O'Connor on his lottery pick for Spurs: 'This dude is nuts.'

The list of must-take NBA Draft prospects is growing by the day, and a promising young guy will eventually fall to the San Antonio Spurs at spot No.9.

With names like Shaedon Sharpe, Dyson Daniels, and Keegan Murray on the rise, that's bumping back others like Jalen Duren, AJ Griffin, and Bennedict Mathurin, all of whom would fill holes in San Antonio.

The latter of those is a 6-6 guard with an impressive shot-making bag and intriguing athleticism. Shooting 37% and 41.8% in his two years with Arizona, Mathurin put up 17.7 points per game for the Wildcats this season and looks primed to be an effective scorer as a pro.

It's easy to see Bennedict thriving in the open court alongside Dejounte Murray, Keldon Johnson, and the rest of the 5th-quickest team in the NBA last season.

"This dude is nuts," said The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor in his post-Lottery mock draft. "The intensity. He's got that Russell Westbrook fire inside of him, and I mean that as a compliment."

Mathurin was never afraid to show emotion in his two years playing ball at college, and that energy fed other guys on the court on their way to the Sweet 16.

"He's such a good athlete. So explosive. So fun to watch," continued O'Connor. "Mathurin and Murray -- put them together and San Antonio would have one of the funner, young teams in the entire league to watch."

If he can develop more as a shot-creator, the sky would truly be the limit for Mathurin, who already showed he can shoulder a bigger role if needed in his sophomore season. What he does already have in spades, though, is a willingness to adapt to his teammates and play within a system however he's needed -- something essential to being a San Antonio Spur.

Considering his knockdown shooting and overall game, it wouldn't be a surprise if Mathurin threatened Doug McDermott's starting gig after too long if the Spurs end up taking him.

Is Bennedict worth taking despite being undersized for what San Antonio should be prioritizing? That'll ultimately be up to the front office.