Spurs Prospect Watch: Kevin Huerter

The NBA Draft Combine has come and gone and that means some players are moving up the draft boards. The San Antonio Spurs could be looking at some of those players like Maryland’s Kevin Huerter who was supposed to be a first round pick next year. However, now he is looking more and more like a first rounder this season and has to make a decision on staying another year in school or not.

Huerter’s shooting ability at his size and his performance at the combine over the weekend have put him on the radar at the 18th pick. The 6-foot-7, 195-pound shooting guard can likely play two positions, but will have to prove that he can defend — at least at a passable level — on the wing in order to earn those shots on the court.

Here are some of his stats:

• 14.8 PPG, 3.4 APG, 5 RPG
• 50.3 FG%, 41.7 3P%, 75.8 FT%
  • Per-40 stats:
    • 17.1 PPG, 3.9 APG, 5.8 RPG
• 119 ORtg, 102.9 DRtg

ESPN and Draft Express guru Jonathan Givony certainly took notice of Huerter during the NBA Combine:

Huerter’s wingspan is average at best for someone his size (6’7.25″) and while he gave great effort during the combine, he will have to do that against much better competition at the next level. He also lacks an elite first step off the dribble and can struggle to shoot on the move. He’s also not an elite ball handler and can turn the ball over from time to time, but he has plenty of positive attributes.

The sophomore is a solid shooter from all over the floor and rebounds well for his position. While Huerter struggles to shoot on the move (i.e. floaters, having to create his own shot), he does shoot well off the dribble. He could be a taller J.J. Redick should he become a better and capable defender and a little more automatic from three-point land.