How Jarace Walker and the Spurs can push the boundaries of positionless basketball

If you can believe it, the San Antonio Spurs only have nine games left in the 2022-23 season. And being a team recently eliminated from playoff contention, all eyes moving forward will be set directly on the NBA Draft Lottery--occurring May 16th--along with the 2023 NBA Draft later in June. The Spurs currently hold the third-worst record in the league, with the Charlotte Hornets being a comfortable 3.5 games ahead of them in the standings, meaning, in all likelihood, the Spurs will own a 14% chance at winning the number one overall pick in the lottery.

The Spurs' front office almost certainly has Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson in the crosshairs as their two main targets coming into the home stretch. But as we have reminded fans periodically throughout the season, it would be wise to prepare yourself for several alternative outcomes in the upcoming draft. While the chances of the Spurs ending up with a top-four pick (a 52.1% chance, to be exact) are higher than the odds of them winding up outside of the top four, there is still a significant chance the Spurs will be selecting someone not named Wembanyama, Henderson, or Miller on draft night, as disappointing as that may sound.

Thankfully, the top half of the upcoming lottery looks stacked with more talent than most drafts in recent memory. We've already entertained the possibility of the Spurs selecting one of Amen or Ausar Thompson in the draft, who both certainly have the upside to warrant such a high pick. This time around, we're going in a different direction and discussing Houston Cougars standout freshman Jarace Walker, his fascinating fit with the current Spurs squad, and his long-term upside.