NBA Draft takeaways: Yes, you can say the Spurs and Thunder mean business

The first round of the NBA Draft is in the books. We even have the grades to prove it.

There weren’t a lot of big surprises on Tuesday night as the Washington Wizards got AJ Dybantsa at No. 1, the Utah Jazz were happy to take Darryn Peterson at No. 2, the Memphis Grizzlies set about plotting a new era with Cameron Boozer at No. 3, and at No. 4 the Chicago Bulls rolled with Caleb Wilson.

Advertisement

Those teams probably won’t rise to contender status with their new prized prospects, but some clubs with their eyes on the prize didn’t play around and quickly explored avenues of improvement.

In this new NBA landscape with draft changes, costly salary-cap implications and evolving restrictions to roster building, teams need to strike while they have flexibility and legitimate pathways to success.

Let’s see what we can take away from what four (possible) contenders did in the first round Tuesday night.

The San Antonio Spurs wanted to acquire size, and they certainly did that.

Advertisement

With the 20th selection, they selected injured Kentucky center Jayden Quaintance. The 6-foot-10 sophomore big man has a 7-5 wingspan, is ridiculously athletic and has significant upside as a two-way prospect. He was an active defensive force in his freshman season before a catastrophic knee injury altered the trajectory of his career.

Complications from the injury limited him to four games this past season, and that’s why the Spurs unquestionably will bring him along slowly. They will make sure his recovery is optimal, and he’s mentally ready to produce.

Quaintance, who is just 18 years old, is a long-term upside play, unlike Connecticut big man Tarris Reed Jr., whom San Antonio selected 26th after trading back into the first round.

San Antonio relinquished the 35th selection and two additional second-rounders to move up to take Reed.

Advertisement

The 22-year-old senior is a physical specimen at 6-10 and over 264 pounds. He has a 7-4 wingspan and posted a 31-point, 27-rebound game in the NCAA tournament.

Reed will likely crack the rotation earlier than Quaintance, but that’s going to be by design.

The Spurs saw a drastic need for…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/article/nba-draft-takeaways-yes-you-can-say-the-spurs-and-thunder-mean-business-052611169.html

Author : Morten Stig Jensen

Publish date : 2026-06-24 05:26:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.