Get to know your new Spur: Joe Wieskamp

After reaching for the stars and going with upside and potential over immediate impact with their first round pick of Josh Primo, the San Antonio Spurs took a more traditional route with their second round pick, selecting 6’7” swingman Joe Wieskamp at 41st, who is considered one of the top shooters in this draft class.

Born in Muscatine, Iowa, Wieskamp was a multi-sport athlete growing up. He played baseball and was a quarterback in middle school, but he quit after breaking his thumb and decided to focus entirely on basketball by the time he was in high school, where he had a storied carrier.

As a junior at Muscatine High, he averaged 30.4 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, and scored a school-record 50 points in a win to become Muscatine’s all-time leading scorer, and he was voted Iowa Gatorade Player of the Year. During his senior year, Wieskamp averaged a state-high 33.5 points and 13.5 rebounds per game, repeated as Iowa Gatorade Player of the Year, and was named Iowa Mr. Basketball. He left high school as the Iowa Class 4A career scoring leader with 2,376 points.

He chose to play for his home state University of Iowa as a four-star recruit, where as a junior he averaged 14.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, shot 46 percent from three-point range, and was named to the Second Team All-Big Ten. For his entire college career, he averaged 41.2% shooting from three. He actually explored his NBA draft options in 2019 after being named to the Big Ten All Freshman team but ultimately chose to return to college.

In an interesting twist, the Spurs’ second round pick just might be ready to contribute from day one, while their lottery pick is surely headed to Austin. At 21 years old, Wieskamp should be NBA ready, and his three-point shooting ability could allow him to find a role with the Spurs right away, especially if two of their most reliable scorers off the bench in Patty Mills and Rudy Gay are gone next season.

(This is all assuming the Spurs sign him, which is not a requirement of second round picks, but considering the need he fills and their recent history of signing second rounders who had seemingly less to offer right away — i.e. Chimezie Metu and Tre Jones — it’s not hard to imagine Wieskamp will be a Spur next season.)

Of course, shooting is not all he can provide. His athleticism is not to be understated, as he posted a fourth-best 42-inch vertical leap at the Combine, and combined with his 6’11” wingspan, he has the tools to be a solid defender in the NBA, although it’s still an area where he has room to improve.

Another area to keep an eye on in his free throw shooting, where somehow he shot only 67.7% his junior year on just over three attempts per game after averaging over 80% his freshman and sophmore seasons. Hopefully that was just a one off.

In the end, Wieskamp is a very solid addition to a Spurs’ roster that desperately needs his shooting abilities, and even if he initially sees some time in Austin to avoid rusting at the end of the bench, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him with a permanent rotation spot by season’s end. Summer League begins next week, so it will be perfect time to get to know the Spurs’ two rookies even better!