2024 NBA Mock Draft 2.0: Hawks play it safe, Wizards go big, Spurs fill two needs
By Cal Durrett
8) San Antonio Spurs-Devin Carter
A second first-round pick gives the Spurs a chance to add to their impressive core and while they have been frequently mocked to take a player who we'll talk about next, they may instead select Devin Carter. Carter was a big winner of the NBA Combine after posting a terrific 42-inch vertical leap and also having the best three-quarters sprint. That drew attention to the under-the-radar season he had for Providence, in which he averaged 21 points and shot 39.7% from deep.
His sharpshooting, including shooting off the dribble, is definitely interesting, as is his 8.7 rebounds per game while being just 6'2 and him being a hounding defender. With those skills, it is unsurprising that he is rumored to have received a promise from one of the teams picking in the lottery. Assuming he isn't going in the top seven, then that leaves five teams to choose from and I suspect it's the Spurs.
Drafting both Castle and Carter may be the best-case scenario for the Spurs, considering that Carter is an elite shooter who can play with and without the ball and Castle also wants to play on-ball. If Carter is available at eight, then the Spurs would be hard-pressed to pass him up.