Spurs' home run draft comes with unforeseen domino effect

After months of speculation, San Antonio Spurs fans now have a much better idea of how their roster will look next season. The Spurs selected Dylan Harper second overall and Carter Bryant 14th.

Drafting Harper and Bryant and adding them to a team full of young talent makes the Spurs two players deeper even before they enter free agency. However, their depth comes with the caveat that their roster has flaws that must be addressed to maximize their potential.

The Spurs still need to add more size behind Victor Wembanyama, considering that there is currently no other center on the roster. They also need more shooting, but they can solve both problems in free agency.

Spurs home run draft will have a domino effect on next season

The Spurs' expected starting lineup of De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell, Harrison Barnes, and Wembanyama has a solid floor and high ceiling. That lineup has enough spacing with Vassell, Barnes, and Wembanyama potentially taking around 20 threes a game.

Meanwhile, Fox and Castle will likely both be aggressive taking threes, with them combining to attempt 9.5 threes per game last season. Still, they both hit fewer than 30% of their triples.

But, cumulatively, that lineup should have enough spacing. They'll also have two slashers in Fox and Castle, with Wembanyama as the focal point. The second unit is a different story.

Harper, Julian Champagnie, Keldon Johnson, and Jeremy Sochan may make up the second unit. The biggest question is how that lineup will shake out.

The Spurs have some big decisions to make to unlock their potential

Harper could play both backup point and shooting guard and play at least 25 of the 35-ish minutes available. That's all well and good, but that could mean that Johnson plays the three, Sochan plays the four, and whoever they sign plays backup center.

The problem with that is that Champagnie would have his role minimized even though he was the team's second-best shooter behind Barnes last season. Playing him at backup shooting guard would mean a much smaller role for Harper, barring a trade.

Did someone mention a trade? The ideal trade would swap out Johnson for a backup center, killing two birds with one stone. In that scenario, the Spurs would be able to give Harper big minutes and prioritize shooting by giving Champagnie a solid role in the second unit.

That would also allow for Sochan to play his natural position at the four and add much-needed backup center. It would also clear a path for Bryant to get spot minutes and fill in when they have injuries on the perimeter.

Overall, the Spurs getting Harper and Bryant gives them plenty of depth. Nevertheless, they will have to resolve their lack of shooting and lack of a backup center for them to thrive next season.