1 Prospect for every possible San Antonio Spurs NBA Draft position

The San Antonio Spurs are one week away from heading to the NBA Draft Lottery and learning whether or not the first season of their all-out rebuild earned them a golden ticket in the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes. Fans have waited patiently on the sidelines as their favorite franchise failed to sneak into the playoffs for a fourth straight year, but all that losing might pay off soon.

Of course, there is a genuine chance the Silver and Black could fall to the second, third, or fourth pick. They also have a slim possibility of tumbling into a disastrous scenario and landing the fifth, sixth, or seventh pick. Rather than duck a difficult discussion, how about we look into each possible outcome for head coach Gregg Popovich and the front office as they prepare for the 2023 NBA Draft?

The Spurs and their fans would be floating on cloud nine if they emerged victorious in the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes. Bringing the 7-foot-4 phenom to San Antonio would instantly change their long-term trajectory, giving them a cornerstone to build around that complements their current young core of Keldon Johnson, Jeremy Sochan, and Devin Vassell.

Despite towering above the competition, Wembanyama is a uniquely fluid athlete who can create off the dribble and score without the ball. The 19-year-old is a legitimate motion shooter and devastating lob threat with an unusually smooth handle for someone his size. He should be the featured option for San Antonio from the second he steps on the hardwood.

The French center has game-breaking potential on the offensive end, but his generational defensive upside has draft experts hailing him as one of the best prospects in basketball history. Wembanyama protects the paint, switches onto the smaller players on the perimeter, and uses his reported eight-foot wingspan to rack up blocks, steals, and deflections.

If the Spurs are fortunate enough to land the second overall pick, there is no reason for them to think twice before selecting Scoot Henderson. Most pundits have lauded the talented teenage point guard as the second-best prospect in this draft class, and he could offer San Antonio's anemic half-court offense some much-needed horsepower next season.

The G League Ignite alumnus has a blistering first step, explosive leaping ability, and an expansive repertoire of moves and counters he uses to get wherever he wants on command. Though he can dominate a contest with three-level scoring, Henderson masterfully leverages his gravity to create open looks for his teammates, making him an ideal fit in the 2-1-0.

Henderson has the tools to be a disruptive point-of-attack defender, and though he will never be as impactful as Wembanyama, he should be able to hold his own against most backcourt matchups. Regardless, the ball club that chooses the electric floor general will add a primary ballhandler with superstar potential, which should offset any concerns on the other end.

There were some rumblings about Brandon Miller surpassing Scoot as the number two player in the 2023 NBA Draft, but off-court controversy and a rotten finish to his freshman season have left some scouts with questions. Nonetheless, the young forward is one of the safest lottery prospects this year due to his two-way production for a dominant college program.

Miller averaged 18.8 points per game and drained 38.4% of his 276 three-point attempts during his one-and-done year at Alabama. He also showed outstanding development as a finisher and playmaker as head coach Nate Oats charged him with more ballhandling duties. While his midrange game was almost nonexistent, he thrived in that area in high school.

No one should expect Miller to make any All-Defense Teams once he gets to the league, but he should be solid on that side of the ball. The 20-year-old has discipline on and off the ball, executing timely rotations, exhibiting sound positioning and footwork, using his length in the passing lanes, and exerting extra efforts for chase-down blocks in transition.

Amen Thompson is among the most intriguing prospects in the 2023 NBA Draft, but scouting him within a proper context has been difficult as there is almost no reference for the competition level of Overtime Elite. The 20-year-old guard eviscerated opponents with his one-percenter athleticism, leading the City Reapers to a title alongside his twin brother Ausar.

Few players can change gears from a standstill to an all-out sprint as fast as Amen, and he uses his absurd burst to leave opponents in the dust and attack the basket. Though his finishing and jumper are a work in progress, his elite court vision, precise live-dribble passing, and ability to collapse a defense make him perhaps the most lethal playmaker in this class.

Despite his outlandish natural tools, Amen must build a sound foundation of fundamentals to become an effective defender in the NBA. There were bright flashes of weakside rim protection and more than a few suffocating possessions on smaller ballhandlers, but the consistency and effort waned in a less controlled setting with a practically unlimited leash.

Slipping outside the top four in the 2023 NBA Draft would be devastating for the Silver and Black after a 60-loss season, but this is one of the most stacked classes in recent memory. Although fans might need a moment to collect themselves, Cam Whitmore could help them handle the emotional trauma of losing out on Wemby, Scoot, Miller, and Amen.

The freshman forward seamlessly blends straight-line speed, grown-man strength, and emphatic vertical explosion to punish the rim with ferocious downhill drives. He also doubled as a dependable spot-up shooter. While his assist rate was borderline historically low, he made periodic high-level passing reads that should instill some confidence in his vision.

Like the previous prospect on this countdown, Whitmore has a long route to becoming a net-positive defender. His extraordinary athletic gifts have yet to intersect with the necessary baseline skills. The Spurs have a track record of helping young players maximize their potential, and investing in a malleable 18-year-old feels like the right move in this spot.

Jarace Walker entered college as a top-eight high school recruit. And he only boosted his draft stock with a remarkable one-and-done season for Houston in which he demonstrated numerous coveted attributes on both ends of the court. San Antonio could use the best player available at this juncture in the lottery, and the multifaceted freshman fits the bill.

Despite a somewhat limited scoring arsenal, Walker should be able to find his niche as a stationary shooter and intelligent cutter. He sprints the floor in transition, finishes from the dunker spot, and makes a beeline to the rim against sloppy closeouts. The 19-year-old has also earned a reputation as a connective tissue playmaker, dishing pinpoint short-roll passes.

Walker holds most of his value on the defensive end, and you could argue he is the second or third-most versatile stopper in this class. The 6-foot-8 forward should cover threes, fours, and fives with no issue, even switching onto guards in a pinch. And he is lightyears ahead of his peers with his attention to detail on team responsibilities.

Not many college basketball players did as much to raise their draft stock as Taylor Hendricks did this season. He started his collegiate career as an unheralded prospect, and he is mere months from becoming the first one-and-done player in program history for Central Florida. And if San Antonio slides to seventh, Hendricks might be the best player on the board.

The 19-year-old is an explosive leaper with an insane lob radius, and he should be effective in transition or half-court sets as a roll-man, vertical spacer, and rim runner. Between knocking down 40.9% of his catch-and-shoot threes and smooth shooting mechanics, Hendricks showed enough for scouts to buy into his upside as a stretch four in the NBA.

Hendricks shares similarities with Jarace Walker as an elite team defender capable of unbelievable ground coverage. But the 6-foot-9 forward set himself apart from his fellow frontcourt counterpart with exceptional weakside rim protection. The Spurs need prospects who have a two-way impact on the game, and Hendricks is tailor-made for the modern era.