29. San Antonio Spurs- Rodions Kurucs- SF- Barcelona 2 (International)
The San Antonio Spurs are back picking in their usual spot. They have selected 29, 26, 30, and 28 the last four seasons. Those picks have been a mixed bag, but in the Popovich era they have had plenty of success while selecting late in the first round. Tony Parker (28 overall), Leandro Barbosa (28 overall), Ian Mahinmi (28 overall), Tiago Splitter (28 overall), George Hill (26 overall) and Cory Joseph (29 overall) all have turned into rotation players or more in the NBA. San Antonio is probably the best draft and develops franchise in the NBA, so expect to see another smart pick this season.
Why Rodions Kurucs?
FanSided’s Trevor Magnottti did an excellent profile on Kurucs you can find here if you are looking for more about his game.
Kurucs appears to be a perfect fit for the Spurs. They will stash him away for a few years and the little talked about player in his early 20’s will come over and be a rotation piece before eventually blossoming into a crucial part of a contending squad. San Antonio plays this game to perfection, and Kurucs appears to fit the mold to a T.