2018 NBA Mock Draft: What’s in store for the second round?
player. 29. . F. Ohio State. Keita Bates-Diop. 18
The priority for San Antonio this summer has to be to become a more modern team. That could mean they take an athletic center such as Robert Williams III or Mitchell Robinson, or a big two-way guard like Jacob Evans or Khyri Thomas to pair with Dejounte Murray. I think the most important piece they could lock in, though, is a versatile scorer to break down defenses and defend multiple positions. That guy could be Bates-Diop.
In a breakout junior season, Bates-Diop shined doing exactly that, and it’s always easier to feel good about a prospect when they play a similar role in college to the one they’ll play at the NBA level.
Look at his game against Michigan State, one that Bates-Diop described to Lakers reporters as the biggest of his college career. The junior attacked mismatches at will, settling into the post against guards or driving past flailing bigs as they tried to contest his jumper. A player like Bates-Diop is the trump card against fast, versatile defenses because he possesses the skill to take advantage of any kind of defender.
The Spurs could have two of those guys if Kawhi Leonard returns next season, or they could have a great new offensive piece around which to build the post-Leonard Spurs.