DaRon Holmes II is the Spurs center prospect nobody is talking about (yet)

If you have Victor Wembanyama at the very top of your 2023 NBA Draft wish list for the San Antonio Spurs, I don't blame you. It looks more and more like he will be the surefire 1st overall pick in the draft and is undoubtedly the best big man prospect in his class.

But here's the reality of the situation: even if the Spurs were to go into the draft with the best chances of winning the lottery, that will only amount to a 14% chance at the top spot. But don't get me wrong--I'm in the camp that believes the 2023 draft is far greater than a one or two-man draft. The draft will be stacked with freshman talent alone, but we urge fans not to sleep on some potential sophomore and upperclassman candidates as well.

Today, we're going to be diving into one of the class' most slept-on centers: Dayton's DaRon Holmes II. Currently rated as a very late second-round prospect by Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman and a (more properly rated) early second-round prospect by Sports Illustrated's Jeremy Woo, Homles could easily sneak into the late 1st round by the time the draft comes around and could be a seamless two-way fit in San Antonio.

Is he as exciting of a prospect as someone like Wembanyama? No, but that certainly doesn't mean that Holmes should be overlooked either. Because Jakob Poeltl is consistently being brought up in trade rumors and concerns linger about Zach Collins' long-term health, do not be surprised if the Spurs begin to search for young bigs in the draft, perhaps even well into the second round. The following is why I see Holmes as an early candidate to monitor.