Leading up to the 2023 NBA Draft, we will update our San Antonio Spurs Mock Draft Roundup showing picks for the San Antonio Spurs from several prominent sites and draft analysts.
The following are picks in recent mock drafts for the Spurs:
The Rookie Wire — Cody Taylor (5/19)
1. Victor Wembanyama, Metropolitans 92
The Spurs won the draft lottery on Tuesday and the right to select Wembanyama with the first pick this year. If we're to believe him, he spoke the eventual pairing into existence prior to the festivities and is excited to join the organization. The team is a hit in France, largely in part because of former Spurs players Tony Parker and Boris Diaw. Now, Wembanyama will look to follow in their footsteps.
Wembanyama is expected to step in and help transform the organization back into relevance in the NBA. They have missed the playoffs in four straight years, the longest drought under head coach Gregg Popovich. He is viewed as a generational player that can do everything on the court, which is unheard of for a player his size. With Wembanyama in the fold, look for the Spurs to make an immediate jump.
Wembanyama is expected to step in and help transform the organization back into relevance in the NBA. They have missed the playoffs in four straight years, the longest drought under head coach Gregg Popovich. He is viewed as a generational player that can do everything on the court, which is unheard of for a player his size. With Wembanyama in the fold, look for the Spurs to make an immediate jump.
CBS Sports — Gary Parrish (5/17)
1. Victor Wembanyama, Metropolitans 92
Wembanyama has a chance to be one of the best players in the world, and perhaps of all-time, on both sides of the ball. The 19-year-old phenom is a perfect centerpiece for a San Antonio organization that's obviously had loads of success in the past spending No. 1 picks on bigs.
Sporting News — Kyle Irving (5/17)
1. Victor Wembanyama, Metropolitans 92
The Spurs have won the NBA Draft Lottery for the third time in franchise history, and it worked out pretty well the last two times.
Wembanyama will join a pair of Hall of Famers to be selected by the Spurs with the No. 1 overall pick — David Robinson (1987) and Tim Duncan (1997).
As the draft cycle went on, Wembanyama only reaffirmed his position to remain the No. 1 pick in June. The 19-year-old unicorn is averaging 21.6 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.1 blocks and 2.5 assists per game, putting together an MVP-caliber season for Mets 92.
Wembanyama will join a pair of Hall of Famers to be selected by the Spurs with the No. 1 overall pick — David Robinson (1987) and Tim Duncan (1997).
As the draft cycle went on, Wembanyama only reaffirmed his position to remain the No. 1 pick in June. The 19-year-old unicorn is averaging 21.6 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.1 blocks and 2.5 assists per game, putting together an MVP-caliber season for Mets 92.
The Athletic — Sam Vecenie (5/16)
1. Victor Wembanyama, Metropolitans 92
The Scout: The best draft prospect to enter the NBA since LeBron James. It's that simple. Wembanyama is the epitome of a franchise changer. As a teenager, he is leading the French League in points, rebounds and blocks. It's hard to overemphasize how amazing Wembanyama's long-term potential is on both ends of the floor. He will immediately be the biggest, longest player in the NBA, which allows him to change the geometry of the court defensively. He has great instincts and recovery ability on that end. He's doubling everybody else in the French League in blocks per game. But moreover, he is also a legitimate shot creator at center who can score off the bounce with creativity and knock down shots with ease off pull-ups or drives to the rim. He's a terrific finisher inside because of his length and touch and is already starting to experiment with shots that could make him special such as some of the turnaround pull-ups, the fake-spin shimmies and even the weirdo floater 3s. He is a historic prospect, one well within the tapestry of past elite center prospects such as Bill Walton, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing, Ralph Sampson, Shaquille O'Neal, Tim Duncan and Anthony Davis.
The Fit: Wembanyama fits every single team. He is the fit. He's the player you build around. San Antonio has found some strong players in the latter half of the lottery and in the back portion of the first round, but the Spurs don't have a star yet. Wembanyama slides everyone down a peg into roles that are more suitable. Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson can be young, high-level wings who don't get the top defensive assignments. Wembanyama will be a tremendous fit next to Jeremy Sochan in the frontcourt, with Sochan as an all-around gap-filler who was productive as a teenage rookie. He'll be able to be brought along slowly as a scorer as he continues to rework his shot. The Spurs got to transition beautifully from the David Robinson era into the Tim Duncan era and now perfectly slide into the Victor Wembanyama era.
The Fit: Wembanyama fits every single team. He is the fit. He's the player you build around. San Antonio has found some strong players in the latter half of the lottery and in the back portion of the first round, but the Spurs don't have a star yet. Wembanyama slides everyone down a peg into roles that are more suitable. Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson can be young, high-level wings who don't get the top defensive assignments. Wembanyama will be a tremendous fit next to Jeremy Sochan in the frontcourt, with Sochan as an all-around gap-filler who was productive as a teenage rookie. He'll be able to be brought along slowly as a scorer as he continues to rework his shot. The Spurs got to transition beautifully from the David Robinson era into the Tim Duncan era and now perfectly slide into the Victor Wembanyama era.
Yahoo! Sports — Krysten Peek (5/16)
1. Victor Wembanyama, Metropolitans 92
Wembanyama is the most sought-after prospect since LeBron James 20 years ago and fans in San Antonio have to be thrilled with addition of the 7-foot-4 French player. The talented young core of Keldon Johnson, Devin Vassell and Jeremy Sochan are all 23 and younger. Sochan and Wembanyama played with one another at a French camp when they were both 12 and 14 years old. The conversation for the No. 1 pick has been closed for quite some time (at least since October when Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson squared off) and Wembanyama has lived up to every expectation in his last season before hitting the NBA. Wembanyama has scored in double digits in all but one game this season for Metropolitans 92 and continues to lead all players in the French Betclic League in points (21.6) rebounds (10.5) and blocks (3.1).
Bleacher Report — Jonathan Wasserman (5/16)
1. Victor Wembanyama, Metropolitans 92
The Spurs are on the verge of building the NBA's best defensive frontcourt. After drafting Jeremy Sochan in last year's lottery, they'll now add Wembanyama, whose 8'0" wingspan, mobility and anticipation will instantly transform San Antonio and make its group significantly tougher to score on.
Offensively, without a star playmaker in the rotation, Wembanyama should receive a bright green light to continue experimenting with self-creation. Ultimately, it should be beneficial for his development toward becoming both a No. 1 option and Defensive Player of the Year.
Offensively, without a star playmaker in the rotation, Wembanyama should receive a bright green light to continue experimenting with self-creation. Ultimately, it should be beneficial for his development toward becoming both a No. 1 option and Defensive Player of the Year.
SB Nation — Ricky O'Donnell (5/16)
1. Victor Wembanyama, Metropolitans 92
Wembanyama is one of the best prospects to ever enter the NBA draft, up there with icons like LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The league has never seen a player with his physical tools before: standing 7'5 with an 8-foot wingspan, Wembanyama is a fluid athlete who can play all over the floor on both ends, but thrives dominating at the rim. He has somehow exceeded the lofty hype that followed him into this season by establishing himself as the likely MVP of the top French pro league at just 19 years old. He's leading the league in scoring, rebounds, blocks, and is near the league-lead in minutes played. ... This is another franchise-altering superstar for the Spurs.
CBS Sports — Kyle Boone (5/16)
1. Victor Wembanyama, Metropolitans 92
It was always Wembanyama. It was just a matter of his destination. Foregone conclusion that he'll now be headed to San Antonio, even if Spurs brass after winning the pick seemed to play coy.
For the Win — Bryan Kalbrosky (5/16)
1. Victor Wembanyama, Metropolitans 92
It never mattered who got the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. No matter which team won the lottery, they would plan to sprint to the podium to select Victor Wembanyama.
There is a reason why Magic Johnson told For The Win that he expects Wembanyama to make a similar impact as LeBron James when he first comes into the NBA. Wembanyama leads all players in the French LNB Pro A in the catch-all metric C-RAM (9.7) this season, per Cerebro Sports. He also ranks No. 1 overall in defensive statistical impact (DSI) as well as the regular-season scoring champion and rebounding champion.
There is a reason why Magic Johnson told For The Win that he expects Wembanyama to make a similar impact as LeBron James when he first comes into the NBA. Wembanyama leads all players in the French LNB Pro A in the catch-all metric C-RAM (9.7) this season, per Cerebro Sports. He also ranks No. 1 overall in defensive statistical impact (DSI) as well as the regular-season scoring champion and rebounding champion.
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