San Antonio could be eyeing a top NBA draft pick. Arizona's electrifying freshman Koa Peat emerges as a potential cornerstone for the future.
The San Antonio Spurs have done a fantastic job of building the team they currently have through the NBA Draft. And this coming draft could be another chance for them to do that.
As part of the Dejounte Murray trade in 2022 that saw the guard go to the Hawks, the Spurs now own a 2026 first-round pick swap with Atlanta. Depending on the Hawks' performance the rest of the season, the Spurs could get a higher pick.
And with San Antonio currently near the top of the West and the Hawks in tenth place in the East, it looks like that is absolutely a possibility.
In a recent article by Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman, he puts together a mock draft, and he thinks that the Spurs could target Arizona's Koa Peat, who is the best player on the best team in the nation.
"Opinions on Koa Peat are all over the place, with optimists admiring his interior toughness, mid-range scoring and steadiness, and skeptics questioning the fit of a 6'8" forward who doesn't handle or make threes," Wasserman wrote. "He doesn't have the flashiest one-on-one game, but he really excels off the ball using his timing and tools to earn high-percentage looks, particularly as a screener and roll man."
The Arizona Wildcats are still a perfect 20-0 so far this season, and it has been due in no small part to the spectacular play from their superstar freshman.
Peat is averaging 15 points and six rebounds per game, and he is doing so on a very impressive 57% from the field. But many scouts' concerns with the Arizona star at the next level is his absence of outside shooting.
He is shooting less than one attempt per game, and less than 30% when he does shoot them. But one must remember, the Spurs have one of the best shooting big men in the league in Victor Wembanyama, who can more than make up for Peat.
But just because the 19-year-old budding star hasn't developed a three-pointer yet does not mean that he can't be an effective NBA player, and he could be the power forward the Spurs have been waiting for.