San Antonio Spurs: Best candidates for 2018-19 NBA awards
By Luke Swiatek
Rookie of the Year: Lonnie Walker IV
The first award on this list is an easy one. No one on the Spurs other than Lonnie Walker IV really has a shot at this award at all.
The only other player drafted by the San Antonio Spurs this year was Chimezie Metu, who was a solid value pick, but doesn’t project to have too big of an impact yet. Even if he beats out Joffrey Lauvergne and Jakob Poeltl to be the main backup big, it’s unlikely he’ll start this year.
There are two other guys who could technically be Spurs rookies. Jaron Blossomgame never played after being taken with the 59th pick last year, and he had a good Summer League. Nemanja Dangubic, a long range sniper, was drafted 54th in 2014 but has played overseas since. He did come by for a workout with the Spurs recently, though.
Still, neither of these players are even a sure bet to make the roster. Walker is the safest pick here by far.
The Miami product has lottery-level talent, and only slid a bit due to injury concerns. As a scoring guard, he’s got the skill and play style that should allow him to get the necessary stats to be a ROY contender.
Unfortunately, he will likely lack the opportunity. The Spurs’ guard rotation is jam-packed, even without Manu Ginobili, and Walker could spend most of his rookie year in the G League like Derrick White did last year. Frankly, he’s more likely to not receive a single ROY vote than he is to actually win it.