3 First-Round Prospects Spurs Can Take in 2022

San Antonio Spurs 18th Overall Pick: Harrison Ingram

Selecting Stanford’s Harrison Ingram with the 18th overall pick would probably be a bit of a reach if it were to actually come to fruition, but he looks to me like a player that the Spurs would reach for if given the opportunity. Despite being a bit inconsistent over the course of the season, Ingram has unquestionably been Stanford’s most impactful underclassman.

Standing at around 6’7”-6’8” and weighing in at 230 pounds, the 18-year-old Dallas, Texas native has been on my radar since the beginning of the college basketball season. For having the length and build of a modern wing/power forward hybrid, his guard skills and shooting upside are what has made him stand out at Stanford and why many scouts are giving him first-round consideration. There are few players of his size in the 2022 NBA Draft class that are as comfortable and unafraid to put the ball on the floor as he is, and when taking his age into account, that list shrinks even more. 

While his stats may not be indicative of it quite yet, he’s shown flashes of pull-up shooting that make his ball-handling skills even more sought-after. Ingram has averaged 11.3 points on 42/33/70 shooting splits on a relatively decent volume of shots through 26 games, and while his shooting mechanics have a bit of room for improvement, his jumper has been convincing enough to make me believe that it will translate well over time with the help of Chip Engelland. 

While Ingram’s main selling point is his offense at this point, his defense and general grit have been a pleasant surprise. Despite being a bit overblown, he is not the most athletic nor fastest-moving player to ever grace the hardwood and has received multiple comparisons to Kyle Anderson as a result. Thankfully, though, Ingram’s basketball IQ has allowed him to make some incredibly disruptive plays away from the ball, his strength allows him to guard power forwards, and his lateral quickness is serviceable enough to defend some bigger guards and wings on the perimeter. 

Finally, what propels Ingram over the top in my book is his passing ability. Perhaps outside of Purdue’s Trevion Williams, Ingram may be the best passers at his size in his draft class. He can hit long outlet passes in transition, hit cutters off the live dribble in the paint, find open shooters off drives, and does all of it with both hands. He frequently gives off shades of a young Boris Diaw in this way, and if his shooting translates to the NBA even reasonably well, Ingram could be a dangerously versatile weapon on offense and fit in well within a variety of different lineups.  

At the very least, I think Ingram could become a good, quality role player with the Spurs that will create opportunities for his teammates and fill in some gaps on both ends of the floor. He’s young enough and has high-enough enough upside, though, to certainly warrant a late first-round selection.