2025 NBA Draft Lottery Preview: San Antonio Spurs
Stephen and Rucker conduct their last 2025 NBA Draft Lottery Preview with what could be the most interesting team in the lottery: the San Antonio Spurs!
Stephen: Rucker, my man, it’s been a fun process running through these preview pieces with you. Our last one could be our most fun one, as we preview a team that has the nicest fan base in the whole wide world! The Spurs are kind of weird in a way. They haven’t been a winning team in a little while, but the conversation about them is almost unanimously positive. It’s easy to see why, though. The team has the most unique player in NBA history in Victor Wembanyama, and the reigning Rookie of the Year in Stephon Castle. They also added De’Aaron Fox to this team, but I’m wondering if we gave this team some truth serum and a “do-over” button, I genuinely think they take that back. Because, now you’re going to have to pay him, and now there are questions swirling the team—wondering if they are going to fast-track their championship window by adding one of Giannis Antetokounmpo or Kevin Durant. That is where things get a little interesting for this team, who also have the #2, #14, and #38 picks in this draft.
When the Draft Lottery was revealed, there were immediate discussions as to which direction this team would go with the second pick if they were to keep it. While it may be fun to speculate whether or not San Antonio keeps any or all picks, let’s just have a conversation centered around who the Spurs should take if they kept their picks and allowed the team to continue to be built around Wemby.
As you already know, Dylan Harper is by all accounts the second-best player in this class. Here comes a big “but”: BUT this team has De'Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle on the team. Fox is a solid shooting player, but he works best with the ball in his hands. Castle has a good amount of on-ball equity, but has struggled to shoot the ball to this point in his basketball career. As a team, San Antonio ranked 20th in three-point shooting. While Harper is a fantastic player, he didn’t really shoot all that well off the bounce. He did shoot it decently away from the ball (~37% on catch and shoot looks), but is that going to be the best use of the second-best prospect?
Do we instead try to evaluate whether or not another prospect would be a better fit for this team? If we’ve learned anything from the NBA Playoffs or NBA Finals, it’s okay to have multiple ball-handlers within your rotations. However, there is also a case to be made about having size within those rotations. Fox is a smaller guard. Castle is about 6’6” and Harper measured in at about 6’4 1/2” without shoes. Are we comfortable with Castle as a three and Harper as a two?
What do you do here, dude?
Rucker: Ah, yes; Spurs fans, welcome back to the Temple of Doom. Look, I’m not an idiot here; the Spurs should be calling the Milwaukee Bucks at least to check in and see how things are going. After they hear a price tag for Giannis, they should probably hang up and move forward. But let’s just focus here on the draft…
I get all of the questions surrounding fit and such when it comes to adding another guard into the mix. But this isn’t your typical “we can find a guard in every draft” type of player. Dylan Harper is one of those players you simply thank the lottery gods for falling into your lap. Regardless of your roster construction, there needs to be a big realization here…
Dylan Harper is in a class by himself when it comes to the next tier of prospect.
The gap isn’t narrow enough to start “reaching” for need.
Harper is what you would build in a lab if you were constructing a modern-NBA floor general. He’s 6’6”, around 215 pounds and possesses a fantastic combination of strength and quickness. Defensively, he’s a bad man just waiting to put his talents on full display—talents I believe Harper will “reveal” to the basketball world early on in his NBA career, especially when he doesn’t have to carry such a heavier offensive load like he did this year.
It’s a bit weird to me, Stephen, to see such push back, because I don’t think there could be a better landing spot for a young guard. The point guard position is one of the most difficult transitions in all of professional sports. Not only are you adjusting to the speed of the game, but you’re also now balancing much more on your plate than just the playbook. Harper can come in without heavy expectations and build some confidence with this Spurs team until they unleash him.
While some will point out Harper’s shooting questions, I think there’s another part of his game that leaves me even more excited. Dylan showcased some fantastic developments as an off-ball scorer last year. I think there’s a real world in which he can become a combo-guard type of asset who you can play in different lineup variations. De’Aaron Fox is fantastic, but as you mentioned earlier, Stephen, the NBA Finals are showing us how important depth is for teams. You need to have multiple ball-handlers to give you flexibility. You also need depth for a team that is trying to be a title contender for years to come.
It’s exciting to build out a juggernaut starting five, but it’s becoming crucial to have a bench that can pack a punch too, and give a coaching staff some lineup creativity. Stephen, let’s say that Dylan Harper is the pick at #2 as we expect.
The Spurs still have a juicy pick in this draft when it comes to range and potential value on the board at #14. I think that’s even more interesting of a pick for the Spurs, given the fact that they could go in so many different directions. What names do you consider there? Do you look to add a certain element to this roster? Or do you think the Spurs will still consider a best player available approach?
Stephen: I’m so on board with Harper being on this team—and I think it could work. Like you said, the Finals have shown us that having multiple points of attack on offense is not out of style. And, you’re right, there isn’t anyone else on Dylan’s level within his class.
The 14th pick could be monumental to the future of this team. The 11-20 range is actually my favorite range in this draft class—and I think that the Spurs have a high probability to land a good contributor. The good news is that the Spurs don’t have a major free agent leaving their team (save Chris Paul), so they are playing with house money, so to speak. They do have Keldon Johnson, Jeremy Sochan, Malachi Branham, Blake Wesley, and Julian Champagnie as extension-eligible players. This could influence their approach to strengthening the depth of the team.
With Fox and Harper, they should be set with guards. Harrison Barnes, Johnson, and Sochan make up the forward rotation. Outside of Wemby, there is a lot of room to add some big man depth on the team. According to consensus, the only big man prospect that is probably off the board is Khaman Maluach. Outside of that, you’ll get varying opinions on the draft ranges of Derik Queen, Thomas Sorber, Joan Beringer, and Danny Wolf (toss in Maxime Raynaud because of the Victor connection if you want). If Derik Queen is available at 14, I would absolutely LOVE the pairing between him and Wembanyama. Queen’s ball-handling and vision should pair nicely with Wemby, along with Queen’s ability to play through contact. There are also some nice touch indicators that could result in him stretching the floor. While I don’t share the same concerns on defense with Derik, Wemby should help cover for his deficiencies on that end. If you look one state up from San Antonio, would it be crazy for Queen and Vic to be something similar to Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein? That could be a ton of fun.
Let’s say that Queen is off the board. Danny Wolf gives you a little bit of the same thing in the whole dribble/pass department. Some people are confident in Wolf’s ability to shoot from deep, but he wasn’t a very good shooter at Michigan—and he’s never been a good free-throw shooter. Even without that, Danny’s most-used play type at Michigan was as the pick-and-roll ball handler! Having a tall-yet-tough big man with skill and feel would be a heck of a get for the Spurs, as that type of player doesn’t come around this late in the draft.
Before I kick it back to you, I think it’s worth noting that this team also has the 38th pick in this draft. That’s not a bad place to be in, as this class kind of flattens out in the mid-20s. San Antonio could be the beneficiaries of an inexplicable fall, or could get a more ready-made player who could contribute soon. We mocked Alijah Martin to the Spurs recently, and I love that fit. Adding a player who is a tenacious defender who could also shoot on high volume would be interesting. Even though he doesn’t have a lead guard’s handle, it’s functional, and he is a sound decision-maker. I also love the thought of them adding Koby Brea as an instant floor spacer with size.
Rucker, what do you think of Queen and Wolf? What direction would you go in at 38?
Rucker: I think you’re hitting on a big “storyline” when it comes to the 2025 NBA Draft. That 14th pick is the sweet spot when it comes to potential chaos. Asking around the league, you’ll find that 9-14 is considered a “madhouse.” No one has a firm grip on what names could be in play there, and you’ll hear as many as 11 names thrown around for around six picks. So all names could be on the board once you get to a certain spot.
Queen is the big name to keep in consideration right now. There’s been some buzz that he could realistically be a name on the board in this range. Queen is gifted on the offensive side of the ball, and he has some tools at his disposal that make him a thrilling talent to add in the paint. However, the defensive questions are continuing to get louder. For every game that you see some promising flashes with his footwork and determination on defense, you’ll find another that showcases some motor questions and such. Teams are continuing to do their homework, and we always know that with the NBA draft, all it takes is one team or one executive to fall in love and be able to take a swing.
For the Spurs, adding Queen would present a fantastic element in their offense. Pairing him alongside Wembanyama presents a plethora of exciting possibilities for both parties. If you buy the notion that Queen can be more of a power forward at the next level, having his size and playmaking alongside Wembanyama gives the Spurs a dangerous wrinkle. You could still envision a lineup rotation that slides Queen to the five while Wembanyama is out, giving the Spurs an interesting two-man game option with their guards and Queen.
For similar reasons, you can present Danny Wolf into the mix. Now, Wolf might have some questions when it comes to the free-throw percentage and floor-spacing consistency, but the role for him at Michigan was force-fed with responsibilities. Wolf is a bit of a “joker” in the deck of the 2025 NBA Draft class as a big man with the handles of a guard and a special combination of playmaking and vision. In this case, I think it would simply come down to interviews, as you can make a case for both players presenting a unique wrinkle for the Spurs if they decided to go the big man route.
Raynaud is a fun wild card, who I expect to get a lengthy look here. He’s gigantic with much more fluidity on the perimeter than you would expect. The hope for him to be a pick-and-pop weapon, with some shot-blocking promise, can also get you excited.
At 38, I think there’s going to be some legit options for the Spurs that shouldn’t be slept on. Florida guard Alijah Martin is a name you could talk me into anywhere. He has great measurables, and any team drafting him would be getting a competitive force in the backcourt. Yes, we are talking about another guard into the mix for the Spurs even after drafting Harper, but it would be a heck of a get.
I’ll go another route here and look to add some perimeter floor spacing options. Let’s throw in Martin’s teammate Will Richard into the mix. It could be a little “rich” for some, but Richard I think is a legit sleeper to keep an eye on in this class. With good efficiency and some strong advanced numbers across the board, Richard knows how to make an impact on the floor without getting heavy touches.
I also think that Kentucky’s Koby Brea could be an option here. Both Brea and Richard would give a sharpshooter addition with a strong feel for the game and basketball IQ. Regardless of what the Spurs do in the first round, I think adding some floor spacing help in the second round could be the icing on top of the cake.