The San Antonio Spurs are rebuilding for the first time in 21 years. In the 2019/20 season, they missed the playoffs for the first time since they drafted NBA legend, Tim Duncan. With LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan both on the wrong side of 30 but still on max deals, there are whispers within NBA circles that there could be a trade so the Spurs can push the reset button.
With plenty of guards on the roster, the Spurs need a longtime small forward to be part of the next great Spurs team.
In Devin Vassell, out of Florida State, the Spurs could pick the best defender in this year’s draft class and a guy who could bring the Spurs defensive dynasty back.
This Spurs team doesn’t have a lot of size or shooting ability, so a player like Vassell would fit perfectly. Coach Gregg Popovich still hasn’t embraced the three-point revolution, preferring to find the best shot instead of forcing three-pointers, but in Vassell, he would get a kid who would buy into everything that makes the Spurs great.
He plays hard, has great vision on offense when trying to get others involved, and has a high defensive IQ.
The Spurs shouldn’t try to be good right now; they should look to select players who can help them be great in the future.
The Sacramento Kings went forward with a strong season in 2018/19 and then went back a step with a disappointing 2019/20. With only one proven building block on the team, in the mercurial De’Aaron Fox, they need to take steps to put other pieces around the exciting point guard.
Third-year big man Marvin Bagley is probably the biggest talking point on the roster. Though he may have one of the most skilled games at the rim for his size, Bagley’s shooting and defense make him very tough to pair with.
Bagley really needs to play with a defensive presence next to him. He has a developing offensive game, but he just isn’t good enough on defense to be a center.
In Precious Achiuwa, the Kings could select a six-foot-nine big man who would be mobile enough to be part of this run and gun squad while also developing a presence on the defensive end.
An older one and done prospect out of Memphis, Achiuwa has a big seven-foot-two wingspan and looks he could be the type of mobile five-man that the NBA looks to move to over the next few years.
Offensively, he has nice touch at the rim and when finishing in the pick and roll, but he needs to work on his shooting form moving forward.
Achiuwa could be the defensive anchor that unlocks Bagley, the Kings need to play fast with Fox as their centerpiece, and Achiuwa fits into that vision.