The Stash: The Austin Spurs/Spurs prospects thread - 2023-2024 Season, pg. 22

Post #1 » by **Nolan** » Tue Jan 10, 2017 2:39 pm

So folks over the Christmas break me and Sammy brainstormed a couple ideas for some new threads on the board and we thought it would be a good idea to start this thread! A thread dedicated to updating everyone on the performances of our prospects in Austin and overseas!!

To get things started a link to the Austin Spurs website: http://austin.dleague.nba.com/

And a list of all of our prospects in the pipeline and their current team (I included Murray and Forbes):

PG/SG - Dejounte Murray - 2016 round 1 pick 29 - San Antonio Spurs/Austin Spurs
SG - Bryn Forbes - 2016 undrafted - San Antonio Spurs/Austin Spurs
C - Nikola Milutinov - 2015 round 1 pick 26 - Olympiacos
PF/C - Cady Lalanne - 2015 round 2 pick 25 - Capitanes de Arecibo
PG/SG - Olivier Hanlan - 2015 round 2 pick 12 - Le Mans Sarthe Basket
SF - Nemanja Dangubic - 2104 round 2 pick 54 - Crvena zvezda
SF - Adam Hanga - 2011 round 2 pick 29 - Laboral Kutxa Baskonia

Post #2 » by **Nolan** » Tue Jan 10, 2017 2:41 pm

Upcoming Austin Spurs games:
Jan 10th at the Salt Lake City Stars
Jan 11th at the Reno Big Horns
Jan 14th at the Oklahoma Blue

Post #3 » by **-Sammy-** » Wed Jan 11, 2017 8:46 pm

Watch this space, Spurs fans; we'll be updating it weekly with the goings-on of our little-brother squad. I think it'll be a good exercise for all of us to get a little insight into areas of NBA ball we don't explore enough. I know I don't keep up with Austin, and as a hoops junkie, I should.

Phreak50 · Post #4 » by **Phreak50** » Thu Jan 12, 2017 6:31 am

How do you pronounce Bryn? Is it like Bryan or actually Brin?

jptremblay · Post #5 » by **jptremblay** » Thu Jan 12, 2017 6:48 am

Hanga looked like a good prospect in Spain...don't how he's playing lately...wow just check it about him...he is 27!!

Chuck Everett · Post #6 » by **Chuck Everett** » Thu Jan 12, 2017 10:17 am

Phreak50 wrote:How do you pronounce Bryn? Is it like Bryan or actually Brin?

Brin.

Chuck Everett · Post #7 » by **Chuck Everett** » Thu Jan 12, 2017 10:19 am

Great idea. Are you guys also going to talk about Nemanja Dangubic? He's only 23 (turns 24 in April), but Spurs also own his rights.

I honestly don't know what the Spurs need in the draft, because they are so good at plugging and playing, but I guess if I had my druthers, they would find their way to get a bruiser (like Caleb Swanigan from Purdue).

Anyway sorry for derailing, I'd love to be able to read about the prospects and not wade through the garbage on ST.

Post #8 » by **Nolan** » Thu Jan 12, 2017 2:00 pm

Chuck Everett wrote:Great idea. Are you guys also going to talk about Nemanja Dangubic? He's only 23 (turns 24 in April), but Spurs also own his rights.

I honestly don't know what the Spurs need in the draft, because they are so good at plugging and playing, but I guess if I had my druthers, they would find their way to get a bruiser (like Caleb Swanigan from Purdue).

Anyway sorry for derailing, I'd love to be able to read about the prospects and not wade through the garbage on ST.

I knew I was missing someone! We will be talking about him as well. I'm going to add him to list.

And your definitely not derailing either, feel free to stop in whenever you like!

Post #9 » by **Nolan** » Thu Jan 12, 2017 2:03 pm

jptremblay wrote:Hanga looked like a good prospect in Spain...don't how he's playing lately...wow just check it about him...he is 27!!

He's kinda been all over the place in his career so far. Went from being a guy that couldn't shoot, to a lights out 3 point shooter and now he's seems to have lost his touch a bit.

I do like him though and I really hope he gets a shot in the next couple years. Could be a solid 3 and D depth guy.

imagump1313 · Post #10 » by **imagump1313** » Sat Jan 14, 2017 6:39 am

I dont know if its been mentioned but you can watch D-League games for free through facebook on the league site.

http://dleague.nba.com/

Post #11 » by **-Sammy-** » Fri Jan 20, 2017 11:25 am

Since our starting center is set to miss some time with a broken finger, I thought we'd take a quick look at the frontcourt prospects on the Austin team. There's no word yet when or if any of these guys are going to be called up, so take this as a preview of some of the faces we could see in the next few weeks.
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Austin doesn't have any true/full-time centers on the roster, so we have to look at size qualifications instead, and by that metric, 28-year-old Charles Garcia has the most goods at 6'10", 230.

Obviously, he has the size to play the 5, especially with the proliferation of small-ball in the league, but I wouldn't count on seeing him make the drive down 35 to SA. In six years of post-college action, Garica's played for 15(!) teams across multiple leagues in eight different countries, and his tour with Austin is his first American action in four years. The scouting report on Garcia coming out of college wasn't glowing, casting him as something of a black hole on offense and an undisciplined defender (though a solid rebounder).

In short, though he brings the most size, he probably lacks the discipline and on-floor IQ to be worth anything more than cleanup duty for the Spurs.
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Maurice Bolden brings similar size potential with his 6'10" frame and long wing-span, but his 205 pounds won't be enough to power him against many bigs in the league, and if we do see him get the call, it'll be to run minutes at the 4 while one of our rotation PFs mans the 5.

Besides lacking girth, Bolden lacks experience, having only finished college at Southern Miss last season (though he did spend a little time playing internationally in Canada and England prior to playing for the Golden Eagles). Scouting gives him something of a finesse game, and he's logged time at the 2, 3, and 4 in his various stops, but while that versatility definitely plays into the Spurs' style, the green behind his ears means that he likely won't get a call, and if he does, it'll be to give us a practice body.

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This brings us to the guy I think is most likely to see consideration: 6'9", 218-pound Cory Jefferson. Jefferson is the only Austin big to have seen NBA action, playing 58 total games between Brooklyn and Phoenix over the last two seasons. He brings a fair amount of size, with good athleticism and explosive 'verticality', and has shown a penchant for screen-setting and boxing out, which suggests a willingness to do the 'little things' that Pop obviously finds endearing and valuable in prospects.

He needs to improve his versatility on the scoring side, but he was a solid shot-blocker at Baylor and the fact that he's added to his game over the course of his college and pro careers demonstrates a willingness to work at getting better, and that combined with his NBA experience gives him the edge if we look to Austin for help.

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Don't forget about Livio Jean-Charles, either. The only Austin 'big' (semi-big?) we drafted, the 6'9" 217-pounder ran a handful of preseason games before being cut due to lack of production.

Despite his underwhelming production in summer-league and preseason play, though, Pop and his staff may decide to revisit the promise that made Jean-Charles a first-round draft pick. He's a tweener who could contribute at either forward spot. He's a hustle guy and someone with a reasonably good feel for how to use his athleticism, but more than anything else, he's an active body to fill some frontcourt minutes. Most pertinently, he'll have a little bit of a feel for the system, due to his brief time with the team earlier this season.

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Since any call-up will only be to fill in blanks, not to give the team another project, I like Jefferson over Jean-Charles as the most probable D-Leaguer to get a call-up. He's more experienced in the league, and his more robust physicality and toughness, combined with his skillset being less redundant than Jean-Charles' relative to our roster, makes him a better candidate for plug-in duty in Gasol's stead.

Do you have any insight or observations about any of these players? If so, please share your thoughts!

Post #12 » by **Nolan** » Fri Jan 20, 2017 2:06 pm

I could see Jefferson getting a shot. Someone bigger would nice but he's a nice looking player who's skillset fits in nicely with our team.

A few other D-Leaguers I'd consider right now are Keith Benson and Eric Moreland. Both are long bouncy bigs that can block shots and grab boards.

Post #13 » by **Nolan** » Fri Jan 20, 2017 8:37 pm

A few highlights from the Austin Spurs first game in the D-League showcase earlier this week:

http://www.statesman.com/sports/basketball/austin-spurs-get-big-win-the-nba-league-showcase/qxWpFxYRuEulOe2aNx9DiI/

Cory Jefferson's impressive performance:

Watch on YouTube

A preview of the Austin Spurs upcoming schedule:

Our second game of the D-League showcase is tonight against the Northern Arizona Suns and is free to stream on Facebook live. It should be a good test for us as well. The Suns have a couple decent young prospects in Derrick Jones Jr, Johnny O'Bryant III and it should interesting to see how Garino and Jefferson matchup against those two.

On the 26th we'll be facing the Suns once again this time at home.

On the 27th we will matched up against the Texas Legends who just acquired our former starting center DeJuan Blair. The Legends have an interesting roster with a number of players that have either already played in the NBA in Manny Harris, Tony Wroten, Nicolas
Brussino and AJ Hammons.

Chuck Everett · Post #14 » by **Chuck Everett** » Fri Jan 20, 2017 8:41 pm

I see the Spurs going for bigs not from Austin. No disrespect to the bigs on that squad, but they are not as good as they have been in recent years, so I expect they will look around the D-League a bit.

Post #15 » by **Nolan** » Fri Jan 20, 2017 8:47 pm

An update on a couple of our prospects that are playing in the euroleague:

http://news4sanantonio.com/sports/spurs-zone/euroleague-roundup-rounds-16-17krtygh

Watch on YouTube

Post #16 » by **Nolan** » Mon Jan 23, 2017 1:47 pm

Chuck Everett wrote:I see the Spurs going for bigs not from Austin. No disrespect to the bigs on that squad, but they are not as good as they have been in recent years, so I expect they will look around the D-League a bit.

I could definitely see that happening. Jefferson is only guy we have that is even worth considering. Anyone you have in mind?

Chuck Everett · Post #17 » by **Chuck Everett** » Mon Jan 23, 2017 5:40 pm

Nolan wrote:
Chuck Everett wrote:I see the Spurs going for bigs not from Austin. No disrespect to the bigs on that squad, but they are not as good as they have been in recent years, so I expect they will look around the D-League a bit.

I could definitely see that happening. Jefferson is only guy we have that is even worth considering. Anyone you have in mind?

Well, they just signed Joel Anthony. The only guy I saw off the top of my head whose rights were not controlled by someone else was Keith Benson (Sioux Falls, Heat affiliate), was who player of the month last month. He is a pretty good finisher around the rim, but more importantly he is a rim protector/shot blocker.

I am usually more interested in 3&D guys, because bigs that are truly great, rarely find themselves in the D-League for long. They tend to get snatched up pretty quickly.

Post #18 » by **Nolan** » Mon Jan 23, 2017 5:49 pm

Chuck Everett wrote:
Nolan wrote:
Chuck Everett wrote:I see the Spurs going for bigs not from Austin. No disrespect to the bigs on that squad, but they are not as good as they have been in recent years, so I expect they will look around the D-League a bit.

I could definitely see that happening. Jefferson is only guy we have that is even worth considering. Anyone you have in mind?

Well, they just signed Joel Anthony. The only guy I saw off the top of my head whose rights were not controlled by someone else was Keith Benson (Sioux Falls, Heat affiliate), was who player of the month last month. He is a pretty good finisher around the rim, but more importantly he is a rim protector/shot blocker.

I am usually more interested in 3&D guys, because bigs that are truly great, rarely find themselves in the D-League for long. They tend to get snatched up pretty quickly.

So much for that discussion :lol:

I don't fully understand why Benson hasn't gotten a shot. I doubt he'll ever be a big time contributor but he could be a nice 2nd or 3rd big off the bench. A guy who hustles, grabs boards and blocks a few shots.

Chuck Everett · Post #19 » by **Chuck Everett** » Mon Jan 23, 2017 6:36 pm

Nolan wrote:
Chuck Everett wrote:
Nolan wrote:
I could definitely see that happening. Jefferson is only guy we have that is even worth considering. Anyone you have in mind?

Well, they just signed Joel Anthony. The only guy I saw off the top of my head whose rights were not controlled by someone else was Keith Benson (Sioux Falls, Heat affiliate), was who player of the month last month. He is a pretty good finisher around the rim, but more importantly he is a rim protector/shot blocker.

I am usually more interested in 3&D guys, because bigs that are truly great, rarely find themselves in the D-League for long. They tend to get snatched up pretty quickly.

So much for that discussion

I don't fully understand why Benson hasn't gotten a shot. I doubt he'll ever be a big time contributor but he could be a nice 2nd or 3rd big off the bench. A guy who hustles, grabs boards and blocks a few shots.

With Benson, I think it's just been a timing thing. He has gotten a lot stronger (he is a string bean coming out of Oakland), but he just hasn't found the right team yet. Portland has fifteen players, but you'd think a team like them would at least be dying to find a rim protector.

Shawn Long had a good D-League showcase, with the Sixers affiliate and he played with Elfrid Payton at Louisiana-Lafayette. He's 6'10, but he is a more of a stretch four, so with Davis' he is just not someone you'd be looking at, even if he can play. Walter Tavares got cut by the Hawks and is now playing on the Raptors affiliate, but at his current stage, he's worse than Boban, so again, it seems doubtful the Spurs would sign him.

The big I have actually had my eye on, but it will have to be next year is Jan Vesely, who flamed out with the Wizards, but has now turned into a dunking machine overseas. He seems interested on getting back into the NBA and has an opt-out. It will be interesting to see if he comes to the states.

Post #20 » by **Nolan** » Mon Jan 23, 2017 10:08 pm

Chuck Everett wrote:
With Benson, I think it's just been a timing thing. He has gotten a lot stronger (he is a string bean coming out of Oakland), but he just hasn't found the right team yet. Portland has fifteen players, but you'd think a team like them would at least be dying to find a rim protector.

Shawn Long had a good D-League showcase, with the Sixers affiliate and he played with Elfrid Payton at Louisiana-Lafayette. He's 6'10, but he is a more of a stretch four, so with Davis' he is just not someone you'd be looking at, even if he can play. Walter Tavares got cut by the Hawks and is now playing on the Raptors affiliate, but at his current stage, he's worse than Boban, so again, it seems doubtful the Spurs would sign him.

The big I have actually had my eye on, but it will have to be next year is Jan Vesely, who flamed out with the Wizards, but has now turned into a dunking machine overseas. He seems interested on getting back into the NBA and has an opt-out. It will be interesting to see if he comes to the states.

Long and Vesely are two guys I like as well. Really liked Long coming into the draft and in preseason with the 76ers. He'll be getting a 10-day soon, I'm sure of it.

As for Vesely he seems to have found himself now that he's not being forced to play on the perimeter. The biggest mistake the Wizards made with him was trying to force him to become a SF, it was pretty clear early on that it wasn't going to work. As a PF/C he's a very useful player with his speed and hops.