Re-drafting the Spurs first round picks, Round 1: How could this go wrong?
Four Pounders redrafted all the Spurs first round picks of the Pop era. This will be fun, right?
The Spurs have a well-earned reputation for being great drafters. From superstars to elite role players, San Antonio has traditionally gotten contributors even without high picks in the Gregg Popovich era. The question is, just how deep is the talent pool, really? The PtR staff set out to find the answer.
Welcome to this series, where Jacob Douglas, Jesus Gomez, J.R. Wilco and I participated in a snake draft to build out teams from the pool of Spurs’ first-round draft picks of the Pop era — maybe it’s too overly-specific but you’ve got to start somewhere.
The available players begin with Tim Duncan and end with Stephon Castle but do not include those who never played for the Spurs (Felipe Lopez, John Salmons, Leandro Barbosa, and Nikola Milutinov), which means draft night acquisition Kawhi Leonard is eligible. That creates a field of 22 players to choose from, and there were five rounds of four picks. The order was determined by a wheel randomizer, and the results were as follows: 1. Jacob, 2. J.R. Wilco, 3. Marilyn, and 4. Jesus, with the order reversing every round.
Today we will be looking at the results of the first round. The Spurs have drafted two current and two very likely future Hall of Famers in the first round over the last 28 years, so you can’t go wrong here, right? … RIGHT? We’ll find out. Here are the results of the first round, with each participant explaining their logic.
1. Jacob Douglas: Victor Wembanyama (1st, 2023)
I’m a victim of the moment – sue me. When Wembanyama is at his best, he looks like an advanced being punishing us puny humans with vicious blocks and smooth step-back jumpers. It’s not hyperbole to say he’s the most fun player to watch in the league right now. Sure, he doesn’t have the pedigree of Duncan, Parker or even Leonard, but he has the potential to be the best player to wear an NBA jersey. And darn it, I just wanted him on my team.
2. J.R. Wilco: Tim Duncan (1st, 1997)
Turns out 2nd was the perfect place to pick in this draft because I’m not really sure what I’d have done if I’d been first. I’m not going to play this as if I’d have taken Tim regardless. I mean, of course I love him and he’s great, but so is Wemby. Also, Manu is my favorite player and if 2nd round picks had been allowed in this redraft I’m not certain I wouldn’t have taken him here knowing that there’s no way I’d get him what with Jesus having the 4th and the 5th before I get the 7th. Is it all about Manu? Shouldn’t I be trying to put together the best team? Argh! My point is: drafting is hard, and I’m glad there was an obvious choice to make it easier. So, it’s the GOAT PUFF for me, and no looking back.
3. Marilyn Dubinski: Tony Parker (28th, 2001)
The obvious top two choices are gone, and I’m left with the most difficult decision of perhaps of this entire exercise. (Curse picking third!) Do I go with the higher-upside-but-injury-prone Kawhi Leonard, or with Spurs iron man and GOAT point guard Tony Parker to run my offense? Alas, perhaps in the place of logic, emotion wins as I just can’t get myself to select the betrayer-in-chief, so I’m going with Tony. Not only can he handle being both a leading scorer and playmaker, but he’s also a leader.
4. Jesus Gomez: Kawhi Leonard (14th, 2011)
I was left with the last pick of the first round, so I was ready to get whoever of the obvious top four dropped to me, but I didn’t expect it to be Kawhi. I can’t really blame the others for not going with The Nephew, but I’ll take him. Leonard is not a leader and he left on bad terms, but at his best in his time with the Spurs, he was one of the top players in the league, so that’s a good start. I have my main scorer and perimeter defender and now I have to build around my centerpiece.
