Why the Spurs should target wings in the 2024 NBA Draft

22/03/2024 00:55

In a draft full of questions, San Antonio should look for a hot commodity.

The 2024 NBA Draft has been considered a weaker one by many. Scouts and internet talent evaluators haven't been able to find a clear number one pick. With just a few months until the draft, it's hard to discern who teams will be targeting in the top-5.

This has left the worst teams in the NBA in a tough spot. What exactly should they prioritize at the top of a draft where the prospects' NBA talent is so heavily questioned? The San Antonio Spurs should be looking for a hot commodity in the NBA, and a team need – wings.

Every team wants more wings. Bigger players who can dribble, pass and shoot while holding their own on the defensive end fit in perfectly with the current style of the NBA. They provide positional versatility, and can add length and physicality on the perimeter. Already from last year's class, we've seen players in this archetype like Bilal Coulibaly, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Ausar Thompson make an impact.

San Antonio could use more big wings on their current roster. Jeremy Sochan, Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson and Julian Champagnie are younger players who fit the bill. Vassell clearly has stood out among the rest as a three-level scorer and plus defender. Sochan is becoming a strong one-on-one stopper, but needs to figure out his game offensively. Johnson is a spark plug whose inconsistent play has made the Spurs sink or swim. Sidy Cissoko waits in the wings as a potentially versatile two-way player, but they don't currently have a lot of quality depth at an important position.

Luckily for the Spurs, most of the high-end talent in this draft fits the wing description. There is the frenchman, Zaccharie Risacher (who R.C. Buford scouted overseas in recent days,) The G League Ignite's Matas Buzelis and Ron Holland, Cody Williams and Dalton Knecht. Each of them bring a unique skillset, but fit the bill of bigger wings who could potentially space the floor.

That last part is particularly important for the Spurs. They are 28th in the NBA in three-point percentage at 34.9%. They have just three wings who shoot over 37% from deep (Vassell, Champagnie and Cedi Osman.) That could be why it seems San Antonio is so interested in Risacher, who profiles as a high-level shooter off the catch. It could also be the difference in selecting someone like Buzelis, who has shown flashes shot-making upside (though shooting just 28.6% from three in the G League,) over a wing like Williams, who has been gun shy from deep (despite shooting 41% on 1.8 attempts a game.)

Clearly another weakness for San Antonio has been their guard play. A shot creating guard could space the floor and be a dynamic fit with Victor Wembanyama. This draft has some intriguing guards like Rob Dillingham, Nikola Topic, Reed Sheppard and Isaiah Collier. All of them have their fair share of question marks as well.

If San Antonio wanted to speed its rebuild up, this offseason could be a prime time for the Spurs to pick up a more veteran guard to pair with Wemby, rather than develop one through the draft. Trae Young rumors have spread like wildfire. Other players like Anfernee Simons and Donovan Mitchell could be wild cards in trade discussions. Free agency could also include players like Jrue Holiday and Tyus Jones.

On top of that, the Spurs seems to have a pretty darn good point guard right now in Tre Jones. The Duke product has been playing some of his best basketball since the All-Star break. He's shooting a career-high 33.3% from deep and leading the team in assists. Blake Wesley has looked better in a backup role, too. Pairing those two with a veteran guard feels like a better step for Wembanyama and the Spurs than spending a year developing a rookie guard.

With potentially two lottery selections, there is an opportunity to draft both a guard and a wing, but the latter should be the priority. Look at the best teams in the league and they are filled with dynamic wings. The Nuggets have Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon. Boston has Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. The surging Pelicans are full of awesome wings like Brandon Ingram, Herb Jones and Trey Murphy III. Putting players like those around Wembanyama could boost the Spurs defense and give them another secondary offensive weapon.

There is still a lot of time before draft day. Players could emerge as clear targets during the pre-draft process. Trades could change the roster dynamic significantly. As it stands now, looking for talented, versatile, big, floor-spacing wings should be the priority for the Spurs front office.