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Same, I'd be surprised.
I don't know if I'm stealing his thunder by posting this, but if so, he can just delete . . .
San Antonio Spurs Big Board 1.0 for the 2024 NBA Draft (spurstalk.com)
Not questioning the veracity, but I would be stunned if the Spurs selected Dillingham, for all the reasons I've long stated ad nauseam.
Same, I'd be surprised.
Last edited by JPB; 1 Week Ago at 05:45 AM.
"The 2024 draft is regarded as weak, particularly on the top. The scouts I’ve talked to unanimously agree with that sentiment. There is no clear cut Victor Wembanyama-like No. 1 prospect this season."
The smooth brains here thinking we were tanking
Great and surprising news if this is actually true.
I really don't want Topic.
Not high on Dillingham, either, but I'd rather take a gamble on a defensive traffic cone that can shoot.
dilly or topic is fine with me....Any will be upgrades over tre or branham.A pg is a must imo.
Dilly and Risacher been at the top of my list for months. Good to see the Spurs are interested. I'm really not excited about this draft, we somehow have to get lucky and pick somebody who will exceed the expectations
Which one of Banchero, Holmgren, Amen Thompson, Scoot, Brandon Miller, Jabari Smith, and Keegan Murray wouldn't be the consensus #1 pick if they were in this draft?"The 2024 draft is regarded as weak, particularly on the top. The scouts I’ve talked to unanimously agree with that sentiment. There is no clear cut Victor Wembanyama-like No. 1 prospect this season."
The smooth brains here thinking we were tanking
I keep going back and forth on Dilly vs Sheppard and wondering if either can be starters with the slight builds they have. Feels like worst case for either would be instant offense on the bench though. Surprised to see Buzelis so low and Williams so high and floored to hear they have no scouts on Topic. Though I guess how do you scout a guy sitting out three months to preserve draft stock?
Give me Dillingham and Tijane Salaun (If TOR pick conveys).
Not a shot at Timvp but he doesn't know more than anyone here what spurs intentions actually are. And noboby will until they actually pick (short of Woj. maybe who won't tell it).
Expect a lot of smoke screens tho.
Dillingham is a much better playmaker than many say, including Timvp. He was better than Sheppard and for our purposes is very good with lobs, like a specialty. He'd get Wemby at the rim a lot. His assist per 36 were better than any college prospect than Kolek.
Plainly, he's the most talented player in the draft to me. Plus his processing and speed of decision is perfect for the team. Under Pop's system you want players who make instant reads.
I do think they'd go for Sheppard first.
Overall I like the list and pretty much agree.
I think Holland is way low but otherwise the list makes sense. I have Risacher/dillingham/sheppard top 3
I like Dilly as a potential Kyrie or Donovan Mitc . That’s the scoring upside I think you are after and I do think he has the ability to come in and score right away in the NBA. Defense and passing, time will tell but to me it looked like he dunks more easily than Wesley at the same height so hard to believe his athletic profile is defined simply by “slow feet.”
Buzelis to me could be a relentless rim attacking SF/PF like Wagner ORL who I just saw finish decimating CLE from my recliner. Buzelis is known to contest at the rim a lot so maybe better in that area.
I think I’ve already been assailed for the Wagner comp and I’m sure my Dilly comps are at least as ludicrous so I’ll save the trouble of lambasting me for that by self ridiculing my stupidity. But, from my caveman level perspective and lazy minimal highlight watching work ethic that is what I hope I see.
I was surprised that Dillingham was specifically asked about Spurs in the espn interview he gave when he declared (at 1min25s):
It looks like that question wasn't innocent...
I can see a lot of top prospects viewing Spurs as their preferred destination. It's just that Pistons, Wizards, Hornets and Blazers are messy teams/organizations with coaching uncertainties.
It's also weird that Dillingham is viewed as a "seamless fit" with Wembanyama while at the same time Spurs are rumored not being interested in Trae Young because of his fit with him:
https://www.nbcsports.com/nba/news/r...rs-this-summer
Spurs fans have been buzzing about the team getting in the mix for a Trae Young trade this summer, as he is the most acclaimed point guard likely to be available. League sources have told NBC Sports not to bet on that happening, as San Antonio doesn’t see Young as a fit with Wembanyama going forward.
Dilly would be a lot less risky and cheaper than Young. We see there is a “Wemby factor” now with draft prospects. While we generally don’t think ring chasing veterans are ready to view SA as a first option, seems like it won’t be long before the Wemby effect conveys there also.
I'd love to but I'm not sure honestly. That's what (and then some) was expected with Scoot who was tagged as a potential genertional player. Dillingham is a better shooter but the transition to the NBA is harder than imagined sometimes, specially for undersized PGs. Not sure Dilly will give you 15-20 a night his first year.
Dilly is measured at 6'3 in Kentucky but he's probably closer to 6'1 (his official measurements with OTE) with a short wingspan too. You gotta wonder how many rookies that size thrived in recent years? How many players actually? (Sheppard seems to be around the same size). Those players are usually bdly exposed during the POs. This is the NBA, there are athletic beasts all over the place ready to eat you.
Kyrie or Mitc comparisons are optimistic to me. The combine could be brutal to Dilly or Sheppard and redistribute the cards. I can see NBA teams being ultimately pushed back by these shorter guards and prioritize size in this draft (Topic, Castle, Sarr, Risacher...). We'll see.
Last edited by JPB; 1 Week Ago at 03:04 PM.
I feel like ESPN knows the time to keep milking the Warriors and Lakers for views is pretty much over, so the push is on for the younger players like Wemby and Ant. Especially Wemby cuz the Spurs sucked, they'll have a highish pick, and young players would be dumb not to be excited to potentially play with him
You can’t coach size as they say. How about a Sheppard to Steve Nash comp, any takers? Tall or not, Nash was an epic compe or and performer in the NBA, perhaps Sheppard is cut from a similar mold?
I think it should be said that most any draft prospect comp is ludicrous to a bona fide NBA star but some of these “weak draft” prospects are going to hit. Picking which ones, the optimistic comps are not only the most logical approach to me but a big part of the fun of it.
Of course Dillingham/his "camp" would prefer the Spurs, for two obvious reasons: 1) The gaping hole at lead guard and 2) The presence of the likely future best player in the league, who will give them a national spotlight again and a path to winning at the highest level.
As for fit over Young, he's not as ballyhooed a prospect and hasn't spent 6 years as the face of a franchise, replete with virtually free reign to do as he pleases, so the adjustment to it not being "his team" won't be nearly as stark.
Maybe they'd just figure screw it, he's got the highest offensive ceiling in the draft, will be relatively inexpensive for four years and won't cost a bunch of assets to acquire, but a Kemba Walker esque guard (at 6'3''), is the an hesis of what they've long sought at the position.
Post quote repaid while padding my post count in triplicate. Here is another fun Dilly comp: Eric Bledsoe.
While every rookie point guard that's not a generational talent takes some time to adjust, a lot of playoff teams have starting point guards of similar stature, if not smaller.
Brunson, Lillard, Garland, Maxey, Rozier (injured), Conley, Kyrie, Beal, CJ, D'Lo.
That's 10/16 playoff teams that are starting point guards who are 6'3 or under while also being lean and I don't think any of them are even 200lbs.
Suggs, Haliburton, White, Murray, SGA and Harden are taller point guards.
Suggs isn't even a true point guard. I just watched Magic and their defense is already scary. They just need to find a true point guard and they're good to go for many years.
Haliburton is 6'5, but awful defensively.
Murray isn't a point guard, Jokic is for all intents and purposes.
Harden (past it) and SGA are the only ideal point guards if we talk physical measurements.
It's really damn hard to find a 6'4 or taller point guard who's also good at running the offense and capable of scoring from anywhere.
Then you go beyond the hypotheticals and actually watch some games only to realize that no matter how good a point guard is defensively, he'll still have low chances of success when matched up against legit wing scorers.
If you ask me, we should really avoid bad wing defenders. As long as the point guard isn't atrocious defensively, he'll be fine if everyone else is a positive on defense.
But that point guard must be a triple threat with the ball. Having someone who can pull up from anywhere and punish teams for focusing on denying the ball to Wemby too much needs to be the priority.
Drafting a point guard who can't shoot like Topic means that our entire rotation is incompatible.
Can't afford to have two bad shooter in four perimeter positions. Topic and Jeremy (or anyone else who can't shoot on the roster, if Wesley, Sidy or Mamu are still here) would instantly be incompatible, especially when playing with the backup and not Wemby.
Dillingham looks like he already has all the tools he needs, he just needs to translate them to the NBA.
I know, easier said than done, but still way easier than not being able to shoot at all.
If Dillingham doesn't live up to his full potential, he could still be a spark plug scorer off the bench we keep for a long time.
If Topic or Castle don't develop a shot, they're not NBA players.
LeBowen I think some are chasing a unicorn at PG where only SGA or Doncic would meet the specs. On Murray, I recalled him as being a very competent playmaker his last season with us.
I think some of the things we want at PG with some consensus is can stay in front of their man, can shoot, and playmake. Long arms would be a plus but being 6 foot 6 is not mandatory. Teams that play a large PG against us, the antidote for that is we put Sochan on said PG to annoy and pester the chit out of him. Just like he showed us he could do v SGA and Doncic.
Like I've said before, Its not who we want to pick, but who's available to be picked. That being said the odds are against us unless we get lucky again...and it was luck.
Therefore I would go with who is a talented safe pick who could be a solid role player / sometime starter. Remember Wemby will get his points, Vassell will get his points and everyone else tries for their points with a plus or minus 20% within their average. So no non-shooters please. We need a pg or a guard that can just plain pass or score, both if possible.
So there may be a few available.
Dilly - would be a fit just because he's mobile and a better passer than what we currently have.
Sheppard - same as above but plays better defense, and is somewhat better at getting open for easier shots. We definitely need more defense even from a small skinny guy.
Topic - not a fan. Sure he's big and can pass but that may be from playing against mediocre compe ion in a mediocre Pro league. His situation gives me Luka Semanic vibes. Pass.
Castle - If you're an important part of an NCAA championship team, you're doing something right. His skills look above average and that's what we currently need - an improvement to our current team. His pedigree makes him an option not just for us but a lot of other teams.
Look, none of the guys scream all star, so lets go with the safer pick. None of these guys will be instant starters so they generally won't be playing against other teams starters so size isn't always that big a deal. Talent not potential talent is the key. Next year is where the real obvious talent is as we get to use our multiple picks to really improve our team thru the draft or trade.
The odds are against us only if drafting a wing is the priority.
Getting the preferred point guard shouldn't be an issue.
Tbh, we should hope Wizards win the lottery because they'll almost certainly take Sarr if he's available.
Pistons, Blazers, Hornets, Raptors and Memphis surely won't draft a point guard.
Only bad outcomes would be if the Jazz or Rockets (Nets pick) jump us.
And obviously if Wizards' preferred wings are taken and they happen to prefer the same point guard as PATFO.
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