NBA Mock Draft: Who Do Spurs Take at No. 3?
The newest iteration of USA Today's mock draft is here.
For San Antonio Spurs fans, that means reading about another player other than the highly-anticipated Victor Wembanyama, but for the Spurs, it means assessing another young prospect heading into the final month of the regular season.
Given San Antonio's 16-49 record, the Spurs are in the midst of a rebuild, and will almost certainly going to be in lottery-pick territory — marking what would be their second back-to-back top-10 pick after drafting Baylor's Jeremy Sochan in 2022.
This year, however, San Antonio is projected to venture to a lesser-known league for the second time for its next top pick, adding Overtime Elite's Amen Thompson.
Last season, the Spurs had their first encounter with the Atlanta-based league, signing small forward Dominick Barlow to a two-way contract immediately following the 2022 NBA Draft. Barlow is now in his rookie season with the Spurs, averaging 3.1 points and 2.6 rebounds.
This year, Thompson and his identical brother, Ausar — both of which play for OTE's City Reapers — made their presence known, as both brothers are projected to go in the top-10 of the draft.
The 6-6 guard is projected to be the third-overall pick, and in his two-year tenure with Overtime Elite, he has proven his ability as an all-around playmaker.
The City Reapers are currently in the finals, with Amen looking to be the favorite to win a finals MVP award to add to his achievements.
Amen Thompson is averaging 16.4 points, 5.9 and the same amount of assists, to go along with 2.3 steals a game. He finished the regular season named to the All-OTE's first team, and now has the chance to take his skills to the next level.
Thompson's passing ability is among the aspects of his game that sticks out to scouts around the league, which would add another passer to go along with second-year guard Tre Jones — the team's assists leader.
And though his brother has proven himself as a shooter, Amen Thompson's playmaking ability keeps him as the top-overall prospect behind the seemingly unanimous projections of Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson at No. 1 and 2.
Depending on how the Spurs finish their last month of basketball, any number of possibilities could be in the cards. As it stands, the Spurs are only a half game in front of Detroit and Houston, with 17 games to play.
That leaves a lot on the table as the end of the regular season approaches.
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