Youth Movement: Ranking Spurs' Top 3 Prospects
After the 2022 NBA Draft in June, the San Antonio Spurs found themselves with three first-round selections that could all play serviceable roles as rookies next season.
All at 19-years-old, Jeremy Sochan, Malaki Branham, and Blake Wesley officially signaled the team's direction of a complete rebuild through a youth movement. It's something that began to take shape last summer with the No. 12 overall selection of Josh Primo, who was the youngest player in the league last season.
But another look at the roster will make one realize just how young this Spurs team really is as the 2022-23 season draws closer. This youth could be in even greater abundance if certain vets like Doug McDermott and Josh Richardson are traded at some point before or during the season.
The three rookies won't have multiple guiding hands of seasoned vets to learn from. If anything, they'll be learning under fellow prospects themselves, per Bleacher Report's prospect rankings released Thursday.
The site ranked the three-best prospects for all 30 teams based on this criteria:
- Are 23 years of age or younger.
- Have been in the NBA for three years or less.
- Are on a standard, guaranteed contract for the 2022-23 season.
And BR's picks for the Spurs? In order:
-Keldon Johnson
-Devin Vassell
-Josh Primo
It might come as a surprise to some that none of the three rookies made it on the list, but Johnson, Primo, and Vassell all qualify as well, showing how young this Spurs team is.
With Dejounte Murray now gone, Vassell and Johnson are undoubtedly slated to be San Antonio's leaders next season, barring something unforeseen. Both are unique in their own way, but can fill it up in the scoring column all the same.
Johnson's impressive frame at 6-6, 220 makes him a difficult scorer to deal. He's able to bruise his way through defenders, has developed better touch at the rim, and has made himself into a reliable and confident 3-point shooter.
Following the conclusion off his third year in April, Johnson tied former Spurs great Patty Mills for ninth-most 3s in a single season in franchise history after going 159-399 from deep, which led the team and was good for a respectable 39 percent.
As for Vassell, he was already primed to become one of the team's leading-scorers next season, with or without Murray. Now, he's a clear choice to potentially be the go-to scoring option for coach Gregg Popovich after finishing as San Antonio's fifth-leading scorer (12.3) last season.
Vassell has polished touch as a shooter from seemingly any spot on the floor. Unorthodox length combined with a guard-like feel as a ball-handler, finisher, and attacker with a quick first step makes him one of the more intriguing young scorers in a Southwest Division that is loaded with talent.
His defensive upside is also greater than that of Johnson's due to his length, sneaky athleticism, and overall solid IQ, making him arguably the team's most valuable player next season.
Many eyes will be on Primo, the youngest of the three, next season. There's a lot of hype, but the idea that he'll be able to take over as the primary ball-handler should be held off until he's shown what he can do with more consistent playing time.
With averages of 5.8 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.6 assists, the young 19-year-old has quickly become a fan favorite in San Antonio after showing impressive potential during 50 appearances this past season.
He carved out a consistent role off the bench late in the year, as San Antonio made a push toward the play-in game. In the month of March, Primo appeared in 12 of 14 games and never played less than 15 minutes, averaging 6.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 25.2 minutes per game.
There's no question about it - Primo will soon become one of the stars in San Antonio if last season was any indication. It's still best to hinder expectations for the young guard, as he'll likely serve as a primary piece off the bench in a key sixth-man role to begin the season.
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
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