San Antonio Spurs: Draft or Pass 4 players at every position

San Antonio Spurs Draft Prospects: Small Forwards

Josh Giddey: Draft

When it comes to small forward prospects featured on this list, our contributor Damien Bartonek has covered nearly every single one of them in great detail, so I won't spend too much time on each of them. He thinks that Josh Giddey could bring a ton of skill and smart playmaking to the Spurs, and I happen to agree with him.

While Giddey typically runs the offense for the Australian Adelaide 36ers and could easily be considered a guard, he has the size of a forward and I think would play at that position for the Spurs. If that turns out not to be the case, though, I think he could be reasonably played at the 1, 2, or 3 in the NBA with relative ease.

While he definitely isn't the most athletic player on this list, he has an outstanding IQ on both ends of the floor and averaged 10.9 points, 7.5 assists, and 7.4 rebounds in the NBL as an 18-year-old. Considering how well LaMelo Ball's game has translated to the NBA, I don't think much else needs to be said.

Moses Moody: Draft

Arkansas' Moses Moody has the potential to become a versatile 3-and-D wing much in the same vein as Devin Vassell. He has the length and athleticism to adequately defend several positions in the NBA, can grab a respectable number of rebounds in a game, and projects as a good shooter.

While he's still a bit on the thin side, he only just turned 19 this past May and has a ton of room to grow. Unfortunately, though, the skill he most lacks right now is something that some of the other Spurs' young players have struggled with early on: finishing at the bucket. He will either have to become much craftier, and perhaps improve his ball-handling, or he'll have to work on his athleticism.

That being said, I'm a believer that modern NBA teams can't have enough 3-and-D wing players. If Moody manages to remain consistent on defense and gain the ability to reliably score off the dribble, he could become much more than that. His ceiling is high enough to warrant the 12th overall pick.

Ziaire Williams: Draft

Ziaire Williams was recently featured on my list of the most realistic options for the Spurs at the 12th pick, and I still believe that he's one of their most realistic picks. While he didn't have the year many expected him to have at Stanford, he's still full of potential on both ends of the floor.

Although he stands at nearly 6'10", he has the skillset of a playmaking wing and has one of the smoothest shooting strokes I can think of. Williams' jumpshot definitely wasn't falling for him this past season, but his free-throw shooting indicates that he should be able to improve.

What will be key for Williams moving forward is that he begins to gain strength. His lack of strength in college was the stem of many of his issues on the offensive end of the floor. If he can get a bit stronger though and start hitting his jumpers, he could be one of, if not the best scoring wing in his draft class. Based on potential alone, he could be a steal at the 12th pick.

Franz Wagner: Pass

Franz Wagner is yet another tall wing prospect that could potentially bring a much-needed dose of playmaking to the Spurs. At last measurement, Wagner stood at 6'9" with a 6'11" wingspan.

Like Josh Giddey, Wagner is one of the less-athletic draft prospects that is projected to be selected toward the top of the board, but he can get by based on a high level of skill and an outstanding IQ on both ends of the floor. His IQ is most noticeable on defense, where he showed his versatility on the perimeter and in closeouts, as well as his potential as a shot-blocker in the paint.

In his sophomore season at Michigan, he averaged 12.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1 block per game. In this way, he could bring a lot to the table for the Spurs and potentially mold his style of play to whatever the Spurs are most in need of on a game-to-game basis.

Ultimately, though, given the sheer amount of talent in this draft, his lower ceiling is less favorable compared to several other players that will more than likely still be on the board at 12. While Wagner is good at a lot of things, he is not necessarily projected to be elite at any particular skill, unlike several others on this list. With that in mind, though, unconfirmed rumors have been circulating that he has grown to 6'11", which would definitely help to convince me that drafting him wouldn't be such a bad thing.