San Antonio Spurs: 2017 NBA Draft grades

No. 29 — Derrick White, G, Colorado

Once again, the San Antonio Spurs come up with an excellent value pick late in the first round of the draft.

Derrick White is a 6’4.5″ guard with good skills and a great feel for the game. He’s not the best athlete or ball handler, but his size and craftiness allow him to get to the rim and finish.

He improved as a shooter through college, reaching the 40 percent mark in his lone season at Colorado. He can also operate out of the pick-and-roll as the ball-handler thanks to his size.

White was a transfer and played his lone season of Division I basketball at Colorado, averaging 18.3 points, 4.3 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 1.2 steals per game after spending two seasons at the Division II Colorado-Colorado Springs. After receiving no Division I scholarship offers as a 6’0″ point guard, his post-grad growth spurt propelled his stellar play in college. 

White was one of those players you knew going into the draft he could be a Spur. His basketball IQ, craftiness and desire to succeed are a lot of the qualities the organization has found success with.

As you can see from their tweets, popular basketball writers from different paths all felt the same, from San Antonio Spurs super fan, The Ringer‘s Shea Serrano, to Sam Vecenie, who covers all things basketball for Sporting News and Vice.

Depending on what happens with their free agents, White could play a key role for the Spurs right away. Should the Spurs keep their team mostly together, look for White to go the Kyle Anderson route by making good plays in spot minutes thanks to IQ, while slowly developing his skills. 

Grade: A