Spurs Prospect Watch: Allonzo Trier

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TUCSON, AZ - NOVEMBER 16: Allonzo Trier #11 of the Arizona Wildcats dribbles the ball during the first half of the college basketball game against the Bradley Braves at McKale Center on November 16, 2015 in Tucson, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)

The San Antonio Spurs’ season has started and that means everyone will be focused on the excitement that brings forth the 2017-18 year. While most people will be getting excited about a  potential playoff run, I’ll be here bringing you some profiles on who the Spurs should consider with their late draft picks this year.

That brings us to this week’s prospect in Arizona junior Allonzo Trier. The 6-foot-5, 205-pound shooting guard could have gone to the NBA Draft this past year, but he decided to come back and hopefully lead a very talented Wildcat team to the Final Four, which happens to take place in San Antonio next April, so fans may end up getting to see him in person. Here are his stats from the 2016-17 season to get us started on his profile:

  • 17.2 PPG, 2.7 APG, 5.3RPG
  • 46 FG%, 39.1 3P%, 81 FT%
  • 125.3 ORtg, 101.3 DRtg
  • 23.1 PER, 8.0 Box Plus/Minus

He’s clearly a good shooter, but he was streaky at times last season and will have to become more consistent in order to get the credit he deserves as a shooter. His three-point shooting percentage will really just need to stay the same or get better while he needs to make more shots inside the arc. He should be helped by the fact that he has a good mix of talented freshmen as well as solid upperclassmen returning to help him out. He won’t have to necessarily be a go-to guy, but he is likely the guy the team will look to in crunch time.

Trier has gotten better defensively thanks to his solid athleticism, but he will have to prove he can guard the 1 and the 2 spots at the next level if he wants serious consideration from the Spurs. You’d like to see his steal numbers get better as well, as he only averaged 0.4 a game last year because that’s usually an indicator of how well a guard can defend at the next level. His rebounding is solid for someone at his position though and that number may go down with some of the super long and lanky athletes the school brought in this season.

One troubling off-court issue Trier had was that he tested positive for PEDs. However, he served his suspension and the story was that he took an illegal substance by accident when he was recovering from an injury. The NCAA agreed with that story so that’s what we will go with as well. It should be a one-time issue and he has likely learned his lesson, but that is some important background to have on a potential prospect.

In the end, should Trier’s shooting numbers improve with more games played this season and his defense look better, then he definitely should be considered late in the first round. He will be one of the leaders on this team, so that intangible will be something to look at throughout the season. Should the Spurs decide they need another guard for whatever reason, Trier would certainly not be the worst choice.

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