Latest mock draft shows Lighty and Davis going to the Spurs

According to The Hoops Report’s latest mock draft, the San Antonio Spurs might go with David Lighty in the first round and Mike Davis in second.

Justin Harper fell into 33rd pick overall, while Travis Leslie boost his stock going 9th in the second round.

Let’s get to know Lighty and Davis better.

David Lighty - SG/SF, 6-foot-6, 215 lbs.

Stats: 12.1 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.3 apg, 46.8% FG, 62.7% FT, 42.9% 3FG

David Lighty

At 6-foot-6 216, Lighty has adequate size for a swingman. One of the most experienced players in this year’s draft class, and has been exposed to winning Plays very smart and mistake-free basketball.

Highly unselfish and doesn’t need the ball to be effective. Shows decent athleticism, and certainly has good enough footwork to compete athletically on an NBA floor.

Plays great defense. Very physical and fundamental, and moves his feet very well. Preparation is good.

Did a great job of knowing his matchups tendencies, always being prepared. Very good at knowing when to take risks for the sake of his team on defense. Has the strength, savvy and adequate size to defend SG’s and SF’s effectively. Uses his strong footwork to deny penetrations.

Spurs could pick Harper and Leslie in the upcoming NBA Draft

According to Hoops Report’s latest mock draft, the San Antonio Spurs could possibly pick Justin Harper in the first round and Travis Leslie at the 59th spot.

Both prospects present different styles and qualities that might intrigue the Spurs. Should San Antonio end up drafting them both, what can they bring to the table?  

Justin Harper - Power Forward, 6-foot-10, 225 lbs.

Stats: 17.9 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.2 apg, 53.4% FG, 79.7% FT, 44.8% 3FG 

Justin Harper

At 6-foot-10, Harper has excellent size for the power forward position, but he could still stand to add strength to his 225-pound frame, particularly to his lower body. He is an above average athlete, as well, with decent quickness in the open floor and good explosiveness around the basket.

Harper has improved significantly on the offense end, where he averages 23.1 points per 40 minutes pace adjusted. He is most effective spotting up around the perimeter, where he finds over a quarter of his possessions, and shoots a blistering 50.8% on 4.2 attempts per game.

Spurs considering Nikola Mirotic?

According to The Hoops Report 2011 NBA mock draft, the San Antonio Spurs might pick Nikola Mirotic in the first round.

Will the Spurs pick Mirotic in the first round of the 2011 NBA Draft?

Mirotic stands at 6-foot-10 that can play the small forward and power forward positions.

He has good mobility for a big man, nice soft shooting touch, is a good free throw shooter and is reliable from beyond the arc. 

He has excellent shot selection, can create his own shot off the dribble and offers a variety moves at the low post.  He also handles the ball well with both hands for a guy of his size.

Offensively, Mirotic is tremendously versatile. His high basketball IQ, good court awareness and anticipation allows him to make very quick decisions once he receives the ball.

Spin moves, left and right up and unders, jump hooks, turn around jumpers, bank shots are all a part of his natural offensive repertoire. Plus he is a reliable finisher inside the paint.

Spurs expressed interest in Nikola Vucevic

USC’s former center/power forward Nikola Vucevic had a great performance at the 2011 NBA Draft Combine that made a lasting impression to NBA scouts and may have boost his draft stock to rise.

Nikola Vucevic's draft stock has risen at the 2011 NBA Draft Combine.

He entered the Windy City as an unknown, but he measured out very well there and in a draft that’s short on both good players and big players, he could be a good big player. That possibility made him the hottest prospect to come out of that combine and propelled him into the first round in several mock NBA drafts. He might go mid-first round, even.

Vucevic’s measurements from the draft combine:

He measured out a shade shorter than 7-feet at 6-11 3/4 in shoes — the tallest there; was the second heaviest present at 260 pounds but had just 6% body fat; had the second longest standing reach at 9-4 1/2 (a half-inch bigger than former No.1 overall pick Greg Oden); and, to boot, had the second-best wingspan at 7-4 1/2.

Filipovich said many teams picking in the 10-to-25 range in the first round approached them about Vucevic after his performance in Chicago.

“They were surprised that Nikola did so well. He blew them away.”

2011 NBA Mock Draft: Who will the Spurs pick in the 2nd round?

Yesterday, we talked about some first round mock drafts for the San Antonio Spurs.

Now, let’s look at which second rounder the Spurs will likely pick.

Paul Kasabian of Bleacherreport shares his prediction on a possible second round pick for the Spurs:

Who played better for Kentucky in the NCAA tournament, potential lottery pick Terrence Jones (if he entered the draft) or Josh Harrellson?

Easy answer.

Harrellson was simply sensational, averaging 13 points and eight rebounds during the NCAA tournament, serving as inspiration for the Cats to their run to the Final Four. He was especially important against Princeton in the round of 64, when he went for 15 points (7-for-8), 10 rebounds and four steals in 37 minutes.

A 17 and 10 night against Ohio State’s giants of Jared Sullinger and Dallas Lauderdale was equally impressive, but Harrellson even contributed 12 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two blocks against Tyler Zeller, ACC Defender of the Year John Henson and the UNC Tar Heels in the Elite Eight.

Can Harrellson use this momentum to propel himself to an NBA team?

2011 NBA Mock Draft: Who will the Spurs select?

If you’re a regular reader here at Spurs World, you know that I’ve talked about Mock Drafts quite often.

This time let me share you Collin Berglund and Tom Kinslow of Bleacherreport’s 2011 mock draft take for the Spurs.

Collin Berglund:

Jordan Williams was the best big man in the ACC this past season. Only a sophomore, Williams dealt with a loss of the team’s best player (Greivis Vasquez) and took the team’s load on his shoulders.

Williams developed a jump shot between his freshman and sophomore season that makes him even more dangerous on the offensive side of the court. He has a number of post moves and always finds a way to get the ball in the basket when close, even through double-teams that often came last season.

He is a tough rebounder as well who plays bigger than his height.

2011 Mock Draft: Spurs picks Tobias Harris

Last week, I posted a mock draft with the Spurs picking Trey Thompkins at number 29.

Harris’ numbers with the Tennessee Volunteers
Height: 6’8” | Weight: 226 lbs
PTS	REB	FG%	FT%	3P%
15.3	7.3	46.0	75.3	30.3

However, in RotoWorld’s latest mock draft, Thompkins went to the Dallas Mavericks at 26 and the Spurs lands Tobias Harris at the 29th spot.

At 6 foot 8, he’s going to be an undersized power forward, but can shoot it well enough that he might be able to play some small forward in the NBA.

Gregg Popovich doesn’t seem to trust DeJuan Blair and they’ve got plenty of young talent in the backcourt.

Richard Jefferson will have to be replaced at some point, and Harris wouldn’t be a bad place to start.

DraftExpress: Why Would an NBA Team Spend a Draft Pick on Jimmy Butler?

With the NBA draft more than a month away, we don’t for sure who will the San Antonio Spurs choose until the draft day comes.

Projected as a 2nd rounder, Butler could be an intriguing prospect during draft day

However, we can always speculate. A few days ago, I posted an article about Trey Thompkins courtesy of DraftExpress.

Now, here’s another interesting draft prospect. Again, via DraftExpress written by Joey Whelan.

Buzz Williams will be among the first to tell you that on paper, Jimmy Butler wasn’t one of the most talented players at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament.

Marquette’s excitable third-year coach attended the Virginia-based pre-draft camp in support of his graduating star – a sign of faith in Butler’s NBA aspirations, as much as it was an act of respect.

The 6-foot-7 forward rewarded his coach’s commitment by winning most valuable player honors.

“He was the MVP because of the attention to all of the small things that he does,” Williams says. “Not simply that he knows them, but because he can execute them, he’s disciplined to do all that.”

That Butler’s attention to detail is so extreme is as much a testament to his intelligence and drive as it is to the regimented system Williams has crafted for the Golden Eagles. Butler on the other hand points to the hardest year of his life as the sole reason for his driven persona – a learning experience that has left an indelible mark on a now promising basketball career.

2011 Mock Draft: Spurs picks Trey Thompkins

With the San Antonio Spurs in offseason mode, and the NBA draft still more than a month away, how about some good old fashioned mock draft?

According to the DraftExpress 2011 NBA Mock Draft, the Spurs might select Trey Thompkins as the 29th overall pick this coming June

Should the Spurs pick him, here is a scouting report in advance.

Full Name: Howard Samuel Thompkins III

Height / Weight: 6-10 / 245 lbs.

Position: Forward/Power Forward

Thompkin’s numbers with the Georgia Bulldogs
SEASON	PTS	REBS	STL	FG%	FT%
2008-09	12.6	7.4	1.0	43.4	72.6
2009-10	17.7	8.3	1.0	48.3	76.2
2010-11	16.4	7.6	1.1	48.1	68.9

Strengths: A graceful 6-foot-10 bigman with a polished offensive game and feathery touch. One of those players that wows you with skill level instead of athleticism. Can face the basket and knock down shots as well as do work on the block . Highly effective in the half court but also excels in transition. Smooth footwork in the post and strong all around feel for the game.

High basketball IQ, great understanding of post positioning and use of box out. Also does a good job of freeing himself from his man off the ball for passes. Wide base allows him to post up opponents and create space inside. Textbook use of his pivot feet. Has a nice right baby hook shot and has range out to three-point land. Likes to face up against opposing bigs and use his guard like ball handling ability to create shots.