HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT - MARCH 23: Devin Vassell #24 of the Florida State Seminoles celebrates his basket against the Murray State Racers in the first half during the second round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at XL Center on March 23, 2019 in Hartford, Connecticut. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Grading both San Antonio Spurs picks in the 2020 NBA draft
The San Antonio Spurs were quiet prior to the draft, keeping both their first and second-round picks in the 2020 draft.
The San Antonio Spurs have been traditionally quiet in the period leading up to the NBA draft. While other teams have been wheeling and dealing, the Spurs have just stood pat. They are more of a free-agent signing team than a trade team.
One piece of news, which is exciting for the Spurs, was that DeMar DeRozan was going to exercise his player option for the 2020-21 season. This allowed the Spurs to do some forward planning with their draft night.
Thanks to finishing outside the playoffs for the first time this century, the Spurs had a lottery pick, selecting at number 11. This is the first time they have been in the lottery since 1997 when they selected Tim Duncan. They also had pick 41 in this year’s draft.
With the 11th pick in the 2020 draft, the Spurs select Devin Vassell
In what could be seen as succession planning, the Spurs decided to take Devin Vassell with the 11th pick in the draft. Vassell is a 6’7″ wing who has tremendous 3-and-D potential thanks to his 7’0″ wingspan.
He is happy to defend point guards through to wings, using his length to disrupt passing lanes and block shots. He will certainly be a welcome addition to a Spurs defense that had a down year in the 2019-20 season.
Offensively he made 41.3 percent of his attempts from deep during college. He can finish at the rim, making him a solid pick and roll man. He is also improving his ball-handling so that he can start creating shots for himself and others.
A small criticism of Vassell is that he does struggle a bit with getting lost on both offense and defense. While he is a competent defender, sometimes he needs to be reminded of where he is switching to.
On offense, he can settle too much in the mid-range so he does not get the to line enough despite being a good free-throw shooter. A good addition at wing which is where the Spurs have the least depth.
NBA Draft grade: A-
With the 41st pick, the San Antonio Spurs select Tre Jones
It is hard to believe that Tre Jones fell down the draft board to pick 41. The Spurs would have been delighted that he did. He was the ACC Defensive Player of the Year which will again help the Spurs’ defense which was poor last year.
He shot the 3-ball at 26.0 percent as a freshman but went back for a sophomore season and ended up shooting 36.0 percent. How his shooting will go at the NBA level will be an interfering side note to the 2020-21 season. Odds are with his work ethic, his percentage should improve.
He comes into a Spurs team that has a quality guard unit. However, he is a low-turnover, defensive-minded guard who the Spurs will concentrate on developing over the coming seasons. If he can continue to improve his 3-point percentage then he will be an asset for years to come.
