2 New fascinating prospects mocked to Spurs would provide explosive element

The 2025 NBA Draft is only three months away, and when it arrives, the Spurs get a chance to add serious talent to their roster. In the meantime, mock drafts will be abundant from just about every website that covers the sport. San Antonio's season is pretty much over, so now is a great time to start looking at the incoming draft class and taking note of who would fit on the roster.

The staff at Sports Illustrated released their latest mock draft this week, so I took a look at it. Up until this point, fans have mostly been focused on the team's need for more shooting and a backup to Victor Wembanyama. The draft will have several good players who could address either of those issues.

However, this mock draft didn't focus on either of those things. They selected Oklahoma guard Jeremiah Fears for San Antonio with the ninth pick and French guard Nolan Traore with Atlanta's pick, which landed at 16. Both players are extremely talented and deserve to be picked at the top of the draft, but let's take a closer look at whether they're a fit for the Silver and Black.

Drafting one point guard would be okay for the Spurs but not two

I would still prefer if San Antonio were to draft a shooter first, but Jeremiah Fears can't be ignored. The Spurs are going to need a backup point guard now that Tre Jones is gone, and Chris Paul isn't the long-term answer. He's likely going to move on after the season, whether that be to another team or into retirement. Fears can run the second unit as a major threat off the bench.

This kid is a talented scorer who can get in the paint and wreak havoc at will. He's not the best shooter, though, and that's the drawback. He has the potential to grow that skill with persistence. Fears is 6'4", so he has the size to guard his position, but most of his value will initially come from his offensive ability. This is a player who has scored 28, 29, and 31 points in three of his last four games entering the tournament.

Nolan Traore is more of a force multiplier. He's about an inch taller than Fears, and he plays bigger. He's not as shifty as the Oklahoma Sooner, but he's quick and measured with his handle, not wasting any movements. Traore gets to his spots with efficiency and sets his teammates up well.

If the Spurs were to grab him in the middle of the first round, he would be another great pickup. The French guard could also run the second unit; he would just do it in a much different way. He's also not a great 3-point shooter, but he's a great defender, and the bench needs more of that.

Losing Tre Jones opened up the door for another point guard to be added to the roster, but they only need one. Either of these players would do well on the team, but the other pick should be used to address their lack of shooting. Not doing enough to take care of a years-long problem as important as shot-making would be a gross mismanagement of duty on Brian Wright's part.