The San Antonio Spurs have done well when drafting Atlantic Coast Conference players. The most recent opportunity to develop a Florida State guy in Devin Vassell has been pretty great and so a guy RaiQuan Gray from FSU could be another little project for them. The 6-foot-8, 260-pound junior is a great two-way player, especially at his size.
He came into this season in the best shape of his life and it showed. He improved every major statistic across the board this season and truly opened up FSU’s offense this season. Here’s how he looked on the stat board this past season (all in under 27 minutes a game).
Stats
- 11.9 PPG, 0.7 BPG, 2.2 APG, 1.2 SPG, 6.4 RPG
- 51.7 FG%, 26.7 3P%, 76.3 FT%
- 22.1 PER, 112.5 ORtg, 95.1 DRtg
Gray uses his size well in the post and seeks contact often. He finishes well through contact and brushes off guards on drives. It’s this strength that also allows him to get to his spots on drives and hit 64 percent of his shots at the rim despite being a below-the-rim finisher.
The most projectable part of Gray’s game is his switchability. He is versatile on both ends of the floor thanks to his speed, size, and build. He can stick with guards without fouling and he’s strong enough to battle in the paint with bigger players. His brand of bully ball could allow him to play some small-ball center and that could give the Spurs an offensive advantage.
While Gray was a huge part of Florida State’s success this year, his three-point shooting was not one of the main factors. While he opened up the floor for the better shooters on the team, he did not take and make a ton of triples. He’s shown potential there, but he will have to work on that aspect of his game the hardest going into the league.
Gray is a second-round pick and could potentially be available as an undrafted two-way player for the Spurs. He has not signed with an agent so he could return to Florida State. If he chooses to do so, he will get serious consideration for ACC Player of the Year in the preseason.
For more prospect profiles, visit the 2021 Prospects page.
