.

So Topic as a target makes sense at either pick for the Spurs, and Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey has San Antonio going eighth overall, assuming the Spurs don’t go the trade route to fill the position.

A 6-foot-6 floor general “who pressures opponents off the dribble and either finishes drives himself or feeds teammates with dump-downs, wraparounds or corner kicks,” the Serbian guard will “never hold onto the ball longer than he should,” per Bailey.

“When he sniffs out a passing lane, he’ll zip the ball through it, often threading needles like an experienced tailor,” he adds. “His jumper is a bit of a work in progress, though simply cranking up his perimeter volume would go a long way toward easing that concern.”

“The bigger worry is a lack of athleticism that could pose problems with his self-sufficient scoring and anything related to defense. Still, this would be good value for San Antonio, considering it isn’t hard to find mocks with Topic inside the top five.”

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Is former UConn point guard Stephon Castle trying to force his way to the San Antonio Spurs?

We’d be surprised if Castle made it past No. 8 overall.

Is former University of Connecticut point guard Stephon Castle trying to force his way to the San Antonio Spurs? If the champion floor general is not, he is certainly trying to ensure that his landing spot is free from obstacles to his development as a team’s future starting 1 guard, according to recent reporting from ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.

Per Givony, Castle  “appears to be avoiding private workouts with teams that already have starting point guards in place,” which, as he notes, may not be as effective as in the past given all teams in the top 15 of the draft will get his medicals thanks to new rules put in place for this draft.

Teams with no clear-cut, long-term starting floor general who could select in Castle’s projected range (first overall to late lottery by most accounts) include the Washington Wizards (No. 2), the Spurs (Nos. 4 and 8), and the Utah Jazz (No. 10).

We’d be surprised if Castle made it past No. 8 overall, and the Wiz may take another player that early in the draft, so don’t be surprised if you see the former Husky suiting up for San Antonio this fall.\

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Another trade proposal sees the San Antonio Spurs slow down their rebuild with Ben Simmons

What if the Spurs went the opposite direction from expectations?

A recent trade proposal from Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report fame had the San Antonio Spurs speed up their rebuild to get star Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard Donovan Mitchell to play alongside San Antonio star forward Victor Wembanyama next season.

But what if the Spurs went the opposite direction from expectations, and got worse on purpose for next season? That’s exactly the idea Bailey had later on in the same article as his other San Antonio proposal. The deal would send Keldon Johnson for Simmons and a pair of second round picks added to the pot to sweeten the deal.

Noting that the 2025 draft class has much more lauded prospects like Cooper Flagg in it, the B/R analyst writes that despite the inevitable losses, “a future with Wembanyama and Flagg would be worth it.”

“Johnson may not be a surefire future star, but he’s at least a rotation player,” adds Bailey.

“Since the Nets can’t really tank—the … Rockets have control of their first-round picks through 2027—replacing Simmons’ minimal contributions with another rotation wing to pair with Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson would make sense.”

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New trade proposal sees the San Antonio Spurs speed up their rebuild with Donovan Mitchell

Will this help the Cavs restock their war chest to refocus the rebuild around rising big man Evan Mobley?

A new trade proposal put together by Bleacher Report NBA analyst Andy Bailey sees the San Antonio Spurs speed up their rebuild with a trade that brings Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard Donovan Mitchell to Texas.

The swap, which Bailey has as primarily focused on Spurs forward Keldon Johnson and a LOT of draft assets, would help the Cavs restock their war chest to refocus the rebuild around rising big man Evan Mobley and point guard Darius Garland. “Johnson, who averaged 22.0 points per game in 2022-23, would be an interesting piece to play alongside the young duo of … Garland and … Mobley, too,” writes the B/R analyst.

“This trade would likely make the Cavs worse in the short term, but it would be a far better outcome than losing Mitchell for nothing as a free agent in 2025,” he adds.

“Meanwhile, this move could put the Spurs in the hunt for a playoff spot as soon as next season,” suggests Bailey.

“Victor Wembanyama had a borderline All-NBA season as a rookie, and when he shared the floor with Devin Vassell and Tre Jones, the woeful Spurs outscored opponents by 10.2 points per 100 possessions.”

“Add Mitchell to that mix, and San Antonio would instantly have one of the NBA’s best one-two punches and a potential foundation for contention.”

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Can Rob Dillingham defend well enough for the San Antonio Spurs to use a lottery pick on him?

Is the fact that he might be targeted by opposing ball clubs defensively too much of an issue for the Spurs?

Whoever the San Antonio Spurs end up drafting in the 2024 NBA draft, you can be sure that they will have at least the ability to develop the sort of defensive principles that the Spurs organization holds dear. And for that reason, it is not too surprising to hear rumbles that San Antonio might be interested in drafting University of Kentucky point guard Rob Dillingham.

Dillingham is a passable defender at the NCAA level, but against larger, longer opponents at the next level, he may struggle to stop even opposing floor generals at just 6-foot-3. That he weighs just 176 lbs. also won’t help much in that regard.

Is the fact that he might be targeted by opposing ball clubs defensively too much of an issue for the Spurs to use one of their two lottery picks on the Kentucky guard?

The hosts of the “SSPN: A San Antonio Spurs Podcast” YouTube channel took a deep dive into the topic on a recent episode. Check it out above!

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What does NBA prospect Tidjane Salaun bring to the court that the San Antonio Spurs might want?

The tools are there, buried in a raw, undeveloped game. 

What does NBA prospect Tidjane Salaun bring to the court that the San Antonio Spurs might want? Projected to go more or less in the range for the latter of the Spurs’ two lottery picks at No. 8 overall, Salaun is seen as likely to go a bit after this point, hinting drafting back might be on the table.

An overseas prospect that has not had the same number of scouting eyes on his game with France’s Cholet, some think Salaun is a real potential sleeper pick. Standing at 6-foot-9 with excellent measurables, the tools are there, buried in a raw, undeveloped game. His 3-pointer (32.3%) needs some tweaking, but his rate from the stripe (76.1%) suggests that might not be too hard to fix.

Still, the lack of a clear NBA-ready skill is a fair reason to pass on the selection.

The folks behind the “SSPN: A San Antonio Spurs Podcast” YouTube channel put together a breakdown of his game and fit with the Spurs. Check it out above!

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Could the San Antonio Spurs draft Stephon Castle at No. 4 or 8 in the 2024 NBA draft?

The fit makes all the sense in the world if the plan is to build a core to grow with French forward phenom Victor Wembanyama.

Could the San Antonio Spurs draft Stephon Castle at No. 4 or 8 in the 2024 NBA draft? San Antonio is a popular landing spot for the champion University of Connecticut combo guard.

The fit makes all the sense in the world if the plan is to build a core to grow with French forward phenom Victor Wembanyama. Even if the former Husky needs some time to find his shot at the NBA level. And if Castle develops a reliable jump shot, he could very well end up being the best talent coming out of this draft, regardless of where he ends up being taken among his peers.

Castle already demonstrates high level defensive instincts, solid athleticism, excellent measurables, and very good passing even before he lands in the Association.

And the Spurs have one of the best development staffs in the league to get him ready for the NBA. Does a Castle pick make sense for San Antonio? The folks at TSR Sports’ YouTube channel.

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What will the San Antonio Spurs do at the 2024 NBA draft?

Which way do we think the Spurs’ front office will go when they are on the clock?

What will the San Antonio Spurs do at the 2024 NBA draft? The Spurs have a variety of paths open to them in terms of strategy for the ’24 draft, with two lottery picks at Nos. 4 and 8, and could use both, trade one for a player who is already established, or perhaps both for a star to pair with French forward phenom Victor Wembanyama.

There are some popular names they might want to use those draft picks on, like University of Connecticut big man Donovan Clingan, his backcourt teammate Stephon Castle, University of Kentucky point guard Rob Dillingham, and many others. Which way do we think the Spurs’ front office will go when they are on the clock?

The host of the “Locked On Spurs” podcast, Jeff Garcia, linked up with Raul Flores of the AP Sports Radio to talk San Antonio draft strategy on a recent episode of the show. Check it out below!

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Do the San Antonio Spurs want to rush their rebuild to win now?

But would it make more sense to be patient?

In light of the explosive growth of French forward phenom Victor Wembanyama in his rookie season, do the San Antonio Spurs want to rush their rebuild to surround Wemby with the sort of talent he would need playing with him to start winning now?

Armed with the Nos. 4 and 8 picks and some second round picks in this draft they could trade for top-shelf talent, as well as a well-stocked war chest of future draft assets and tradeable contracts. But would it make more sense to be patient and build players up to play with Wembanyama from this and future drafts, or is there concern that the Frenchman might get irked with more losing?

The host of the “Locked On Spurs” podcast, Jeff Garcia, took some time to talk it over on a recent episode with “Sweep The League” podcast hosts Rudy Campos.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what they had to say.

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