The Spurscast

In the latest episode, Spurscast host Paul Garcia is joined by Project Spurs writer Benjamin Bornstein to discuss draft prospects with the 4th pick (1:30), 8th pick (15:25), 35th pick, and 48th pick (39:55), with the NBA Draft approaching next week. 

Prospects discussed in 4th pick range:

• Zaccharie Risacher (JL Bourg)
• Reed Sheppard (Kentucky)
• Stephon Castle (UConn)
• Matas Buzelis (G-League Ignite)

Prospects discussed in the 8th pick range:

• Cody Williams (Colorado)
• Tidjane Salaun (Cholet)
• Dalton Knecht (Tennessee)
• Devin Carter (Providence)
• Nikola Topic (Crvena Zvezda)
• Ron Holland (G-League Ignite)
• Rob Dillingham (Kentucky)

Prospects discussed in the second round range:

• Baylor Scheierman (Creighton)
• Justin Edwards (Kentucky)
• Jalen Bridges (Baylor)
• Cam Spencer (UConn)
• Cam Christie (Minnesota)
• Ryan Dunn (Virginia)
• Pelle Larsson (Arizona)

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In the latest episode, Spurscast host Paul Garcia is joined by Project Spurs writer Collin Reid to discuss the San Antonio Spurs’ point guard options this offseason, and Victor Wembanyama’s end of season awards.

Point Guard Options (2:10)

If the Spurs plan on taking a moderate approach with their point guard situation (not trying to acquire an All-Star level point guard), they could look at adding a veteran point guard like Chris Paul or Tyus Jones, while also using the 4th or 8th pick in the draft to select a point guard like Reed Sheppard, Nikola Topic, or Rob Dillingham.

Wemby’s End of Season Awards (18:35)

Victor Wembanyama’s rookie season came to an end with a collection of end of season awards. Wemby became the first rookie to make the All-Defensive team first team. He was the unanimous winner of the Rookie of the Year award, and that also led to him being named a member of the All-Rookie first team.

Wemby was the Defensive Player of the Year runner-up behind Rudy Gobert, and he finished Top-20 in All-NBA team voting.

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In the latest episode, Spurscast host Paul Garcia discusses the San Antonio Spurs’ draft lottery results (1:40), the team cap sheet with two first round picks (14:00), and Victor Wembanyama winning the Rookie of the Year award (21:00).

Two Top-10 Lottery Picks

Following the conclusion of the NBA Draft Lottery Sunday, the Spurs came away with two Top-10 lottery picks. The Spurs will have the Toronto Raptors’ pick at 8th, and then they’ll have their own pick at 4th.

Some draft prospects in the 4th through 8th range are discussed in the episode:

Ron Holland

Dalton Knecht

Nikola Topic

Rob Dillingham

Reed Sheppard

Donovan Clingan

Stephon Castle

Matas Buzelis

Cap Sheet Update 

With two first round picks, the Spurs project to be able to open up as much as $19.4 million this summer in free agency.

Wemby wins Rookie of the Year

Victor Wembanyama won the 2024 Rookie of the Year award unanimously. Wemby was also the runner-up for the Defensive Player of the Year award, as a just a rookie, to fellow Frenchman Rudy Gobert of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Wemby should also be a lock to be on the first All-Defensive team when the team is announced in the near future.

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In the latest episode, Spurscast host Paul Garcia is joined by Project Spurs writer Collin Reid to discuss the San Antonio Spurs’ final two games of the regular season (1:35), where the Spurs sit going into the draft lottery (8:10), and where the Spurs made some improvement this past season (31:04). They also discuss the season that Tre Jones, Keldon Johnson, Blake Wesley, and Malaki Branham had this season (12:40).

The Final Two Games

The Spurs closed out their 2023-2024 regular season with an underdog win over the Denver Nuggets, and then a blowout against the Detroit Pistons.

During the Nuggets game, Victor Wembanyama had a scoring explosion in the third quarter, where he scored 17 points in a little under three minutes.

Spurs’ Position Going into Draft Lottery

By winning 22 games, the Spurs will head into the draft lottery with the 5th worst record. While the odds aren’t as good as having a bottom-3 record, Portland showed last year that just because you have the 5th worst record, you can still jump ahead into the Top-3 of the lottery.

The Spurs also have a chance of landing the Toronto Raptors’ first round pick in the lottery as well.

Role Players Discussion

Tre Jones, Keldon Johnson, Blake Wesley, and Malaki Branham’s seasons are discussed in the episode, and how each player fits on the team going forward.

The Math Game Improvement

Two of the areas where the Spurs made improvement in the math game, were closing the gap in 3-point scoring with their opponents, and free throw scoring.

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In the latest episode, Spurscast host Paul Garcia discusses Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs in their last four games (1:10), rookie Sidy Cissoko (10:00), and the draft lottery race is reviewed with teams going into the final weekend of the regular season (14:00).

Wemby, Spurs in Last 4 Games

The Spurs went 2-2 in their last four games, defeating the New Orleans Pelicans on the road, falling in double overtime to the Philadelphia 76ers, winning in Memphis, and getting blown out in Oklahoma City.

Wembanyama played in the first three games of this stretch, where he continued to put up some spectacular numbers while helping the Spurs pick up two wins. 

Wemby sat out Wednesday’s game in Oklahoma City due to injury management, but the night before in Memphis (3:55), he had a performance where he blocked seven of the eight active players on the Grizzlies roster.

Sidy Cissoko Minutes in Last 2 Games

With the injuries to multiple wing players on the Spurs’ roster, rookie Sidy Cissoko has seen a good chunk of playing time in the Spurs’ last two games.

During his last two games, Cissoko is averaging 12 points, four rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 25 minutes per night.

Some observations of his cutting off the ball, crashing the offensive glass, and his passing skills are discussed.

Lottery Race Update

In the final topic, the Spurs’ draft lottery scenarios are explored with the Spurs, Charlotte Hornets, and Portland Trail Blazers all being within range of finishing with the 3rd to 5th worst record.

The Spurs also still have a solid chance of landing the Toronto Raptors’ pick as long as it ends up in the 7th to 10th range in the lottery.

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In the latest episode, Spurscast host Paul Garcia is joined by Project Spurs writer Collin Reid to discuss Victor Wembanyama’s surging play in the last three games (2:57), late season injuries for Devin Vassell and Jeremy Sochan (10:00), and Wembanyama’s chances of winning or being named to different end-of-season awards (20:52). 

Wemby’s Surging Play in Last Three Games

In the San Antonio Spurs’ last three games, Wembanyama has had some impactful performances. He scored a career high 40 points against the New York Knicks, he almost helped the Spurs defeat the Golden State Warriors minus three rotation players, and he recorded nine blocks against the defending champion Denver Nuggets.

Season Ending Injuries for Vassell and Sochan

Earlier this week, the Spurs announced Vassell and Sochan will miss the remainder of the season due to injuries. In the episode, their progress from last season to this season is discussed and analyzed.

Wemby’s Award Chances

Finally, there’s a discussion about Wembanyama’s chances of landing on one of the All-Defensive teams, his Defensive Player of the Year candidacy, and whether or not he has a shot of making an All-NBA team.

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In the latest episode, Spurscast host Paul Garcia discusses Victor Wembanyama’s chances of landing on one of the NBA All-Defensive teams (2:05), the San Antonio Spurs’ last four games (20:55), and the Spurs’ nine remaining games to end the season (27:00).

Wemby’s All-Defensive Team Chances

How does Wembanyama compare to other all-defensive team candidates? That question is explored in detail now that the final nine games of the season are left.

2-2 in the Last Four Games

In their last four games, the Spurs are 2-2. They lost to the Memphis Grizzlies and the Phoenix Suns, but then they defeated the Suns without Wembanyama and went on to defeat the Jazz in Utah.

The Last 9 Games

Beginning Friday against the Knicks, the Spurs are wrapping up their regular season with the final nine games of their season.

The Spurs need to go 3-6 to avoid setting a franchise record for the fewest wins in a single season. If the Spurs are winning games though, they may decrease their lottery odds of landing a Top-3 pick with Charlotte and Portland getting closer in the lottery standings.

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In the latest episode, Spurscast host Paul Garcia is joined by Project Spurs writer Benjamin Bornstein to discuss draft prospects in March Madness (1:55). From there, the Spurs’ last two games are reviewed (21:25), as well as a quote from Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving on Victor Wembanyama’s defense and defensive player of the year candidacy (24:55). 

Topics from the episode:

March Madness draft prospects Bornstein discusses:

• Cody Williams (Colorado)
• Stephon Castle (UConn)
• Donovan Clingan (UConn)
• Cam Spencer (UConn)
• Tristen Newton (UConn)
• Kyle Filipowski (Duke)
• Zach Edey (Purdue)
• Trey Alexander (Creighton)
• Pelle Larson (Arizona)
• Terrence Shannon Jr. (Illinois)
• Reed Sheppard (Kentucky)
• Rob Dillingham (Kentucky)
• Dalton Knecht (Tennessee)

The Spurs’ last two games

Sunday the Spurs defeated the Brooklyn Nets in overtime in Austin, TX. Wembanyama had a monster game with 33 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists, and 7 blocks. 

The Spurs then hosted the Dallas Mavericks Tuesday in San Antonio, and though it was a close game, Dallas ended up holding on for the win.

While Wembanyama and Luka Doncic each had a tough night shooting the ball, they both still filled the stat sheet with Wembanyama tallying 12 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 blocks, while Doncic finished with 18 points, 16 assists, and 10 rebounds.

Kyrie Irving on Wemby’s Defense

After the game Tuesday, Irving had some unique comments about Wembanyama’s timing on defense and how he protects the rim. From there, Irving went on to say how Wembanyama should be a strong Defensive Player of the Year candidate. 

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In the latest episode, Spurscast host Paul Garcia discusses Victor Wembanyama recording 200 blocks in his rookie season (2:54), Blake Wesley carving out a role for himself (10:40), and the San Antonio Spurs’ lottery odds with the season winding down (19:20). 

Key questions addressed in the episode:

How many blocks has Wemby recorded and where do his blocks rank in the league? (2:54)

How has Blake Wesley carved out a role for himself? (10:40)

What are the Spurs’ chances of landing the first overall pick in the draft and will the Toronto pick end up going to San Antonio in the draft? (19:20)

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In the latest episode, Spurscast host Paul Garcia discusses the San Antonio Spurs’ recent loss in Houston (2:05), Malaki Branham’s improved play since the trade deadline (12:00), and whether or not the Spurs can avoid the record for fewest wins in franchise history (15:45).

Key questions addressed in the episode:

What happened in Houston?

Has Malaki Branham improved since the trade deadline?

How can the Spurs avoid the franchise record for fewest wins in a single season?

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