San Antonio Spurs: Top 10 NBA Draft picks in franchise history

8. Willie Anderson (SF) — No. 10 pick in 1988 NBA Draft

Career stats (with the Spurs):  451 GP, 13.2 PPG, 4.2 APG, 4.0 RPG, 1.1 SPG 47.6 FG%, 78.2 FT% 

Despite their recent string of top picks, the San Antonio Spurs suffered their fifth consecutive season of .500 or below in the 1987-88 season. And with long-time stud Mike Mitchell retiring in the summer of 1988, the Spurs knew they needed a go-to scoring forward to play with their young guards.

Enter Willie Anderson. The 6’7″ scoring wing just came off a season averaging 16.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game at Georgia. He would be the last Spurs rookie to suffer a losing campaign for a while.

From day one, Anderson was one of the best players on the roster. In his rookie year he led the team in scoring (18.6 points per game) and win shares (4.9). Those numbers — plus his 5.1 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.9 steals per game — earned him All-Rookie First Team honors.

While the team missed the playoffs his rookie year, they made it to six consecutive postseasons in the rest of his time in San Antonio, including the conference finals in his last season with the team in 1994-95. His best playoff appearance came in his second year (the team’s first year of the run) when he averaged 20.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game.

Anderson remained productive through his first four years with the Spurs, but only played close to a full season in one of his final three. Despite the continued regular season success, the Spurs teams featuring Anderson only made it to the one conference finals, losing in six games to the eventual champion Houston Rockets.

He was a large part of the culture change in San Antonio though, finishing as a top-five scorer for the team in his four full seasons while it was winning. Much of the Spurs’ early success in their dynastic run can in some ways be attributed to Willie Anderson.