San Antonio Spurs: The Complete 2024 NBA Draft Guide (2024)

1. Atlanta selects Zaccharie Risacher (SF, JL Bourg)

2. Washington selects Alex Sarr (F, Perth Wildcats)

3. Houston selects Reed Sheppard (PG, Kentucky)

4. San Antonio selects Stephon Castle (G, UConn)

5. Detroit selects Ron Holland II (PG, Kentucky)

6. Charlotte selects Tidjane Salaun (F, Cholet Basket)

7. Portland selects Donovan Clingan (C, UConn)

8. San Antonio selects Rob Dillingham (PG, Kentucky)

-- Spurs traded Dillingham to Minnesota for picks --

9. Memphis selects Zach Edey (C, Purdue)

10. Utah selects Cody Williams (F, Colorado)

11. Chicago selects Matas Buzelis (SF, G League Ignite)

12. Oklahoma City selects Nikola Topic (PG, Crvena zvezda)

13. Sacramento selects Devin Carter (SG, Providence)

14. Portland selects Bub Carrington (G, Pittsburgh)

-- Trail Blazers traded Carrington to Washington as part of the Deni Avdija deal --

15. Miami selects Kel'el Ware (C, Indiana)

16. Philadelphia selects Jared McCain (PG, Duke)

17. Los Angeles Lakers selects Dalton Knecht (SF, Tennessee)

18. Orlando selects Tristan da Silva (SF, Colorado)

19. Toronto selects Ja'Kobe Walter (SF, Baylor)

20. Cleveland selects Jaylon Tyson (SG, California)

21. New Orleans selects Yves Missi (C, Baylor)

22. Phoenix selects DaRon Holmes II (F, Dayton)

-- Suns traded Holmes II to Nuggets for picks --

23. Milwaukee selects A.J. Johnson (PG, Illawarra)

24. New York selects Kyshawn George (F, Miami)

-- Knicks traded George to Washington for picks --

25. New York selects Pacome Dadiet (F, Ratiopharm Ulm)

26. Washington selects Dillon Jones (G, Weber State)

-- Wizards traded Jones to New York, which then traded him to Oklahoma City --

27. Minnesota selects Terrence Shannon Jr. (F, Illinois)

28. Phoenix selects Ryan Dunn (F, Virginia)

29. Utah selects Isaiah Collier (PG, USC)

30. Boston selects Baylor Scheierman (F, Creighton)

31. Toronto selects Jonathan Mogbo (C, San Francisco)

32. Utah selects Kyle Filipowski (PF, Duke)

33. Milwaukee selects Tyler Smith (SF, G League Ignite)

34. Portland selects Tyler Kolek (G League Ignite)

-- Trail Blazers Kolek to New York for picks --

35. San Antonio selects Johnny Furphy (SG, Kansas)-- Spurs traded Furphy to Indiana for cash and its second-round pick --

36. Indiana selects Juan Nuñez (PG, Spain)

-- Pacers traded Nuñez to San Antonio for the No. 35 overall pick --

37. Minnesota selects Bobi Klintman (PF, Sweden)

-- Timberwolves traded Klintman to Pistons as part of the Wendell Moore Jr. deal --

38. New York selects Ajay Mitchell (PG, UC Santa Barbara)

-- Knicks traded Mitchell to Thunder for No. 40 overall pick --

39. Memphis selects Jaylen Wells (SG, Washington State)

40. Portland selects Osasere Ighodaro (PF, Marquette)

-- Thunder traded Ighodaro to New York, which then traded him to Suns --

41. Philadelphia selects Adem Bona (C, UCLA)

42. Charlotte selects K.J. Simpson (PG, Colorado)

43. Miami selects Nikola Djurisić (SG, Serbia)

-- Heat traded Djurisić to Atlanta for No. 44 pick and cash --

44. Houston selects Pelle Larsson (SG, Arizona)

-- Larsson's draft rights belong to the Heat in prior deal --

45. Sacramento selects Jamal Shead (PG, Houston)

-- Kings traded Shead to Toronto as part of a prior deal --

46. LA Clippers select Cameron Christie (SG, Minnesota)

47. Orlando selects Antonio Reeves (SG, Kentucky)

-- Magic traded Reeves to New Orleans for picks --

48. San Antonio selects Harrison Ingram (SF, North Carolina)

49. Indiana selects Tristen Newton (PG, UConn)

50. Indiana selects Enrique Freeman (PF, Akron)

51. Washington selects Melvin Ajinca (SG, Saint-Quentin Basketball)

-- Wizards traded Ajinca to Dallas as part of a prior deal --

52. Golden State selects Quenten Post (C, Boston College)

-- Warriors traded pick No. 52 earlier in the day before re-acquiring it --

53. Detroit selects Cam Spencer (SG, UConn)

-- Spencer was traded by Timberwolves, who had the pick, to Memphis --

54. Boston selects Anton Watson (PF, Gonzaga)

55. Los Angeles Lakers select Bronny James (PG, USC)

56. Phoenix selects Kevin McCullar Jr.

-- Suns traded McCullar Jr. to New York as part of prior deal --

57. Minnesota selects Ulrich Chomche Jr. (PF, NBA Academy)

-- Timberwolves traded Chomche Jr. to Raptors as part of prior deal --

58. Dallas selects Ariel Hukporti (C, MHP Riesen)

-- Mavericks traded Hukporti to Knicks for picks --

-- Philadelphia and Phoenix each forfeited a pick --

Castle is easily an NBA-caliber player. Despite only having one season of experience, it was clear from the jump that his skillset was not only going to translate, but it'd make him a big asset to a team with good coaching.

The 19-year-old has what it takes to be a solid NBA defender, bringing effort and instensity to any matchup he faced last season. He's got good pace and a quick change of direction on him, so as he transitions from facing collegiate ball handlers to professional ones, he won't be nearly as lost.

While there are plenty of upsides and a high potential for Castle, however, his shooting certainly needs work, and he still has more to prove before he can be trusted as a true point guard.

On the season, he shot under 30 percent from 3-point range — an unacceptable figure — but showed flashes of strong shooting on shots closer to the basket. If he's able to work on his pure shooting, it'd certainly help round him out as he searches for a role on any NBA squad.

If San Antonio was to draft Castle, they'd likely do so with the No. 4 pick. High stakes, but if he pans out, he could be a true combo guard capable of wearing many hats.

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Dillingham is — in a perfect world — the point guard San Antonio has been searching for.

The long saga of finding a player to fill the one spot began with Jeremy Sochan as the Spurs tried to mold a power forward into a pass-first ball-handler, but after that was clearly not going to work, the attention shifted to Tre Jones.

Jones is still a very capable point guard, but he doesn't seem to be the starter of the future to play alongside Wembanyama — though he's certainly still an asset to the team. Dillingham, if the Spurs were to draft him, would be expected to play that role, and the good news for them is that he seems to not only understand that, but want it.

Despite playing like the point guard San Antonio is likely envisioning, Dillingham doesn't quite meet the look of the point guard they'd want.

Weighing in at just 164 points and standing 6-foot-3 at his tallest, it's clear that the 19-year-old is undersized — smaller than even New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson.

Sure, players can find success with a small frame on offense — as Dillingham's shooting splits show — but the main concern with adding him comes on the defensive end. Dillingham lines up with some of the NBA's smallest players, but wasn't much of a standout on defense at Kentucky, which doesn't bode well for any team using their imagination to determine where he could fit on the court.

So, unless the Spurs see Dillingham as an dangerous offensive threat with a much higher ceiling on defense, they might not be totally moved to select Dillingham with their No. 4 overall pick.

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Carter is a point guard who looks, acts and plays like one.

Coming from Providence — and before that, South Carolina —the 22-year-old has no shortage of collegiate experience. If he were to join the Spurs, he’d already be older than Wembanyama and Sidy Cissoko, which gives him a few bonus points on the maturity ladder. At his best, he was a do-it-all star for the Friars, which is a big reason for his high draft stock.

Carter averaged 19.7 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game and oftentimes displayed his athleticism on two-handed rejections or rebounds. He plays solid defense and would fit right in with Jeremy Sochan, Cissoko and, of course, Wembanyama on that end.

Despite his strong numbers last year, Carter did struggle mightily from deep during his first two seasons. That doesn’t diminish what he was able to do as a volume shooter for the Friars, but with a major adjustment coming his way going from college to the NBA, keeping that percentage up will be a challenge.

Much of Carter’s contributions on offense came off-ball, meaning the Spurs might be in a position to force a naturally off-ball player to play on-ball and set up an offense in the half court once again. It didn’t exactly go well last time, and while Carter did prove his ability to set up his teammates, he’ll need to make it more of a priority in order to truly gel with the other playmakers in San Antonio.

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With his height, it’s hard not to immediately think of rising sophom*ore Victor Wembanyama when looking at the prospect Clingan is, but the two players are vastly different.

Where Wembanyama thrives in the half court and on-ball as a playmaker, Clingan does in the post and around the rim. He brings a true big-man presence to any team he’s a part of on both sides of the ball, and would fill a similar role for the Spurs. If San Antonio did decide to add him, Wembanyama would get the freedom to play as a non-center big.

On defense, Clingan provides a similar level of comfort that Wembanyama’s teammates spoke to all season, and would further boost the strong defense that San Antonio has begun to build around Wembanyama, Sochan and even Cissoko.

Clingan is a big man in every sense of the word. He brings strong rim protection and inside scoring, which is undoubtedly an important skill, but with that comes the downside. Outside of the paint, Clingan struggles to defend guards in space and behind the arc, he’s not a reliable scorer.

San Antonio wouldn’t be needing him to shoot the 3, but it means he’s not a floor spacer the way that Wembanyama and some of the league’s best centers are. It might not be a condemning trait, but is certainly something worth looking into.

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Topić isn’t quite an oversized guard, but he does have height to give him an advantage as far as court vision on offense goes. Topic is a strong passer, which has been on full display throughout his professional career to this point, so making him the lead ball handler would seemingly be a no-brainer for San Antonio as it looks to surround Wembanyama with playmakers.

Inside the arc, Topić has proven to be an efficient scorer, and his ability to get to the rim is one of his more obvious strengths. The majority of his points come inside the paint, as the 18-year-old is nimble near the rim and well-versed with the backboard when it comes to acrobatic finishes.

As a ball handler, Topić exudes confidence. He’s quick-minded and decisive when in control of the offense, so as he develops, that’s likely to continue to be the case. That being said, there are some pieces of his game that have yet to develop, leaving the Serbian guard with some improvement areas.

Finding a way to make Topić an all-around threat is certainly going to be a priority for any team that drafts him. The other thing to watch, however, is how healthy he’ll be once he returns.

Topić had to miss extended time last season with a knee injury before returning for just three games and leaving again with an injury to the same area. The second time around — the ACL tear he’s currently recovering from — was much more serious, and considering he’s still yet to turn 19, causes reason for concern for the Spurs, who would much rather select a player who’s health they can count on.

They'll have to decide if that's worth the risk.

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With his size, Buzelis fits the frame of an NBA wing capable of getting hot from the field. He has obvious athletic prowess and a nose for the game with a strong sense of defensive positioning.

As an on-ball defender, Buzelis could slow down opposing playmakers on the perimeter, and if done right, could force them into either a bad shot or giving up the ball. And with the pieces San Antonio already has, the latter could mean having to face Wembanyama down low, which could make for a strong one-two punch on defense.

Additionally, Buzelis has experience at the NBA level, coming from the G League Ignite program. He’s played against other professionals — including the Spurs’ 7-foot-4 phenom during the Rising Stars Challenge — and would enter the league already having a sense for its speed and style.

That being said, Buzelis needs to get stronger.

When driving in against defenders — which are only going to get stronger as he faces mainstay NBA rosters — the 19-year-old seemed to be thrown off of his path and wasn’t able to get the shots he was hoping to. Because of that, he didn’t quite have the consistency he’d have liked on the stat sheet.

As Buzelis ages and spends time in the NBA, he’ll likely put on muscle and learn how best to use his size to create space and open looks for himself. That ability isn’t quite there for him, yet, but for it to reach a productive level isn’t out of the question.

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Sheppard doesn't necessarily bring size, so he makes up for it with his shooting ability.

Last season, the Kentucky guard averaged 12.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.5 assists on 52 percent shooting from behind the arc to make him not only well-rounded, but efficient. If he were to land in San Antonio, he'd be able to distribute the ball in the half court and knock down shots when needed, which makes him enticing to someone like Wembanyama.

Adding a reliable shooter who demands attention from opposing defenses is certainly a trait the Spurs ought to consider, especially when the same player also positions himself well on defense to get blocks and rebounds.

If Sheppard were to fall to No. 4 and be taken by San Antonio, however, he'd have to be taught how to create more for himself. He has the arsenal to set up his teammates, but when it comes to be his turn with the ball, the guard isn't strong at creating space for open looks.

Without that kind of capability, teams could force him to become purely a spot-up shooter or someone only useful in catch-and-shoot situations, and once opposing defenses get the hang of that, he'd become less of an asset and more of a work-in-progress.

That's the main fallback of his skillset, which isn't a deal breaker by any means, but certainly something for the Spurs to think about before selecting him if that's the route they're considering going.

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Risacher has a desirable frame on him. With a few extra inches of height that take him into the forward category, the Frenchman is a player that can find ways to impact the game around the rim on clean up and in the half court on both ends of the ball.

The 19-year-old is shooting north of 40 percent from behind the arc with JL Bourg, and has displayed a strong ability to make uncomfortable shots when needed. With the ball in his hands, Risacher can create space for himself, but also become nimble enough to be a dual threat from outside and closer to the rim, which makes him versatile.

If he develops quickly, he could easily become a reliable scorer for the Spurs in the middle, and especially with a star like Keldon Johnson to help teach him up, he'd likely be able to learn the system and become an instant impactor.

If there's something about Risacher's game that would be a big priority for the Spurs, it would be his tendency to stagnate when he needs to be the primary playmaker.

Yes, the forward can shoot at a reliable rate, but how often he gets to the free-throw line isn't comparable. He'd need to learn to create at a more effective rate in order to become a more well-rounded prospect, which the Spurs would certainly value.

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