Spurs got an absolute steal in the NBA Draft and Summer League proved it

After taking two players in the first round of this year's NBA Draft, it's easy for the San Antonio Spurs' second-round selections to fly under the radar. However, that's precisely what happened.

The Spurs selected guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie with the 43rd pick in this year's draft, and he's quickly proving to be a potential steal with his strong NBA Summer League play. The 23-year-old point guard averaged a solid 16 points, 4.3 assists, and 2 steals in four games.

That comes with the obvious caveat that it's only Summer League, and point guards tend to do well in that setting. However, San Antonio has a history of finding hidden gems, particularly guards. and developing them into NBA players.

Ja'Kobi Gillespie could be the Spurs' latest hidden gem find

Obviously there's Tony Parker, who was selected with the 28th pick in the 2001 NBA draft, and he went on to have a Hall of Fame career. Other success stories include Gary Neal and Patty Mills, though neither was drafted by the Spurs.

More recently, Tre Jones was selected by the Spurs in the second round and went on to have a solid NBA career. Hopefully Gillespie can follow in his footsteps and provide San Antonio with a solid fourth option at point guard.

The Spurs likely won't use him much next season with them already being stacked at guard with De'Aaron Fox, Dylan Harper, and Stephon Castle.

Fortunately, they have him signed to a two-way contract, giving the Spurs more time to evaluate him. That means Gillespie will spend time in Austin, playing in the NBA G League and possibly even getting spot minutes in the NBA.

Ja'Kobi Gillespie might be another draft steal for the Spurs

Gillespie projects to be a skilled pick-and-roll point guard who can capably run an offense. Better still, he is a solid 3-point shooter and has decent touch in the paint.

He's a bit slight to go up against the bigger NBA point guards, but he's at least pesky defensively and racks up plenty of steals. That, combined with him being a 3-point gunner who can create for others in the pick and roll, is worth a further look by the Spurs.

Who knows? Perhaps Gillespie could assume Jordan McLaughlin's role after next season and may even play some in blowouts or when the Spurs are short on bodies. Judging by how Gillespie played during summer league, that is far from a bad thing.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow