Spurs' 2009 Draft Prospects

I think it’s never too early to start researching college players that could be available in the upcoming draft for the Spurs.

As of now the Spurs have no draft picks in the first round. They have the following three draft picks in the second round:

37th second round draft pick from Golden State
51st second round draft pick from New Orleans
53rd second round draft pick from Houston

I’ll start off by listing some big men that we could keep an eye on. Here are some college and foreign big men that are listed in the late first round and second round in various mock drafts. I’m sure there are other college players worth discussing.

Craig Brackins, PF/C, 6’10, Iowa State

Jerome Jordan, C, 7’0, Tulsa

Tyler Hansbrough, PF, 6’9, North Carolina

Michael Washington, PF, 6’10, Arkansas

Vladimir Dasic, PF, 6’9, KK Buducnost Podgorica

Henk Norel, PF, 6’11, DKV Joventut

Jonas Jerebko, PF, 6’9, Angelico Biella

Josh Heytvelt, PF, 6’11, Gonzaga

Vitor Faverani, PF/C, 6’11, Unicaja Malaga

Emir Preldzic, PF, 6’9, Fenerbahce Ulker

Jeff Pendergraph, PF/C 6’9, Arizona State

Taj Gibson, PF, 6’9, USC

Slava Kravtsov, C, 7’0 BC Kyiy

Chris Johnson, PF/C, 6’11, LSU

Leo Lyons, PF, 6’9, Missouri[/quote]

I think we might try to trade up in order to get a first rounder.

I updated the first post. The Spurs have the 37th, 51st, and 53rd picks.

According to the nbadraft.net mock draft:

#37 : Curtis Jerrells.

#51 :Milenko Tepic.

#53 Alex Ruoff.

Updated: April 28th.

It has us taking basically two point guards and one shooting guard.. hmm interesting.

#37: Toney Douglas PG/SG
23 years old; 6'1"; 196 lbs.
Florida State, Senior

#51: Alade Aminu PF
21 years old; 6'10"; 230 lbs.
Georgia Tech, Senior

#53: Dante Cunningham PF
22 years old; 6'8"; 230 lbs.
Villanova, Senior

http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-mock-draft/2009/

37. San Antonio- DaJuan Summers- SF

51. San Antonio- Jerel McNeal-SG

53. San Antonio- Ahmad Nivins- PF

http://nbadraftpress.com/2009mock.shtml

DaJuan Summers: Georgetown





Birthday: 1/24/88
NBA Position: Small Forward
Class: Junior
Ht: 6-8
Wt: 225
Hometown: Baltimore, MD
High School: McDonogh

NBA Comparison: Caron Butler/Wilson Chandler
Strengths: An athletic, explosive wing player, whose muscular physique makes him a very promising talent … At 6’8 he has great size for the perimeter positions … He has nice bulk on his frame and he knows how to use it, whether its absorbing contact when getting to the hoop, or taking advantage of a mismatch in the low-post … Is proving that he is a reliable inside-outside threat as he has become a more consistent shooter from beyond the arc … His assist numbers may not show it, but he is a very unselfish player, letting his teammates get into a rhythm before he looks for his own shot … At 4.3 rebounds a game, his numbers aren’t very impressive, but his leaping ability and wide shoulders allow him to clear out space and get to the glass … Defensively he has good instincts and he has shown a willingness to play the passing lanes … This season so far he has been ultra efficient from the field, shooting a very impressive 58% …
Weaknesses: Has not yet proven that he has the killer instinct to take over a game … He depends on his strength too much to get by his defender as his first step is not first class … He is more comfortable operating out of the triple threat rather than working off the dribble, where he struggles handling the ball at times … His stroke is fairly smooth, but he takes too long to get his feet set and he has a tendency to dip the ball before bringing it to his shooting pocket, which slows his release substantially … Also his stance is off balance, which forces him to shoot fadeways even when he doesn’t need to … Has been turnover prone, getting into trouble by leaving his feet to make passes, he also tries to bully his way to the basket at times, resulting in offensive fouls … Defensively he has all the tools to defend a number of positions, but he seems lackadaisical as he plays with his hands down too often …

Borko Popic - 12/16/2008

Strengths: Versatile wing forward with a good feel for the game, who can score, pass and handle the ball efficiently ... Immensely talented with good competitiveness and focus ... Very unselfish. Shows excellent decision making ability, especially for such a young player ... Works hard at his game, shows dedication in the off season to improve and absorbes coaching well ... Gives solid effort on the defensive end of the floor ... Has good touch from the perimeter and can hit shots pulling up off the dribble or spotting up ... An outstanding athlete. Has both speed and strength and above average leaping ability ... Playing alongside Jeff Green as a freshman gave him a great player to model his game after. (Summers is naturally a better shooter, but not the passer of Green) ... Has a good basketball physique with the length to be disruptive defensively, as well as excellent body strength to play physically and finish after contact. These attributes, not to mention desire make him a quality rebounder ... Has improved the consistency and range on his outside shooting ... His improved decision making is reflected in his 1/1 assist to turnover ratio as a sophomore (was .52 as a freshman) ... Clutch player who has shown a habit of stepping up in big games (20 and 6 vs UNC helping G'town advance to the Final Four in 2007) ...

Weaknesses: Playing in the Georgetown system, his numbers are less gaudy than they could be in a wide open system such as Florida or Arizona ... He's extremely unselfish, and will likely become more of the focal point offensively after Hibbert leaves after this season (assuming he returns for his junior year) ... Must show that he can step up from star to superstar and shoulder more of the scoring and leadership load ... Shows good leadership potential but can become more vocal and a stronger leader as his role with the team grows ... His ball handling is solid, but he can improve in his ability to create and take players off the dribble ... Plays textbook defense, but for a player with such a talent edge, he should force more steals defensively. Part of that is due to the conservative, fundamental approach to the defensive end of the floor that Georgetown employs ...

Ahmad Nivins - St. Joseph's



Birthday: 1/10/87
NBA Position: Power Forward
Class: Senior
Ht: 6-9
Wt: 235
Hometown: Jersey City, NJ
High School: St. Anthonys



NBA Comparison: Aaron Williams
Bobby Palumbi - 2/16/2006

Strengths: Agile forward with excellent speed running the floor ... A defensive minded player who takes great pride in his ability to defend Fundamentally sound rebounding technique with a knack for timing the ball off the glass A presence as a shot blocker, his athleticism and good lateral quickness allow him to defend out to the perimeter and be a good on-ball defender . Strong leaper, he can really rise Takes the charge well.Cleans up the offensive glass, as evidenced by the fact that close to 60% of his rebounds this year are on the offensive end Nice back-to-the basket moves down low. At just 19 he has a lot of physical depelopment left. Shows a lot of untapped potential ...
Weaknesses: Offensively, he is still very raw Not yet comfortable with the ball in his hands outside of the low post Lacks a midrange game at this point He has bad positioning in the offensive paint when looking for the ball, this really hurts his chances of getting good quality entry passes to work on his low post moves Really needs to add some bulk in order to bang with the big boys and make his low post game more effective, and he is working on it

Notes: Has really played himself into more playing time this year because of his desire on defense and the inability for the two upperclassmen ahead of him to perform effectively. Even Martelli (SJU coach) admits that they don't yet run a lot of plays for him at this point, since they are still stuck in a dribble drive, penetrate and kick out for the three ball type of offense. This will change next year. Look for Nivins to be the second option on the team next year and to have numbers like 15, 12 and three blocks per game.

Draft Express has the Spurs taking the following player as of 05-04-09:

37: Toney Douglas PG/SG
23 years old; 6'1"; 196 lbs.
Florida State, Senior

51: Alade Aminu PF
21 years old; 6'10"; 230 lbs.
Georgia Tech, Senior

53: Dante Cunningham PF
22 years old; 6'8"; 230 lbs.
Villanova, Senior

Alade Aminu



H: 6' 10" (possibly taller)
Wingspan: 7'3"
W: 230 lbs
Bday: 09/14/1987
(21 Years Old)
Current: PF
NBA: SF/PF

This Senior out of Georgia Tech was coming off the bench for them, however many believe that he was not being utilized to his full potential. He runs the floor very well and has a nice leaping ability. In fact he was a a track star in high school, competing in the triple jump, high jump, and 200-yard dash. He has tremendous combination of size, length, terrific hands and excellent mobility. He lacks a great deal of strength at the moment, which makes it very difficult for him to comfortably operate on the court against top competition. He struggles to establish deep position in the post, and his footwork is very raw. He has a difficult time finishing through contact as well, again lacking strength but also some toughness, seemingly avoiding contact on occasion.

Aminu has above average ball-handling skills for a player his size, but he’s still a ways away from knowing how to utilize them at the moment. At times you’ll see him look very good putting the ball on the floor from the high post with his long strides, sometimes even mixing in a crafty spin move, but this part of his game remains underdeveloped, even if he shows nice potential with it. Aminu’s jump-shot is not consistent—as evidenced by the 59% he shot from the line, but there is again stuff to work with here, as his mechanics are sound and he appears to have decent touch.

Defensively, Aminu is productive from a statistical standpoint—he’s a solid (although not incredible) rebounder and comes up with plenty of blocks and steals thanks to his excellent size, length and athleticism—but here too he has a ways to go—being somewhat stuck between the power forward and center positions.

He has also started a non-profit company called Brotherhood of the World, in which he and his teammates manage and participate in community service projects - mentoring, tutoring and youth development - with local youth organizations and schools.

He is a raw player but that is to be expected since he has only played organized basketball for a handful of years. His stock may be rising after he lead his team to a win in the Portsmouth Invitational with a game high 21 points.

Toney Douglas - Florida St.


* Birthday: 3/16/86
* NBA Position: PG/SG
* Class: Senior
* Ht: 6-2
* Wt: 196
* Hometown: Jonesboro, GA
* High School: Jonesboro
* Team Site Profile
* Statistics


Overall

92
NBA Comparison: Charlie Bell/Ben Gordon


Strengths: A strong bodied combo guard who has played extremely well at the end of his college career … Plays the transition game … Enjoys pushing the tempo, attacking early in the shotclock and not allowing the defense to get set … Has the ability to play at a high pace without making many mistakes … Takes contact well, using his body to keep his balance and finish … Has the strength and willingness to outmuscle smaller defenders inside … Gets to the line on a regular basis and converts on a good percentage (80%) … Nothing flashy off the dribble, but very steady and crafty using change of pace moves to keep the defenders guessing … Has a knack for making tough and contested shots with regularity … Has a quick and smooth pull up jumper going both ways as well as a nice step back to create space … Shooting stroke is very efficient and he has good balance and elevation … His ability to attack in various ways allows him to play the pick and roll game well, he reads his options and probes the openings … Defensively, understands team principles and plays very disciplined, yet knows when to gamble and get into the passing lanes … Has a low center of gravity and moves his feet well, which makes it difficult for opposing guards to get their shoulders by …

Weaknesses: Not very athletic … Mediocre first step and limited open court speed hinder his ability to get by people … Relies heavily on the P&R game to get into the paint … Plays between positions, but does not posses the playmaking and vision or the size and explosiveness to ever assume full time duty at either guard spot … His turnover numbers have always been even with his assists, which is a knock on his ability to distribute as well as take care of the ball … It may be because he was asked to carry the scoring load, but he has not shown much in terms of creating for others … Even though he was a defensive stopper in college, because of his physical deficiencies he may struggle matching up with the quicker point guards, or the bigger and more athletic wings in the NBA …
Borko Popic - 4/22/2009

Toney Douglas could end up being a real nice player in the NBA. But only at the point guard spot. He is a fantastic Defender and can score too, but he lacks the size to play the two. Question is would the Spurs consider adding another young point guard to the mix right now?

Dante Cunningham - Villanova

Birthday: 4/22/87
NBA Position: Small Forward/Power Forward
Class: Senior
Ht: 6-7 or 6-8
Wt: 230

This senior had a breakout season for Villanova this year being named Big East Most Improved Player. He helped them get to a No. 17 ranking in the AP poll. Although he has a pretty reliable shot from 15 feet I don't believe he possesses the talents to play SF in the NBA as his shot does not extend much further and his athleticism has been questioned. He also doesn't possess the size to play PF. In college he showed nice footwork in the post and lead his team in rebounds but against the bigger more experienced players in the NBA this may not be nearly enough to put the ball in the basket or pull down a decent amount of boards.

One thing he does well that may translate to the SF position in the NBA is move without the Ball. Even though he spent a lot of his time posting up his senior season he was also quite active without the ball. Active is a good word to use when explaining Dante's game. He is a hustle player and may impress scouts by his hard work alone.

Milenko Tepic



# Birthday: 2/27/87
# NBA Position: PG/SG
# Class: International
# Ht: 6-7
# Wt: 200
# Team: Partizan Belgrade
# Hometown: Novi Sad, Serbia

NBA Comparison: Marko Jaric

Strengths: Beginning to established himself as an excellent European player showing solid leadership qualities ... Took on a big role with Partizan this year and rose to the challenge ... His extraordinary size for a PG, combined with his ability to score with the jumper, make him a tough match up ... Rebounds the ball especially well from the PG position ... Very consistent for a younger player ... He can really shoot the ball as one can see by his 90% FT clip ... Very smooth all around game with a good feel and the ability to elevate his teammates play with quality vision and passing ability ... Creates mismatches. Uses his size well to see over defenders and also posts up smaller guards well ... Doesn't overpower opponents, but uses the pump fake well to get by his man ... Can take the ball off the dribble and finish or drop a dime ...

Weaknesses: Lacks the aggressiveness to take full advantage of his size and skill combination ... He could use a little more poise setting up his teammates as he managed too few assists for his position ... Doesn't hit the three ball with consistency. Has a good shooting form and touch but needs to extend his range: 32% he converted this year. ... Not blessed with stand out athleticism ... Lack of great foot speed hurts him especially defensively. He does not have good lateral movement, which will be exploited on the NBA level ...

Euroleague Profile