San Antonio Spurs: Ranking the last 10 first-round picks

1. Kyle Anderson

One of the surprising issues for the Spurs has been their retention of first-round picks over recent years. Kyle Anderson is an example of that struggle, leaving the team just as he appeared on the verge of blowing up.

Anderson was the last pick in the first round of the 2014 NBA Draft, immediately succeeding the Spurs’ most recent title run. His role as a rookie was to spell the veteran players, so while he played in 33 games and managed to pull eight starts, he averaged just 2.2 points per game.

After a Summer League MVP performance in 2015, Anderson found more solid footing during his second season, averaging 4.5 points per game in 78 games. His scoring average and playing time both dropped in 2016-17, though.

That made way for a solid fourth season with the team. Anderson found himself in the role of being a full-time starter and took full advantage of it, averaging 7.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. He also became ferocious on the defensive end, averaging 1.6 steals per game. His 6.2 win shares were second on the team that season (behind Aldridge) and his 3.8 defensive win shares led the team.

That season also marked the end of his time with the Spurs. San Antonio declined to match the four-year, $37.2 million offer sheet he received from the Memphis Grizzlies. That decision is looking somewhat prudent for the Spurs, although that’s largely because of some health problems Anderson has been having in Memphis so far.