Spurs' Jayden Quaintance gamble embodies aggressive Wembanyama mindset

The Spurs could have moved up to grab a guy or traded out of No. 20. There were safe moves to be made, but Victor Wembanyama doesn't play it safe, and apparently, San Antonio doesn't either. MAFTO (Mitch and the front office) chose to ride with the prospect teams were too nervous to take, but he has an incredible upside that could lead to the NBA community looking back with remorse.

Spurs ignored safer draft paths

This was the story on Quaintance throughout the draft process, but clearly, the Spurs feel comfortable enough with what they've seen in his medical evaluations to take a swing on the talented forward. They needed depth in their frontcourt. It was a glaring need made impossible to ignore by the NBA Finals.

The board pretty much fell their way. Yaxel Lendeborg was taken already, but he was a long shot anyway. But with Zuby Ejiofor, Chris Cenac Jr., and others still on the board, the Spurs took the guy with the most defensive upside regardless of his current health status. That's what they want to hang their hats on, and they'll take some risks to ensure they put forth their best effort in maintaining that philosophy.

The Quaintance pick embodies the mentality Wembanyama lives by

The Alien does not approach basketball conservatively. He never has. The French superstar is always pushing the limits for what's possible for a 7'4" center, whether that's pulling 30-footers or throwing himself alley-oops off the glass. He just challenged how much winning is supposed to be done by a team so young. The possibility of failure doesn't stop him, and the Spurs just operated in the same way.

Quaintance was quite literally the riskiest prospect the Spurs could have chosen. His claim to stardom was in the previous season as a student at Arizona St. His defense was eye-popping, and his abilities on that side alone had him projected as a lottery pick. However, it's not ideal to tear your ACL after transferring schools and missing all but four games.

Nobody is to blame for an injury like that, but it can still impact draft stock, and in this case, it did. Most analysts agree that, despite not playing much this past season, Jayden would have been chosen higher if teams were more confident in his knee. That's what makes the pick work. The organization wasn't drafting for a safe outcome; they wanted the best possible result.

Quaintance is a defensive juggernaut with vicious rebounding abilities. He was averaging over 5 stocks (steals + blocks) at ASU, so he makes plays on that end. He's not a shooter by any means, but he can still handle the rock, drive the ball, and pass well. He's only 18 years old, so the Spurs have an incredibly long runway to ensure he's healthy and to grow his offensive game.

The NBA Finals showed San Antonio exactly what they needed most: Someone they can rely on to play big minutes when Victor Wembanyama rests. If Quaintance is healthy, there's nobody better suited for that task. If he reaches his full potential, the Spurs have a star role player on their hands.

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