The draft is upon us and the Spurs have been busy, looking at prospects to select with the 26th pick in the draft. Workouts and interviews are kept quiet in San Antonio -- like everything else the front office does -- but we do know that the Spurs have met with some players who could be in play with their first round pick. In this series we'll take a look at some of those potential targets.
Montrezl Harrell
College career
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After his sophomore season with Louisville, Harrell was projected to go in the first round but he surprised many by electing to return for a third college season. His junior season didn't see Montrezl take a big step forward and he still projects to go in the mid-20s. Last season, he averaged 15.7 points and 9.2 rebounds.
Fit with the Spurs
Outlook
Kevon Looney
College career
He played just one season for the UCLA Bruins and put up 11.6 points, grabbed 9.2 boards and 3.9 stocks (steals and blocks) per game in 31 minutes.
Like Harrell, he's a good offensive rebounder, but he's also a very good defensive rebounder. He has also shown the ability to shoot the three ball (41.5% on 53 attempts in 36 games.) When defenders close out, he has decent ball-handling skills to drive but does not possess a pull-up jumper.
Fit with the Spurs
He's not as athletic as Harrell, and although he is taller, his build is slighter than that of Montrezl. He does have an impressive 7' 3" wingspan. That wingspan and his decent lateral quickness combine to make him a pretty good defender that can keep fours and some threes in front of him. He also closes out well and shows good defensive instincts on the perimeter. As a big man, he plays the passing lanes well and comes up with a good number of steals.
Like Harrell, he would be an energy guy off of the bench for SA. He could develop into a stretch four, with a nice stoke and good catch-and-shoot ability, and have the added benefit of potentially developing into an above-average defender.
Outlook
Jordan Mickey
College career
An impressively versatile defensive career at LSU, showing the lateral quickness needed to guard perimeter oriented players, the strength to hold his own on the block and a knack for blocking shots, is contrasted by a lack of refinement in his offensive game. He showed poor court awareness and consistently made ill-advised decisions in the half court.
He averaged 15.4 points and 9.9 rebounds a game to go along with his 4.5 stocks (3.6 blocks per) in his sophomore season as a Tiger.
Fit with the Spurs
It would be a stretch for the Spurs to grab him in the first round, but if he's there in the second, he could be an intriguing pick up. Defensively, he looks to be a very useful player, but at this point on the other end, he looks to be a liability. He's still young, so he could develop, and what better team to do that with than the Spurs.
Outlook