Spurs Prospect Watch: Vince Edwards

The San Antonio Spurs are in great need of a versatile forward in this draft and could find one in the second round if they’re looking hard enough. One of those versatile forwards is Purdue senior Vincent Edwards. He’s this week’s prospect to watch and if the Spurs nab him, he would likely be a second round steal for them.

The 6-foot-8, 225-pound forward was a key cog for one of the most prolific offenses in college basketball this past season. The Boilermakers averaged about 80 points a game and Edwards’ versatility and leadership played a big role in that robust number.

Here are his stats from his senior season:

• 14.6 PPG, 2.9 APG, 7.4 RPG
• 47.6 FG%, 39.8 3P%, 83.3 FT%
  • Per-40 stats
    • 18.5 PPG, 3.7 APG, 9.4 RPG
• 118.8 ORtg, 97.9 DRtg

Edwards scored from all over the floor, including in the post for Purdue despite them having two guys over 7 feet tall and he was quite good at it. He has a nice little package of moves to take advantage of smaller defenders and to get around similarly-sized defenders. He’s also a good shooter from the rest of the floor and was an efficient player despite using almost a quarter of the team’s possessions when he was in the game.

Edwards is a good playmaker as you might expect with his kind of usage percentage (23.8) and solid assist numbers from his position. He can score on the move and off the dribble, and is solid at the charity stripe. He’s also a pretty good rebounder for his size, which will definitely win him over some fans at the next level and in the Spurs front office. His production has been great at Purdue, where he scored over 1,600 points in his career.

His consistent improvement year over year should be considered a plus for him even if he is “old” according to NBA Draft standards. He’s an above average athlete who can play three positions at the NBA level and could be a key contributor off the bench in his first year depending on the big man and forward situation that unfolds during the summer.

He will have to improve his handles as he does turn the ball over a bit much at times. He can be a reluctant shooter, but that shouldn’t be an issue on a veteran-laden team like the Spurs. He does struggle against more athletic and longer players who defend him and he lacks an elite first step. He may also have to tweak his shooting mechanics slightly, but that can fixed by a summer in the gym.