Aug 23, 2026 10:08 PM

The San Antonio Spurs picked up two first-round picks in the 2026 NBA Draft, using both to shore up their frontcourt alongside Victor Wembanyama, Luke Kornet, and Tobias Harris.

This offseason, the San Antonio Spurs made overhauling their frontcourt a top priority. In the NBA Finals, OG Anunoby was virtually unstoppable, and both Mitchell Robinson and Karl-Anthony Towns were able to use their physicality effectively. 

In response, the Spurs have added imposing players of their own. Their only major free-agent addition was Tobias Harris, who is expected to bring added size to the starting lineup. On top of that, they drafted Jayden Quaintance 20th overall and then traded up into the first round to add Tarris Reed Jr. 26th overall.

In a normal draft, Quaintance would have been a lottery pick, although injuries in college held him back. He is expected to miss the start of his rookie season and then be a promising young force after that.

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Expectations for Spurs Rookies

Quaintance was one of the youngest players in the draft, despite being a second-year college player. In his freshman season at Arizona State, he was the youngest NCAA player in the nation. After tearing his ACL and meniscus at Kentucky, he's still very raw.

Reed, on the other hand, was a four-year player at Michigan and UConn and is expected to pick up right where he left off.

"Quaintance, who was one of the youngest players selected in June, represented a clear upside swing for the Spurs, who have star Victor Wembanyama and backup Luke Kornet as their main options in the middle," outlined HoopsRumors' Rory Maher. "Reed, on the other hand, is four years older than Quaintance and is expected to be closer to contributing right away."

This season, fans should expect Reed to be the third option behind Victor Wembanyama and Luke Kornet. After Quaintance gets healthy, he should slot in as Harris' backup at power forward. Of course, when needed, the Spurs can trot out two bigs, so Quaintance should get some looks alongside Wemby, Kornet, or the other rookie.

The Spurs headed into the offseason painfully aware of their weaknesses and shortcomings, and even with a shorter offseason after their Finals run, are expected to be a better version of themselves.

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