The San Antonio Spurs will receive this pick from the Toronto Raptors as part of the Kawhi Leonard trade that took place last summer.
Luka Samanic is an intriguing prospect. He has great quickness and solid shooting mechanics for a 6’11” big man. Samanic has also been able to beat defends off of the dribble, find open teammates with ease, and flashed some nice touch around the basket.
However, he has not been able to put all these pieces together. He is only shooting 22.2% from three in the Adriatic Liga this season. He can also be sloppy with the ball at times and it is fair to wonder if NBA level athleticism will take away some the quickness and vertical advantages that his game has been relying upon.
Samanic is a scary prospect, but he does a chance to be special if he can live up to his potential. With two first round picks, the Spurs can take a chance on Samanic and let him develop in Europe.