San Antonio Spurs Predicted to Pick Two Prospects from One School in 2025 NBA Draft
As all things stand, the San Antonio Spurs will have two draft picks in the lottery of the 2025 NBA Draft. Last season, the Spurs picked fourth and eighth, trading their second pick, Rob Dillingham, to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
This year, the Spurs are expected to pick eighth and 14th, courtesy of the Atlanta Hawks. They could move up if the lottery is favorable, and they could once again trade their picks, although a recent mock draft from ESPN has them doubling up on one school.
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Rutgers and Duke are expected to have multiple players picked in the top ten, but the Spurs go a different route in the mock, picking Kasparas Jakucionis and Will Riley from the University of Illinois.
Feb 8, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini forward Will Riley (7) and guard Kasparas Jakucionis (32) celebrate during the second half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Williams Arena. © Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
In terms of NCAA success, the Fighting Illini were the perfect medium this season. They did not make the Final Four like the Blue Devils, although they did make the tournament, unlike the Scarlet Knights.
Jakucionis, along with BYU's Egor Demin, is one of the best pass-first point guards in the draft and could be a solid De'Aaron Fox backup or eventual replacement. Riley, on the other hand, is a solid off-ball player who took home Sixth Man of the Year honors for the Big 10.
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At eighth overall, the Spurs could do a lot worse than Jakucionis, and at 14th, the same could be said for Riley. Playmaking and scoring is always a good thing to add in the draft, although the Spurs have a very clear need: a backup center.
This season, it was clear that there was no depth behind Victor Wembanyama, and when his season ended prematurely, the lack of depth continued to rear its head. While adding one of Illinois' top players would be a good call, if the Spurs opt to use both of their picks, adding Derik Queen, Khamam Maluach, or Thomas Sorber would be a better use of a first-round pick, and then either Riley or Jakucionis would be a solid addition, but not both.
Check out the Inside the Spurs home page for more news, analysis, and must-read articles.
Related: San Antonio Spurs Predicted to Bring Back Fan-Favorite This Offseason
Related: San Antonio Spurs Roser Construction Could Dampen Trade Rumors
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