Rookie Fit Preview: San Antonio Spurs
With All-Star Dejounte Murray and other veterans shipped off for a return of picks and prospects, San Antonio will be leaning into development hard this year.
While San Antonio does have a few standouts, they don't have an outright, superstar-level player. And they could be looking for that person this season, or which players they can surround that person with later on down the road.
The Rookie Class
Jeremy Sochan (Forward | No. 9 Overall)
A multi-tooled forward whose defense and fluid offensive skill caused his draft stock to soar in his lone season at Baylor.
Malaki Branham (Guard | No. 20 Overall)
Potentially the biggest riser in the 2022 draft class, Branham wasn't supposed to be a one-and-done, but came on strong in the back half of his season with Ohio State.
Blake Wesley (Guard | No. 25 Overall)
A smooth and steady guard prospect who projects to be solid on both ends of the court.
Roles and Opportunities
There may be no bigger opportunity for minutes than with the San Antonio Spurs this season.
Sochan, despite being on the younger side, should see a plethora of minutes fairly quickly. Offensively it will be a bit of a struggle, but his defense and connecting skills will keep him on the court without a doubt.
The problem for San Antonio, is its log-jam of similar shooting guards. With Branham, Wesley, Devin Vassell and Joshua Primo, there's going to be a limited amount of time and roles.
As potentially steady but not outstanding prospects, Branham and Wesley will have to stand out in a major way this season to earn more minutes.
Projections
Fit-wise, San Antonio is going to be playing this season by ear. While they do have some standouts in Vassell and Keldon Johnson, the future roster construction is very much going to be decided by who earns their minutes this season.
With the talent San Antonio has on its current roster, Sochan is likely to quickly earn starting minutes at one of the forward positions.
Sochan is versatile and has a potentially high ceiling if he can improve on his few weaknesses.
Branham has struggled with some inconsistently since his minutes with the Buckeyes, leading to a slide in his stock on draft night. If that continues, his minutes may be more valuable in the G-League in year one than the NBA.
Wesley is an interesting case. While a good player, he's not highly elite at much, and had issues scoring around the rim in college. If he can iron out some of his issues and find consistency within the Spurs' lineup, he could propel himself into a long career with San Antonio.
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