San Antonio Spurs: 2017 NBA Draft Grades
With the 29th pick of the NBA Draft, the San Antonio Spurs select…
Derrick White/Point Guard/University of Colorado
Grade: B
Stats: 18.3 points / 4.4 assists/ 4.1 rebounds/1.4 blocks /1.2 steals/ 50.7 field goal percentage/ 39.6 3-point percentage
Analysis:
There hasn’t been a better duo at finding talent at the back end of the draft over the course of the past two decades than R.C. Buford and Gregg Popovich. White is a poised combo guard with good size at 6'5". Despite not being elite in any one aspect of his game, White also doesn’t have many holes in his game either.
Fit:
White fits perhaps the biggest need on the entire roster for the Spurs right now, as Dejounte Murray (last year’s 29th pick) is currently the only healthy point guard on the roster. With Patty Mills an unrestricted free agent, Tony Parker out for a significant amount of time, and Manu Ginobili considering retirement at age 40, White fits a huge need.
White is already a mature player at age 23, and should be able to contribute right away in an off-the-bench role. He’s not a great athlete, and considering the route he took to get here, it’s fair to wonder if his game will translate to the NBA against the more physical and athletic defenders that he struggled against at times in college.
White doesn’t do any one thing at an elite level, but he does most things well enough. He’s shown promise on the defensive end, though it’s unlikely he’ll be able to check bigger guards in the NBA. He can get to the rim, but has trouble finishing through contact. He has a nice 3-point stroke. He’s tall for a point guard and can see the floor reasonably well. Sometimes, White does take a rather lackadaisical approach and doesn’t seem to play with a sense of urgency. That obviously won’t fly with the Spurs.
Regardless, these are the Spurs, White will do just fine, and once again, San Antonio is doing San Antonio things at the end of the draft.
With the 59th pick of the NBA Draft, the San Antonio Spurs select…
Jaron Blossomgame/Forward/Clemson
Grade: B-
Stats: 17.6 points / 6.3 rebounds/0.8 steals/0.9 blocks
Analysis:
Blossomgame is a ready-made NBA combo forward at 6'7". His biggest problems are his struggles with inconsistency (evidenced by his shooting over 40 percent from three in his junior year, and cratering to 25 percent in his senior year). He’s got some role player potential as a defensive presence on the wings.
Fit:
Blossomgame will almost assuredly get a chance to showcase what he’s capable of on the Spurs Summer League team, but a future in the G-League likely awaits. Despite being a senior, Blossomgame’s game needs, well, blossoming (goodness, I’m so sorry, that was terrible). His jumper needs to be fixed.
If he’s able to iron out his offensive issues, he can help the Spurs in a reserve role as a capable defender.
Bottom Line: The Spurs made two smart, safe choices that could pay off large dividends considering where they selected from. Because they’re the Spurs, and of course they did.
