Spurs draft Devin Vassell's replacement in latest ESPN Mock Draft

Much has been made about the number of potential first-round picks at San Antonio's disposal this summer. The 2025 NBA Draft is looked at as a strong draft with plenty of talent, but it's up to the Spurs to decide how to approach that information. The value of their draft picks is elevated due to the promise of the incoming draft class, so they could trade the picks for a proven player or use the picks themselves.

Though the Spurs could end up with four draft picks, it's likely that not all of them will convey, depending on the protections established when they acquired them. In ESPN draft experts Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo's mock draft, they have the Silver and Black retaining three of the four. But today, we'll focus on who Woo mocked to SA with the 10th overall pick: Tre Johnson from Texas.

Tre Johnson has a higher offensive ceiling than Devin Vassell

Johnson is almost the exact same size as Devin Vassell, listed at 6'6" with a 6'10" wingspan, weighing 190. Dev is about one inch shorter and was around 10 pounds lighter when he was drafted. The difference between the two is the ease with which Johnson fills it up on offense, though Vassell was the better defender.

The Texas guard is averaging 18.4 points per game on 46% from the field and 40.2% from three. He has an effortless stroke allowing him to get his shot off rather easily and his natural shooting motion means he'll be a more consistent shooter. The NBA Draft Room describes him as an "unstoppable scorer who can get buckets on anyone," and the Spurs could use some of that right about now.

Devin Vassell has recently been the focus of much angst from Spurs fans, and understandably so. He was expected to build off the 19.5 points per game he averaged last season, but not only has he not increased his production, he's struggled to match it.

Now, when I say Johnson could be Vassell's replacement, I'm opening the possibility to several scenarios. San Antonio could choose to use Vassell's team-friendly contract in a package to bring in a talented player like De'Aaron Fox, opening up a spot for the 18-year-old from Garland, Texas, in the starting rotation.

However, the Spurs could keep Vassell, draft Johnson anyway, and groom him into the second-scoring option, sliding Dev into a role as the third or fourth option depending on Stephon Castle's evolution.

Either way, San Antonio could add more reliable firepower and stop relying so much on Devin's boom-or-bust scoring. It's costing the team winnable games.