Final San Antonio Spurs Predictions Ahead of 2015 NBA Draft
With the rumor mill buzzing as teams make their final arrangements prior to the NBA draft, the San Antonio Spurs remain their enigmatic selves.
After seeing their title hopes spoiled by a first-round exit, the Spurs are in store for retooling, with Thursday's draft serving as the perfect springboard.
While it's not difficult to pinpoint their needs, the Spurs' actual preferences remain a mystery, as noted by ESPN draft guru Chad Ford, via Dan McCarney of Spurs Nation: "I’m not going to pretend to know (their plans), either. I don’t think they tell anybody. I think people disappear off the planet if they leak that info. Every year we’re scratching around a little."
As a result, we're forced to make somewhat blind predictions using only what we know about team need and prior drafting history. That didn't stop the world from correctly foreseeing the Spurs' 2014 first-round selection of Kyle Anderson, though.
Even with their silence, they remain predictable in the players they invite into their system. And while the following prospects aren't nearly as "Spursian" in nature as Anderson last year, it's a good bet that these names lie high on the team's big board.
First Round (Pick 26): Justin Anderson, Virginia
San Antonio enters the draft with a handful of glaring needs, particularly at the wing and in the post. They need either a shot creator or a defensive stopper and to bolster the team's interior depth, respectively.
The latter hole might appear more urgent. After all, the team's current big-man corps consists of Tim Duncan, who will turn 40 this coming season; Tiago Splitter, a perennial injury risk; Boris Diaw, a guard in a big body and Aron Baynes, who is still raw and was most recently obliterated by Blake Griffin in the first round of the playoffs.
However, with the 26th pick, the Spurs won't necessarily have the luxury to pick from a wide pool of stellar post prospects. Rather, Virginia's Justin Anderson could be a near-perfect fit with the team's other need.
Anderson—conveniently sitting at No. 26 on Bleacher Report draft expert Jonathan Wasserman's Big Board—falls right in the Spurs' range, and snatching him with their first-round pick makes sense on a variety of levels.
Anderson can alleviate issues similar to those that arose when Kawhi Leonard was sidelined during the month of December 2014—a month that saw the Spurs post a losing record for the first time in the Tim Duncan era.
The situation left Danny Green—Leonard's sidekick along the defensive perimeter—with a sizable burden, via Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News:
"To truly appreciate how much the Spurs have missed Leonard, guard Danny Green needs only to take a gander at the caliber of opponent he is being asked to defend on a game-by-game basis.
From James Harden to Kobe Bryant and scores of scorers in between, Green — the Spurs’ second-best perimeter defender — has been matched against a parade of All-Stars that otherwise would’ve been Leonard’s problem.
“He’s not here right now, so we don’t have that second guy (to help defend),” Green said. “Of course I notice that. It puts more pressure on everybody.”
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Green is a free agent, and if he leaves, San Antonio is left without its No. 2 perimeter stopper. Even if he remains a Spur, it's crucial that the team finds a third player of that mold to avoid collapsing when short-handed.
Anderson is an ideal fit. From a physical standpoint, he has a near-seven-foot wingspan and stands at an NBA-ready 6'6'', 231 pounds. However, it's the intensity he brings that makes him a viable candidate to fit the mold, per CelticsBlog's Kevin O'Connor.
""Defense is all about wanting to. You have to want to do that," Anderson said. "It's all mental and in your heart."
Anderson plays with that level of intensity on every possession, which bodes well for him at the next level. In the NBA, a league filled with terrific players at shooting guard and small forward, having one or more players that can play lockdown defense at the position is crucially important to the success of a team.
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Anderson has the defensive ability to assist along the perimeter, boasting a skill set that mirrors Green's as insurance, should he depart this summer.
In addition to his defensive aptitude, Green is a three-point sniper, consistently posting a 40-plus percent mark from deep each year. While Anderson's offensive game has plenty to prove, he shot 45 percent in his last season—quite the increase from his 29 percent mark he posted as a sophomore.
His already-improving shot would likely flourish with San Antonio, whose staff boasts shot doctor Chip Engelland, responsible for Leonard's transformation from hopeless shooter to lethal deep threat.
With prime athleticism, Anderson's offensive game—though far from polished—should translate well to the NBA.
With a strong basketball IQ to boot, Anderson has all the attributes necessary to succeed in the Spurs' system. He's certainly on their radar—Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reported that he worked out for them. And if he's on the board when pick No. 26 comes around, it would make all the sense in the world for the front office to pull the trigger.
Second Round (Pick 55): Larry Nance Jr., Wyoming
Though San Antonio does a good job playing off its interest in a prospect, Wyoming forward Larry Nance Jr. appears to be the exception, per Fox Sports' Sam Amico, via Ryan Holmgren of the Casper Star-Tribune:
"A few years ago, Amico asked longtime San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich how he’s found so much success with late first- and second-round draft picks. ...
Popovich’s secret?
“He told me, ‘We draft people who have gotten over themselves,’” Amico said.
More than maybe any other draft prospect, Nance fits that mold.
“I’ve heard from the Spurs themselves that they love him.” Amico said. “The fact that they love him and the word’s out about that has probably made a lot more teams interested just because everybody wants to be like the Spurs.”
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Nance—the son of former NBA All-Star Larry Nance—has his dads' athleticism along with great two-way talent. Offensively, he has an improving mid-range game and is a solid interior player and facilitator.
However, he played out his college career and will enter the draft older than the majority of the prospects. Even with a 7'1'' wingspan, at 6'9'', Nance can be seen as undersized.
Nonetheless, his strengths make sense in regards to a potential union with San Antonio. Baynes is a physical specimen, but he isn't an absurd athlete. Those shoes remain unfilled in the Spurs' interior crew. And while filling them isn't a top priority, it's never bad to have such a player on the roster, especially with the rest of the league growing more athletic by the day.
Throw in his passing, the feel for the game that comes with his maturity, his intensity and versatility on both ends of the floor, and the Spurs' interest makes sense.
He averaged 16.1 points and 7.2 rebounds in his final year with Wyoming, leading them to a tournament bid. Similar in many ways to first-round prospect Montrezl Harrel—whom Wasserman currently has San Antonio taking in his mock draft—Nance has NBA potential.
Nothing is guaranteed with a second-round pick, but if he comes out strong in the summer league or in preseason, Nance could find himself on the Spurs' roster.
There is the possibility that he's taken prior to their selection. However, most big boards and mock drafts have him falling to the end of the second round, so there's a decent likelihood that he falls within the team's range.
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