San Antonio Spurs: 6 players to work out before the draft

San Antonio Spurs Pre-Draft Workout Candidates 3 - 1

3. Franz Wagner

It's a bit strange to me seeing that Franz Wagner will not be participating in the combine this coming week. As elite as his defensive fundamentals are, I was hoping to see him compete alongside some of the other great players in this draft class to address some concerns around his shooting and athleticism.

The fact that he won't be present makes me think that it's possible he's already received some sort of a verbal agreement from a team interested in him toward the top of the draft board. On the other hand, if this isn't the case, it would make me a lot more comfortable knowing that the Spurs had a workout with him beforehand if the Spurs were to draft him next month.

2. James Bouknight

EJ Onu and James Bouknight are the only two players on this list that did not make the cut for the first version of our draft big board earlier this month. Initially, what was keeping him off the list was that he only shot 29% from three this past season. For a 6'5" guard, the Spurs are going to need much better shooting, and I think the better bet, for the time being, is to continue developing Lonnie Walker IV.

That being said, he's a high IQ player that was a great scorer for Uconn despite his lack of three-point shooting. He was very good at creating his own shot, and his athleticism helped him creatively finish at the bucket. There's also some recent evidence that suggests he's been working on his outside shooting, and his mechanics look completely fine. With how high his three-level scoring upside is, it certainly wouldn't hurt for the Spurs to invite him for a workout and see what he can do.

1. Ziaire Williams

If you watched Stanford play this past season, then you know that Ziaire Williams did not have the season that most expected him to have. He was #8 on ESPN's top 100 recruits and was expected to come into the draft as a consensus lottery pick. That said, his outside shot was not falling and his skinny frame was severely limiting his scoring ability inside of the three-point line.

To be fair though, Stanford's men's and women's basketball teams were constantly having games rescheduled and canceled due to the spread of COVID-19, and Williams lost two family members during their season. Generally speaking, he and his team had a rough year and he understandably had other things on his mind.

While his shot wasn't falling, his form looked very smooth and he shot decently well off pull-up jumpers. If he can come into a workout and prove that he's gaining weight and he can hit his shots consistently, he could very well be another option for the Spurs if they're in the hunt to acquire another first-round pick and feel like taking a risk with it.