Draft Analysis: San Antonio Spurs

By Bill Ingram
for HOOPSWORLD.com
Jul 2, 2007, 08:16


It's really impossible to overstate the importance of the San Antonio Spurs' international scouting team. The Spurs, who were actively involved in trading their pick, were surprised and thrilled when Tiago Splitter was still around at #28. They also drafted Arizona shooting guard Marcus Williams with the 33rd overall pick.

Splitter, a 6-11 forward from Brazil, has spent the past four seasons playing for Tau Ceramica in the Spanish ACB league. Last season he played in 28 games, averaging 11.2 points and 5.4 rebounds in 24.0 minutes per game. In Euroleague action, he appeared in 20 games posting averages of 10.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per contest. For his career, Splitter has played in 96 games in the Spanish ACB league, averaging 9.2 points and 4.5 rebounds while shooting .600 (325-542) from the field. Over the last four seasons he has also played in 79 Euroleague games, averaging 8.1 points and 3.2 rebounds per contest. Splitter has been a member of the Brazilian National Team since 2002 and played in the 2002 and 2006 World Championships.

Think Arvydas Sabonis. Splitter has outstanding court vision and an array of post moves that make him hard to block. He passes out of double-teams with ease and rebounds extremely well. He's been injury prone throughout his career and scouts question his mental toughness, but his ability to finish around the basket makes him a steal at #28. It remains to be seen whether or not the Spurs will actually create a roster spot for him. Much will be determined by his performance in summer league and training camp.

The Spurs used the 33rd overall pick they obtained from the Milwaukee Bucks in a 2006 draft night deal to select Williams out of the University of Arizona. Last season he earned First Team All-Pac-10 honors as a sophomore. He ranked fourth in the Pac-10 in scoring (16.6 ppg) and eighth in rebounding (6.7 rpg), while registering four double-doubles. As a freshman, the 6-7 forward was named to the Pac-10 All-Freshman team, averaging 13.0 points and 4.7 rebounds. During his two years with the Wildcats, Williams averaged 14.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists while shooting .475 (355-748) from the field. Williams participated in the 2005 Global Games as a member of Team USA, averaging 18.8 points and 7.3 rebounds in six games.

The only question about Williams is whether or not he'll commit to playing the kind of defense he'll have to play to get any time in the Spurs' rotation. It's pretty clear he'll spend next season playing for San Antonio's NBDL affiliate - the newly acquired Austin Toros. He has the full package on offense, from attacking the rim to the long-range bomb. If he can find it within himself to commit to being half as good on the defensive end as he is on the offensive end he could find himself in the Spurs' long-term plan.

Stay tuned to HOOPSWORLD this week as we break down the free agents each team in the league should target as the July 11th free agency period draws near