Spurs' 2027 mock draft pick is a head-scratcher: meet the Italian Wemby

It may be a little early, but 2027 mock drafts are already being published, and the Spurs' projected pick in one of them is a bit of a head-scratcher. The NBA Draft Room has San Antonio selecting Villanova center Luigi Suigo 10th overall, with the final selection they're set to receive from Atlanta stemming from the Dejounte Murray trade.

Now, since the college season has yet to be played, there's no telling where the cards will fall by the end of March Madness. Players will slide up and down the board once games actually start being played, but it's still worth discussing now because Suigo is such an interesting prospect. One worth at least exploring.

Who exactly is Luigi Suigo?

Suigo is a 7'3" center from Italy with a mixed bag of goodies in his game. Popularly dubbed "the Italian Wemby," Luigi blocks shots, is improving as a shooter, and has a knack for facilitating. He averaged 7.9 points and 5.1 rebounds for Mega Basket in Serbia last season and was originally meant to be in the draft a couple of months ago.

With a class so deep, the raw big man was only projected as a late-round pick, so he decided to attend Villanova this season instead. That's the right decision. Suigo was projected as one of the more developmental bigs in the group. Let him get that work in a competitive college program instead of taking a roster spot before he's ready.

As versatile as his game is, there's a lack of lateral quickness and explosiveness to be concerned about. He has a huge frame at over 280 pounds, but that weight is going to get him in trouble in space on the perimeter because great players will challenge him in that area every single night. An extra year of conditioning and high-level competition will be good for the 7'3" center from Italy.

Why would the Spurs add another big man?

San Antonio currently has four bona fide bigs on the team: Victor Wembanyama, Luke Kornet, Jayden Quaintance, and Tarris Reed Jr. It's hard to see them adding another one outside of either of the following scenarios.

One, Quaintance doesn't get healthy, and his future comes into question. The Spurs could seek out some insurance at the backup center spot if JQ's availability becomes a real uncertainty past whatever chunk of the season he's already projected to miss as a rookie.

The other reason the Silver and Black might dabble in the center market is that Jayden does come back and looks fantastic. If Reed and Quaintance have strong performances, San Antonio could look to move off Kornet's contract early. Drafting Suigo would be replenishing frontcourt depth at a bargain price at that point.

However, there's a universe where the situation behind Wemby is just "fine," giving the Spurs no need to look at doing anything at that position. Leaving things as is wouldn't be unusual for this organization. I could easily see them trading the pick altogether if no standout wing rises through the ranks, as that's the more appealing target role right now.

Quite honestly, both of those options are more likely based on where things stand today. If they can land a special talent to play either of the forward spots, they'd likely pull the trigger immediately, but you can't rule out a trade either. Though having the Italian Wemby backing up the real Wemby is certainly worth discussing.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow