2018 NBA Mock Draft: Time for the Final Four

We sometimes talk about San Antonio as a team that does not play like the rest of the league or understand the direction of the league because of the outsized contracts they’ve given guys like Pau Gasol or Rudy Gay in recent seasons, but that is not the truth about the Spurs.

A more accurate way to categorize their decisions the last few summers would be too highlight that while they’ve missed on veteran free agents, their young players are interesting, developing smoothly and turning into a core that could blossom next to Kawhi Leonard (not even going to unpack that here). Kyle Anderson and Dejounte Murray, as well as several end-of-the-rotation guys, have played incredible defense this year as the Spurs have hunkered down on their core philosophies even more this year with Leonard out.

Hunter is a logical extension of that trend, someone who could fit in the Spurs’ system on both ends while also bringing it into the modern era. He is a perfect modern defender, with the eventual possibility of defending all five positions. He also showed at Virginia that he fits into an offensive, a plus compared with other raw athletes.

As the Spurs get younger and more versatile, they can pick up a great piece here.