Could Spurs be targeting yet another Josh for their roster?
By Josh Paredes
If the San Antonio Spurs are going to take a swing at a project in an NBA Draft, this would be the year to do so.
With draft night just one week away, there still isn't much solid intel about specific prospects Brian Wright and company are looking to select. Considering how past draft leaks have burned them in the past, that's probably for the best.
Still, there are hints at who they could be looking at in various parts of the draft. They've previously met with guys like Italian sniper Gabriele Procida, who's currently projected to be selected somewhere in the 40s. They've also had a good conversation with Jeremy Sochan, who could still be available when San Antonio is on the clock with the 9th pick.
On Tuesday, a prospect's father revealed information that could hint at someone else the Spurs could be strongly considering -- Josh Minott.
By now, the Spurs have hosted workouts with several different athletes, but I haven't personally seen anything about them working out the same player more than once. Of course, I'm not tapped into organization matters, so that might not mean much. Still, I've never received a second interview from a company unless there was interest.
Scouting Memphis forward Josh Minott
Josh Minott is a 6-8, 205-pound, athletic forward with a 6-11 wingspan coming off one season with the Memphis Tigers. He averaged 6.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 0.7 blocks in 14.6 minutes per game in his freshman year, showcasing some impressive bounce on both ends of the floor.
Considering he has 33 total games of college basketball experience, he'd definitely be a project pick that would need a lot of fine-tuning before potentially being a real contributor in San Antonio. I asked our draft expert, Roberto Araiza, to give his scouting report on the 20-year-old.
"If the Spurs are going to take a swing with one of their later picks, this would be a good one," he said. "He's a very fluid and explosive athlete. The jumper is very much a work in progress and he’s generally super raw but has lots of defensive upsides. He had some pretty convincing flashes in college."
While he made just two of his 14 attempts from beyond the arc this season (14.3%), his 75.4% mark from the line shows his shot mechanics seem to be on the right track. If the Spurs are looking at taking him with their 20th or 25th pick in the NBA Draft on June 23rd, it will likely be due to his size and two-way potential after working with Chip Engelland.
"I wouldn't say he'd be a reach with the 25th pick," said Araiza. "Depending on how much they buy the jumper long term, I could even see him going at 20."
If San Antonio selects Josh Minott after all on Thursday, that would be the third Josh on the roster. If you ask me, that's a winning strategy.