2019 NBA Draft: Top 3 players for San Antonio Spurs to select with 29th pick

With three picks in the 2019 NBA Draft and a strong guard core, the San Antonio Spurs have a chance to fill out the rest of their roster. Here are three players they could possibly target with their second selection, the 29th pick.

Originally owned by the Toronto Raptors, the 29th pick of the 2019 NBA Draft was shipped along with DeMar DeRozan and Jakob Poeltl in exchange for Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green in last summer’s NBA-altering blockbuster. While the Toronto Raptors are now in the NBA Finals thanks to Leonard’s incredible string of playoff performances, the Spurs are heading into the offseason with the draft as their only clear avenue for talent acquisition.

Things aren’t so bleak, though. Although the team is rather uninspiring and bland, second-year point guard Derrick White (9.9 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 3.9 APG) burst onto the scene as a savvy pick-and-roll navigator and scrappy on-ball menace, posting some of the best advanced stats (2.0 D-PIPM, first among guards; 1.46 DRPM, 79th out of 514 players) among guards on the defensive end.

Once healthy, Walker showed some flashes of functional athleticism in limited minutes, and Bryn Forbes evolved into a viable rotation player thanks to his elite shooting (.456/.426/.885) from the perimeter and efficiency at the line. Davis Bertans contributed in a similar fashion, improving his efficiency from beyond the arc (42.9 3P%) and free throw line (88.3 FT%) tremendously while playing respectable defense as well. And, lest we forget, Murray is set to return to the fold, combining with White to make for one of the stingiest defensive backcourts in the league if his health holds up.

Heading into the offseason, the Spurs could use an infusion of youth into the rotation — the ousting of 38-year-old Pau Gasol helped, but the wing and frontcourt is largely made up of older, slower players who pose as significant weaknesses on the defensive end. Finding younger options at the ‘3’ spot and either frontcourt spot would be ideal with San Antonio’s three draft picks — their own at No. 19, Toronto’s at No. 29, and their own second-rounder at No. 49.

Luckily for them, the Spurs have a strong track record of drafting drastically overlooked guys who end up becoming stellar NBA pros: Derrick White (2017), Dejounte Murray (2016), Kyle Anderson (2014), and Cory Joseph (2011), Tiago Splitter (2007), Ian Mahimni (2005), Leandro Barbosa (2003) and Tony Parker (2001) are but a few examples of late-first round picks that became notable NBA rotation players, some of which on championship-winning teams. The duo of Gregg Popovich and R.C. Buford are perhaps the best pairing in the entire NBA when it comes to scouting and drafting, routinely finding gems late in the first round and even deep into the second round. Their run of astute draft-night decisions is quite remarkable, and betting on it to continue into the future is wise, including the upcoming 2019 NBA Draft.

Popovich and Buford once again will be put to the test, with three shots at finding players who could potentially contribute, this year or beyond. Front-court depth, both on the wing and in the paint, are preferred, and the second of their two first-rounders could be used on acquiring a big man who could potentially supplant LaMarcus Aldridge as the future long-term starter. Jakob Poeltl is nothing short of a great first big off the bench, but he’s not an ideal starter. Although it’s difficult to find starters this late in the draft, the Spurs have the best shot at finding someone with either latent, untapped upside, or someone capable of growing within the Spurs development system until they’re ready to contribute to Popovich’s winning brand of basketball.

With that said, here’s three players that the San Antonio Spurs could target with the 29th pick of the 2019 NBA Draft.