San Antonio Spurs: 2021 NBA Draft Big Board 2.0

San Antonio Spurs NBA Draft Big Board: Players 4 and 3

4. Scottie Barnes - Power Forward, Florida State

Scottie Barnes' defensive IQ and court awareness are nearly superhuman and he's drawn many comparisons to Draymond Green for good reason. It's quite rare to find someone that has the size and ability to defend the 1-4 and is also as comfortable with the ball in his hands on the other end of the floor as Barnes is.

Barnes has also impressed at the NBA combine where, like Ziaire Williams, he placed in the top ten of every strength and agility metric other than the three-quarter court sprint and where he was recorded as having much bigger hands than most others.

For a long stretch of the season, I was concerned about his offense, but much like with Garuba, his free-throw shooting toward the end of the year is a promising indicator for his development of a jump shot. That said, his shooting mechanics are still awkward and inconsistent off the catch-and-shoot and only seem to get worse when he puts the ball on the floor. In this way, Chip Engelland will have his work cut out for him once again.

3. Jalen Green - Shooting Guard, G-League Ignite

With the number of guards that the Spurs currently have on their roster, I came into both versions of my big board thinking that it would have to take a very good guard to make it at all, let alone high on the list, and Jalen Green is that guy. He very well could come out of next season as the rookie scoring leader and it would not surprise me in the least. All signs point to him being at least an above-average shooter as he becomes more consistent, and he already seems to have a great understanding of team defense.

What concerns me most about Green is that it could be a lateral move for the Spurs. Assuming for now that the Spurs would have to trade up to draft him, it would likely mean that either Lonnie Walker or Derrick White would have to go. It would also mean that the Spurs organization is certain or at least very confident that Green will turn out better than one or both of them which, while not necessarily a bad bet at all, is definitely not a sure thing either. The payoff would have to be big for the move to be worth it.

That said, if the Spurs wanted him and Rockets were to pass on him with their second overall pick, the Spurs could make an attempt to acquire the Cavaliers' third overall pick to secure him.