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Everyone eagerly anticipating combine measurements for the UK guards.
I still have Sheppard over Dillingham for now.
Everyone eagerly anticipating combine measurements for the UK guards.
I still have Sheppard over Dillingham for now.
Defense is something the Spurs could attack in this draft, but they don't have to worry about specifically drafting good defenders. They need good prospects who can become good players. They can cross the contender bridge when they get to it. It's far better to draft an offense-first guard who succeeds and you have to contemplate trading later that passing on him for a defense-first wing who fails. BPA.
That said, there are multiple ways a player can contribute to a defense, and a guy Dillingham's size seems to have the agility to harass a player at the point of attack. He doesn't have to be able to one-on-one a guy up and down the court. Patty Mills, for all his flaws, defended well at the head of a zone scheme when asked to just pressure the opposing team as they tried to get into their sets. Dillingham -- especially early in his career when he's not being asked to be a main scoring option -- should have a similar task. I think the Spurs would get more value out of that and finding some wing star power than by drafting a wing, expecting them to be a 1-4 defender who can check the best PGs and then spending big to bring in a vet PG who at best is hiding on guys Vassell should be hiding on.
Dillingham is perfect next to Wemby. You can afford to have a weak defender at PG as long as it‘s the only one in the line up
If you remove "high" offensive prodution, Dillingham's value considerably drops.
We can hope for, and like we do every year, project on those kids all the things we need and would like them to have or develop, but Dilly is perceived as a poor defenser and chances are he'll never even be neutral. And we don't even know if he'll actually be able to be a main scoring option in the NBA. There's a fair chance he might not even be a starter on a winning team.
Not directly addressed to you Chinook (I include myself) but we should hold our horses a bit regarding these kids, specially this year.. This draft is perceived as one of the weakiest in history by scouts and FO guys thoughout the league, but reading different fanbases, it's suddenly filled (here again, like every year getting closer to the draft) with talented prospects who could be perfect for THEIR team.
Probability is few of this year's rookies, including lottery guys, will end up as actual NBA stars, or even starters for most.
i don't want trae young bc he's so ing bad on defense. but its hard not to be intrigued by dillingham's offensive potential.
he would have been the second best perimeter creator/shot maker on the Spurs roster last year.
I've contended that Dillingham was dog in great part because he didn't know how to play defense. Almost at all. In December and January, he was blowing assignments, missing rotations, didn't know how to guard basic inbound up-screens. He would do things that looked like he was a kid at a YMCA.
But then slowly some of these problems started going away. Calipari, who in retrospect was pretty checked out as a coach, got some of this out of his system. Dillingham was still making bad mistakes, but he was active, calling switches, communicating. This was a player who actively wanted to play good defense. Crucially, he was the only player on the team with the quickness to keep up with the shooter who was killing them in the tournament. He was still making mistakes then, but there was marked improvement.
Anyway, I keep repeating myself on that score. I also agree that he has the tools to be better than he is (with very poor high school coaching). What matters to me is that he bought into trying to get better there.
Often one of the added benefits of hitting on a defensive ace is that they become relative bargains salarlywise after their rookie contracts are up. Guys like Herb Jones, OG Anunoby, Alex Caruso, Draymond, etc. don't command the max contracts of scorers like Trae Young, Bradley Beal, Zach LaVine, etc... In this day & age, with the harsher salary cap penalties, every team can use a couple of guys like that on their roster.
I think it is a requirement nowadays to spend and waste draft picks in order to get a young starter level wing. I rather brute force one while we still can than spend every off season and trade deadline being one of several teams calling BKN for Mikal Bridges.
Young wings aren't so super valuable that you can waste assets trying to get them. Very view of the elite ones are top picks. If the Spurs were simply going gambling, they could trade down and take multiple shots rather than waste what could be the last two top-10 picks they have in Wemby's career.
By god, that's Castle's (Williams? Salaun?) music . . . gulp.
Last edited by TD 21; 2 Days Ago at 10:57 AM.
Castle > McCain > Topic > Carter> UK guards
Tbh.
Folks are forgetting that the Spurs have invested heavily in Vassell as the #2 option. For this version of the Spurs we don’t need a little no-D, huntable, chucker, whether Trae or Dillingham. This team needs another Derrick White (which maybe more upside), Defensive versatility, reliable shooting, setup guy, and smarts.
I believe we would all love "a Derrick White with more upside". Fairy sure the whole NBA would.
Anyway, I don't believe we should rely too much on this draft to find Wemby's future co-star or sidekick. A quality role player would be a win. And I wouldn't mind using the picks for a major move, There's so many guys to develop or improve already on this team.
^ Sure, was thinking of more Spurs Derrick. I more mean more the archetype: someone that doesn’t need the ball to be effective, is a connector, and smart. We don’t need 25 ppg from the point so long as the Spurs are committed to Vassell as the 2nd option (which they are).
You don't pass up a top 10 pick because you are worried about Wesley, Branham, Cissoko, Champ, Bassey or Barlow not getting minutes. The team has three prospects of consequence and has plenty of room to develop outside of that.
The Spurs had great defenses with Porky at PG. The Wolves are elite now with 35yo Mike Conley starting at point.
I have a slight preference to Topic but you don't pass on Dillingham because of his defense. If you think he's an elite pairing with Wemby offensively then you draft him, plain and simple tbh.
reed,dilly,topic,castle all cool to draft.They would all be upgrades over tre.
The Spurs could open up enough cap space to sign a first- or second-tier max contract more easily than they can if they have to get all the way up to a third-tier max. People talk about signing George, but OG could be signed just by paying to get out of Graham and dumping Johnson, or Quickley could be obtained by moving Collins.
I'd love OG and badly wanted to trade for him, but now that New York has his Bird Rights I can't see him signing anywhere but there. Quickley is restricted so would take a massive overpay most likely. Maybe KCP would be gettable since re-signing him would surely put Denver over the second apron.
I don't find this necessarily true. Vassell's contract doesn't dictate that he must be the #2 option lest it be an overpay - in fact, it's very much in-line with the contract of a #3 guy on a team. Hopefully the Spurs aren't so stubborn as to feel compelled to continually force Vassell as the #2 option, when most signs currently point to him not being that guy.
It seems pretty clear Vassell struggles with self-creation, and this may continue to be a problem. Wembanyama is also not a great creator from the perimeter. He may learn to take better shots, etc., but the team could use a dynamic number one perimeter threat. This could be in the Parker mold - if not his skillset - in someone dedicated to stirring the defense around or providing another point of trouble for the defense.
Optimally it's someone who can feast off the attention Wemby will get, whether as a playmaker or scorer. Both would be best. This would slot Vassell in more of a third scorer position where he seems to fit best, to me.
It’s not just the $$, but the role they’ve carved for him and trust they’re given him. I dont see that changing during this first iteration of the Wemby teams, unless there is a coaching change.
I totally agree that he’s best a 3rd option, though. But as someone else said elsewhere, we shouldn’t be expecting them to draft their number 2 in this draft.
It feels like the Spurs gave him a big contract then used this season to see what they have with him in a big role. To menot ideal, but not horrible. I can see the team changing his role, but will he be ok with it? I'm not sure.
Vassell was the number-one guy before Wemby. Roles change. The Spurs aren't going to avoid getting a better second option because for one season Devin played that role. That would be purposefully hamstringing the team for no reason. If Dillingham is drafted and develops that way, he'll get the ball. If they acquire a guy like Young or George, he'll get the ball. The Spurs of all teams have a history of fluid transition from one option to another. I don't think it makes sense to accuse them of being so rigid here.
I'm afraid they are too, but really don't believe Devin is a long term 2nd option for a wannabee compe ive/contending spurs team. They might need the connector you're mentioning but also more direct playmaking, creativity and simply talent in the backcourt. A Vassell/D-White-like-player backcourt wouldn't do it for me. It would lack more explosivity, penetration power and yeah, talent. I'd rather have a D-White/creative PG combo ideally, and a Devin/creative PG one more realistically.
But you can also have that connector as a wing (Sochan was supposed to be a bit of that, before disappointing a bit in his second year).
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