Scouts give their two cents on how Spurs should approach the 2023 NBA Draft

2. If San Antonio falls outside of the top four, which player makes the most sense for them in that five through seven range?

Babcock: There isn't a specific player that jumps out as a perfect fit for the Spurs outside the projected top-4. However, they should look at the Thompson Twins from Overtime Elite, depending on which are on the board. If they look to bolster their frontcourt Jarace Walker from Houston and Taylor Hendricks from Central Florida could be options. And lastly, although the Spurs have a lot of young perimeter players, they could look at Nick Smith Jr. from Arkansas, Keyonte George from Baylor, or Cason Wallace from Kentucky, as an argument could be made for all three that they could develop into lead guards.

Barlowe: Cason Wallace makes the most sense to me. While some may think it’s a reach, I believe he has more game than he was able to showcase at Kentucky, and more importantly, he seems like a Pop/Spurs guy. People think I’m crazy but I think he’s a mini Kawhi Leonard. He’s quiet, competitive, a great defender, and he loves to get to his spots and shoot midrange pull ups.

Stayman: A Spurs development of Jarace Walker should scare everyone in the league. Assuming the rebuild is completed in a few years, Jarace will be the difference between a first round exit and a conference finals.

Tulaba: I think if you are shooting for star upside, you swing for a guy like Ausar Thompson, who has some of the most profound athleticism in the class with some real playmaking potential and a much cleaner shooting projection than his brother. The other guy who I think would be an underrated fit with the Spurs developmental staff is Brice Sensabaugh. Brice is a 6’6” wing that shot 48/40/80 as a freshman on high three-point volume whilst being a midrange assassin. He’s sort of the evolutionary DeMar DeRozan, and that’s a guy who expanded and developed his game in Pop’s system.