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

6. Sean Elliott (SF) — No. 3 pick in 1989 NBA Draft

Career stats (with the Spurs):  669 GP, 14.4 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 2.5 APG, 46.6 FG%, 37.9 3P%, 79.9 FT% 

If Alvin Robertson was the first draft pick to build toward the future of the San Antonio Spurs, Sean Elliott was the first pick of that future’s present. The summer of 1989 was one of change for the Spurs, and that change was a good one.

That summer, they traded two young players (Robertson and Dawkins) for quality starters (Cummings and Cheeks). David Robinson, the first overall pick in 1987, was joining the team after spending two years with the Navy. With the third overall pick in the 1989 NBA Draft, the San Antonio Spurs selected Sean Elliott.

San Antonio Spurs

Elliott was a two time All-American at the University of Arizona. In his four years as a Wildcat, he averaged 19.2 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. His senior year he averaged 22.3 points and 7.2 rebounds per game and was the AP Player of the Year. His balanced scoring on the wing would prove imperative to a team that was about to trade one of its best players on the perimeter.

For his rookie year, Elliott averaged 10.0 points and 3.7 rebounds a game and earned All-Rookie Second Team honors. He started in 69 games and helped the Spurs get past the first round of the playoffs, which they hadn’t done since 1983. In the postseason, he started in all 10 games the team played and bumped his scoring numbers up to 12.7 points a night.

Over the next three years, Elliott was a critical piece for a regular playoff team. He averaged 16.4 points and 5.2 rebounds per game from 1990-93. Despite his success, the team never made it past the second round, and in the summer of 1993, Elliott was traded to the Detroit Pistons for Dennis Rodman.

After a down year in Detroit, Elliott was actually traded back to the Spurs. He had his best years statistically in each of the next two seasons, going for 18.1 points per game in 1994-95, and a career-high 20.0 points a game in 1995-96. Along with those 20 points, Elliott averaged 5.1 rebounds and a career=best 2.1-of-5.1 threes per game (41.1 percent on the year), earning him the second All-Star bid of his career.

After his career 1995-96 campaign, Elliott started to decline. In his final five years he averaged 10.2 points and 3.8 rebounds per game, bringing his career averages to a solid 14.2 points and 4.3 rebounds. Despite his age, Elliott was still a key contributor in his lone title run in 1999, averaging 11.9 points per game and hitting 40 percent of his threes in the 17 postseason games on the way to a championship.

Elliott retired from the league after the 2000-01 season. He is still fifth on the Spurs’ all-time franchise leader board in three-pointers made, and was a key member of all their success throughout the ’90s. He may not have the same personal accolades as Robertson, but his contributions to winning and longevity cement his place among the Spurs’ greats.