Team Needs: Point Guard, Shooting, Center Depth, General Talent Upgrades
The San Antonio Spurs finished with the fifth-worst record in the NBA last season, but optimism is as high as ever that the franchise is on the path back to being a contender thanks to last year’s No. 1 overall pick, Victor Wembanyama.
Despite coming in with huge expectations, Wembanyama exceeded them, taking home Rookie of the Year honors and coming in second for Defensive Player of the Year. He looks the part of a generational talent, and the Spurs will spend this summer (and the next decade) looking to build the best possible team around his unique skillset. They need better guard play, especially in terms of playmaking and having someone who can get the ball to Wembanyama when and where he needs it. They need more three-point threats to open up the floor for the French sensation. They need more frontcourt depth to provide support for Wemby. Everything revolves around him, but the big question for this year is how fast do they want to accelerate their plans to try and put veteran talent around him.
They entered the 2024 NBA Draft with a pair of top 10 picks (4 and 8), and have the kind of cap space and stable of assets to acquire a veteran star if they want. The Spurs are expected to remain patient and build smartly, but it will be extremely tempting to bring in some established NBA talent to see just how good he is right now. They started by staying at 4 and taking an upside swing on Stephon Castle out of UConn.
Stephon Castle (No. 4 Overall), B+: This would’ve been a bit of a curve ball a little while ago, but Castle has fans in the league to be sure. His defensive potential is excellent, and while he was in a small role at UConn, Castle impressed by buying into what the Huskies needed and playing winning basketball. The biggest question, by far, is his perimeter shooting, but Castle is an upside swing for a team that can afford that given San Antonio’s own picks and a stockpile coming from Atlanta.