The 2024 NBA Draft is now less than a month away, and soon we will know which of this year’s prospects will join the San Antonio Spurs. Spurs fans have no doubt been devouring every single mock draft and debating which prospects will fit on the roster next to Victor Wembanyama.
So far, seven prospects have been linked to the Spurs in multiple mock drafts but which of them would fit the best? Heading into the summer, San Antonio needs to upgrade at point guard and small forward and there are a few players that could help them at each position. Keep this in mind as we take a look at and grade the seven prospects mocked to the Spurs from ‘don’t draft’ to ‘draft now!’
Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht ranks as one of the more prolific scorers in this year’s draft class. He averaged an impressive 21.5 points while shooting 39.6% on 6.6 3-point attempts per game. His shooting ability makes him the ideal off-ball threat in the NBA, though he showed he had the ability to create for himself off the dribble.
That likely won’t be his role on the Spurs and he may instead play a role similar to that of Doug McDermott. That is a valuable player to have, though there are limitations. Like McDermott, Knecht struggles on defense, and that probably limits him to being a decent starter or good rotation player on a good team, which the Spurs hope to be.
Assuming that he is an option for the eighth pick and not the fourth pick, they could do worse given that that draft slot hasn’t often produced great players. Still, while Knecht wouldn’t be a terrible selection at eighth, he may be a safe choice. They might gamble on a boom-or-bust prospect such as Tidjane Salaun or there’s a chance that a player projected to go fourth is available at eight. Thus, San Antonio probably shouldn’t take Knecht.