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The San Antonio Spurs are in a position that is historically very odd for them. For a team that won five titles and made the playoffs 47 times in their 55-year history, being in the lottery must be incredibly strange. Yet, the Spurs have been in the lottery the last two years and will likely be there for the third. According to NBADraft.net, they are projected to pick eighth in the upcoming draft. As the date of the event draws closer, here are three early 2022 NBA Draft targets the Spurs must be watching.
Early Spurs draft targets
There will not be a ton of amazing front court players at the mid-lottery positions the Spurs are in. This is a draft full of guards and one where potentially great big men and forwards are towards the first couple of picks. However, the Spurs could still make a great choice and get Keegan Murray, if he is available at number eight. Now, Murray is likely going to be a risk, as his great second season at Iowa might just be a one-season surprise. Still, his size at six-foot-eight, 225 pounds, combined with his offensive talent should be reason enough to consider the sophomore forward when the draft comes.
As said above, Murray bounced back after a fairly silent freshman season with the Hawkeyes to average 23.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, and 1.3 steals. He is also shooting 56% from the field, 40.6% from three-point land, and 73.5% from the free-throw line. Aside from the free-throw line, these are some great numbers and the Spurs might look at Murray as a two-way forward of the future. He could fit well paired up with Keldon Johnson, who has been great this year for the Spurs. That way, combined with all the young guards they have, the Spurs might be in a position to assemble a solid young core of players.
Ben Mathurin
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If the Spurs could get Bennedict Mathurin around that number eight spot, they would hit the jackpot. Mathurin is also a sophomore, similar to Murray, but he is a guard that comes from the Arizona Wildcats. While his jump from year one to year two in the NCAA has not been so exponential, as with Murray, he is still putting up better numbers and he would be able to address some key issues for the Spurs. He is more of a project and there are key issues that need to be addressed. Yet, it feels like the Spurs are just the ideal team to take this combo guard-forward and turn him into a true superstar at the NBA level.
His biggest issues come in his selfishness and lack of defensive focus. Given that he is a six-foot-seven player who mostly occupies the guard position, and knowing his wingspan and standing reach, he has the capabilities to become an elite defender. Thus, the Spurs could mold him to be exactly that, and given the fact that he is an excellent offensive player from the get-go, the two-way potential is enough to draw the attention of most lottery-stricken teams in the NBA. Mathurin is a risk and he is a project, but he is enticing and if the Spurs do have him available at number eight, where they are projected to be, they would make a mistake not selecting him.
Jalen Duren is usually projected at the end of the lottery, but he just seems like a Spurs pick. He is a defensive-minded big man that does not have a ton of range but could be the next defensive anchor for the San Antonio defense. Both of the last defensive anchors, Tim Duncan and David Robinson, were much better offensively going into the league. However, Duren's ability to play defense on an elite level clouds over the fact that he is severely limited offensively. There will be issues for him with the Spurs, especially due to his poor free-throw shooting that coach Gregg Popovich usually does not like in players, but his defense is incredibly intriguing.
The positive about Duren is that the Spurs will get him if they want. He has typically been projected around the end of the lottery, so if the Spurs want to solidify their defense and get better on the other side of the court through free agency, Duren is the guy to go. His other elite skill is his rebounding on both sides of the floor. The Memphis center is averaging 8.0 boards and 2.2 blocks per game, together with 0.9 steals. He will definitely hit the rookie wall whether the Spurs or any other team gets him, especially in terms of protecting the perimeter on switches, but he is well-worth a lottery pick for the rim protection he will bring.
