Spurs Prospect Watch: Angel Delgado

The San Antonio Spurs’ offseason is in full swing and they are reportedly hosting prospects ahead of the NBA Draft. One of those prospects was reportedly Seton Hall big man Angel Delgado.

The 6-foot-10, 245-pound forward and center had a solid year for a Pirates team that made it to the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament. He was a rebounding monster and had been all four years he was at Seton Hall.

Here are some of his stats from his senior season:

• 13.6 PPG, 2.8 APG, 11.8 RPG
• 50.5 FG%, 61.2 FT%
  • Per-40 stats:
    • 17.7 PPG, 3.6 APG, 15.3 RPG
• 110.2 ORtg, 99.8 DRtg

Delgado is incredibly strong and should be able to defend in the post despite giving up some inches at the center position. His strength has led to him amassing the most offensive rebounds in NCAA history over the course of a career and fifth all-time in NCAA history for total rebounds in a career.

While Delgado is an excellent rebounder and has a great shooting percentage, he does not stray too far from the basket as he gets almost all of his points from the paint. However, he gets those buckets because he has an array of moves in the post that get him space or to the rim to get his easy shots, including some fakes and a hook shot.

The big man will have to improve his shooting, both at the free throw line and overall as he doesn’t shoot threes and is pretty atrocious at the charity stripe. While he doesn’t need to extend his range that far, he does need to be a somewhat reliable shooter in the mid-range to space the floor properly in today’s NBA. He will also have to cut down on his turnovers (2.5 a game) if he wants to stay on the floor.

There are also going to be concerns about Delgado’s defense because he played primarily in a zone scheme — a good explanation for why he lacked blocks this year. If he can show in workouts or at the NBA Combine that playing man defense won’t be an issue then that concern can easily be put to bed. His motor won’t be a problem though as that is terrific.

In the end, Delgado will have to prove he can play at the center position despite being a bit undersized. He’s a strong finisher at the rim, but he was also playing against smaller defenders most of the time. His age may be a concern as well since he was a four-year player and will be 23 by the time of the draft.