Who’s there on draft day for Spurs.
For the duration of their championship era, the Spurs were not known for their offthe-charts athleticism.
The club’s Big Three of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili won more basketball games than any trio in NBA history, but zero track meets.
The times might be changing in San Antonio.
Already in the throes of what (for them) constitutes a renaissance of athletic prowess, the Spurs could be poised to add to their growing collection of runners and jumpers in this year’s draft.
Florida State forward Patrick Williams might be the best of
the draft crop in that regard.
A former five-star recruit out of high school in North Carolina, Williams will still be 19 years old at the start of the next NBA season (whenever that is). He did not start a single game in his lone college season with the Seminoles. His statistics — 9.2 points and four rebounds in 22.6 minutes per game — don’t exactly leap off the page, though were enough to earn Williams the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Sixth Man of the Year Award.
When it is all said and done, however, Williams could turn out to be one of the most explosive
players in the 2020 draft pool.
Williams’ high motor will help him make an immediate impact defensively, where he should be able to produce blocks and steals simply because of his energy level. He can play either forward position, and can guard any spot on the floor.
If nothing else, Williams would be fun to watch alongside the Spurs’ young core of Dejounte Murray, Derrick White, Lonnie Walker IV and Keldon Johnson.
For now, Williams’ offensive skills remain a work in progress but — again — his physical gifts should allow him to contribute in some ways. The 6-foot-8 combo forward projects as a useful lob threat and cutter right off
the bat.
He isn’t a consistent shooter yet. He hit 45.9 percent of his field goals at Florida State and only 32 percent from 3-point range. In a modern NBA in which every player needs to be able to put the ball in the hole a little bit that might be a deal-breaker.
Yet if Williams can improve as an offensive threat and harness his God-given gifts — and remember, he does not turn 20 until August — he could reward the team that drafts him with star potential.
Williams might be a bit of a gamble for the Spurs with the 11th pick, but sometimes gambles pay off.