DeJuan Blair of the San Antonio Spurs might be excited to hear that the Spurs recently tried out one
of his former teammates, Ashton Gibbs, from Pittsburgh according to Cardiac Hill.
In his senior season, Gibbs averaged 14.6 points, 2.1 assists, 2.3 rebounds, shot 38% from the field, and 35% from 3-point range in an average of 34.3 minutes per game.
According to ESPN, Gibbs is expected to be drafted in the second round or not drafted at all. But his stock could be rising as the report from Cardiac Hill states that contending teams are the ones looking at Gibbs right now.
Here’s a couple of the traits ESPN has scouted in Gibbs’ game as he heads into the draft.
| Positives |
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| Negatives |
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I’ll be the first to admit that with a rushed lockout season and me having to cover all Spurs games, I didn’t have time to watch much college hoops, so I can’t speak to what Gibbs would bring to the Spurs from an observation stand point. But based on the stats and criteria ESPN has provided, you get the sense Gibbs could be another Gary Neal type of player. He’s a shooter who lacks size and ball handling skills with little athletic ability similar to Neal.
Neal will only continue with the Spurs if they decide to pick up this year of his contract, so far the expectation is that they will. But with him possibly becoming a free agent next season, could this Gibbs kid be the next Neal the Spurs will be looking at? It’s too early to tell but right now, he’s a better consideration for their second round draft slot as opposed to the high profile first round picks they’re rumored to be meeting with. Gibbs is someone who might be available if the Spurs have their eyes set on him, where as a top-10 first round pick would mean a key role player or players would have to be dealt to make such a move happen.
The NBA Draft is steadily approaching on June 28 to see where Gibbs will land.
