Ranking 7 first-round prospects Spurs are rumored to be coveting

6. Jarace Walker

Jarace Walker is another player I had the privilege of watching in person this past season and a player I remain quite high on. In fact, before it was revealed that the Spurs would be making the first overall selection in this Thursday's draft, I already examined how he could work in the context of the Spurs even with many glaring similarities to Jeremy Sochan.

Walker could easily fill in as the bench unit's new power forward, which is why I have him above Keyonte George in these rankings. But the addition of Wembanyama to the Spurs roster complicates Walker's long-term developmental pathway in a big way. Wembanyama will likely be best served by playing next to a more traditional center that can match up well against post-up bigs in the paint (i.e., Zach Collins)--a role that Walker likely won't be able to take on with a ton of regularity.

But with Wembanyama and Jeremy Sochan rounding out the Spurs' starting frontcourt, it's difficult to see a pathway for Walker to enter the starting lineup. If the Spurs are interested in making a very long-term play where the idea is to eventually play Wembanyama at center with Sochan and Walker playing at the 3 and 4, respectively, then this could work. But that idea is a bit too rich for me, particularly when considering the potential cost of moving up into the top half of the lottery for Walker.