Spurs Prospect Preview: Second Rounders
06/24/2024 01:42 PM
Who San Antonio could target in the second round of the NBA Draft.
With two top-ten picks in the 2024 NBA Draft, the San Antonio Spurs could leave with two core players. Those two picks have overshadowed the other two selections the Spurs have. San Antonio has the 35th and 48th picks in the second round. As many Spurs fans know, you can find gems in round two – Manu Ginobili is living proof.
The 2024 Draft has been called "weak" by many evaluators, but the second round has a lot of talent including intriguing international prospects and college veterans who could help the Spurs. With two first-round selections and up to $21.5 million in cap space this summer, San Antonio will be close to the maximum 15 players on their roster. These second-round picks are likely to be traded for other assets down the line. If the Spurs do make their selections in the second round, keep your eyes on the following players.
Dillon Jones, 6-foot-6 wing, Weber State
2023-2024 stats: 20.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 48.9% FG, 32.4% 3PT, 85.7% FT, 52.7% eFG
Of all the second-round prospects, Jones screams Spur. He's a versatile wing who has plenty of skill with the ball in his hands. Jones was the Big Sky's player of the year as a senior. Rightfully so, as Weber put himself on NBA team's radars with his ability to score in the pick and roll, isolation and off the catch.
Jones isn't a supreme athlete, but he's strong and has great awareness. He had a 31% assist rate last season and was awesome making plays for others. He has great patience in the pick and roll. He passed Damian Lillard on Weber State's all-time assist list. On top of it all, he has great size at 6-foot-6 with a 6-foot-11 wingspan. The knock of Jones is his three-point shot and his lack of above-the-rim athleticism. He made just 32.4% of his threes last season. Jones's shot looks clean, he has good touch indicators and he hit some deep shots last season. There should be some optimism that he can eventually be a respectable shooter at the next level.
Jones would fit in great with the Spurs. He'd give them a veteran college player who can create for himself and others. He can play off the ball spotting up, and grab and go in transition. As San Antonio continues to build out its wing depth, adding smart players who can score like Jones could eventually supercharge their offense. He reportedly worked out for the Spurs before the draft.
Antonio Reeves, 6-foot-4 guard, Kentucky
2023-2024 stats: 20.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 51.2% FG, 44.7% 3PT, 86.3% FT, 60.3% eFG
San Antonio needs shooting, and Reeves provides it in bunches. In Kentucky's high-powered offense that included Reed Sheppard and Rob Dillingham, Reeves stood out. The fifth-year senior was explosive for the Wildcats last season and has a long track record as a floor spacer. He worked out for the Spurs pre-draft.
Reeves can shoot off movement or the bounce. He has a nice floater he can get to if he's pushed off the three-point line and displayed an ability to finish at the rim. Selecting Reeves would be entirely predicated on his scoring ability. If the Spurs are taking bets on shooters in the second round, Reeves should be high on their list of targets.
Tristen Newton, 6-foot-5 guard, UCONN
2023-2024 stats: 15.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 41.5% FG, 32.1% 3PT, 80.8% FT, 49.5% eFG
If the Spurs select Stephon Castle in the first round, perhaps they could also take his backcourt mate in the second? Newton was a starter on both of UCONN's national championship teams and was a consensus All-American last year. At 6-foot-5, Newton provides great size for the guard position and worked wonders as a pick-and-roll ball-handler and distributor for the Huskies.
Newton is effective getting downhill and showed some ability to hit shots from deep. He hit 36.6% of his shots from deep last season, but just 32.1% of his threes as a fifth-year senior. Newton's not a swing-for-the-fences kind of second-round pick, but he's performed so well in college that it's hard to imagine him not being an effective role player in the NBA.
Drafting players like Newton who've won at a high level and know how to play in a heavy ball-movement system makes a lot of sense for the Spurs. Newton likely wouldn't factor in right away but would be a solid depth piece at guard. Of all the second-round choices, Newton feels like a safer bet to develop into a backup guard.
Nikola Djurisic, 6-foot-7 wing, KK Mega
2023-2024 stats: 14.4 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 45.4% FG, 33% 3PT, 73.9% FT
Last season Bilal Coulibaly leaped up draft boards thanks to his stellar play next to Victor Wembanyama. Djurisic could have a similar trajectory in this draft, playing alongside Nikola Topic. The wing from Serbia is a versatile player with a high basketball IQ. At times he looked like a big, shot-creating wing who can dish the ball. Other times he disappeared from Mega's games.
Djurisic has shown some ability to handle the ball in the pick-and-roll and create shots for himself on pull-up jumpers. He's a good athlete for his size and finishes well at the basket. Djurisic has a good-looking jumper but he didn't shoot it consistently enough to elevate to the level of a first-round pick. Teams that believe in Djurisic are betting on his shot creation and basketball IQ translating to the next level.
San Antonio could take Djurisic as a developmental project in the second round a la Sidy Cissoko. Djurisic could develop in Austin, getting plenty of on-ball reps to learn how to create for himself and others against NBA-level competition. The Spurs may just find themselves another European, creative offensive wing.
Jamal Shead, 6-foot-1 guard, Houston
2023-2024 stats: 12.9 points, 6.3 assists, 2.2 steals, 40.9% FG, 30.9% 3PT, 77.9% FT, 45.8% eFG
San Antonio has a rare opportunity to build one of the best defenses in the NBA. Wembanyama is already one of, if not the best rim protectors in the NBA. They are developing good wing defenders in Jeremy Sochan and Julian Champagnie. With one of their second-round picks, they could look to grab one of the best defensive players in the draft.
Shead is a defensive dog. He hounds ball handlers – with a 4.3% steal rate last season (Wembanyama had the best on the Spurs last season at 2.0%). He was a consensus All-American and a back-to-back conference defensive player of the year (one in the AAC, and the other in the Big-12). Offensively he's a great distributor with his 39% assist rate. He's able to get to the rim and finish with runners. He wasn't a great shooter at Houston and will need to develop a jump shot if he wants to have a well-rounded offensive game.
With Tre Jones on an expiring contract, the Spurs may need to begin thinking about how they want to replace him. It would be great to keep the floor general long term, but if his contract becomes too expensive in free agency, cheaper options may be a better fit. Shead would give the Spurs a tenacious defensive guard at the point of attack who can also distribute the ball off the bench.
Adem Bona, 6-foot-10 center, UCLA
2023-2024 stats: 12.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, 58.8% FG, 0% 3PT, 69.6% FT, 58.8 eFG
With Wembanyama, Zach Collins, Dominick Barlow and Charles Bassey, San Antonio isn't lacking bodies at the center position. So if they value a big man, they can select one in the second round and take time to develop him. Bona would give them a developmental big with one of the best motors in the draft.
Bona is a sophomore center from UCLA who received some first-round buzz in the 2023 Draft. He interviewed with the Spurs at the 2023 combine, but there has been no word of him being involved with San Antonio during the 2024 pre-draft cycle. Bona is an undersized but hard-working center who defends the rim. He isn't as skilled as other bigs, and won't provide any floor spacing, but he is one of the hardest-working centers in the draft with great athleticism (he has a 40-inch vertical jump).
San Antonio could take Bona with either of their second-round picks and hope to develop his skills in Austin. They'd be betting on his ability to develop into an awesome two-way rim finisher/protector. With his athleticism and motor, Bona feels like a worthwhile big-man project who could become a rotation piece down the line.
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