Ranking Spurs’ best-ever NBA Draft picks in top 10

8. Jeremy Sochan

Perhaps a little controversy right off the bat. The No. 9 overall pick of the 2022 draft, Jeremy Sochan has made the “Rising Stars Challenge” twice and the Spurs think highly of the former Baylor Bear.

But numbers — both on the stat line and in the standings — are telling for Sochan. He’s averaged a pedestrian 11.3 points, 5.9 rebounds, and three assists through the first two seasons of his young career. The Spurs have won only 44 of their 164 games since he joined the league.

The first of three first-round picks two years ago, the 6-foot-8 forward is only 20 years old and played the first third of this season out of position at point guard as the coaching staff tried to grow his skill set. With wins expected to increase around Wemby over the next couple of years, there’s reason to believe Sochan will move up this list.

7. Johnny Dawkins

The 1986 Naismith Player of the Year went 10th that summer. Though he never starred in the NBA, Dawkins averaged nearly 16 points and 7.4 assists per game by his second year before another 14 PPG followed in an injury-shortened season. It ended up being his last in San Antonio because of a trade that sent the former Duke standout to the Philadelphia 76ers for Maurice Cheeks in an effort to add veteran leadership for David Robinson’s rookie season.

Like with Sochan, the Spurs didn’t win much during Dawkins’ stint with 28, 31, and 21 wins respectively.

6. Willie Anderson

The 10th pick of the 1988 draft, Willie Anderson earned a spot on the All-Rookie First team by averaging nearly 19 points per contest for what was essentially the last bad Spurs team (not including the 1997-1998 squad, which was derailed by injuries) until 2020.

Anderson was Robinson’s starting off-guard for the better part of the Admiral’s first six seasons and with numerous big postseason games over that span, he was a key part of several playoff appearances that defined the 90’s era of the Silver and Black.

The Georgia alum was selected by the Toronto Raptors in the expansion draft following the 1994-95 season.

5. Alvin Robertson

Outside of Tim Duncan and David Robinson, no one on this list comes close to Alvin Robertson’s individual accomplishments. Let’s put it this way: He alone is responsible for the aforementioned Defensive Player of the Year, the Most Improved Player of the Year, and the quadruple-double, all of which came in 1986 when he earned All-NBA Second Team Honors.

The franchise’s first-ever top 10 pick, the former Arkansas Razorback went 7th in 1984. The league leader in steals twice with the Spurs, three of his four career All-Star appearances came in San Antonio, where he spent five seasons averaging around 17 points per game except as a rookie and in 1987-88 when he scored 19.6.

Like Dawkins, Robertson departed in a move meant to surround Robinson with veteran talent when he was sent to the Milwaukee Bucks in a trade that involved All-Star forward Terry Cummings.

4. Victor Wembanayama

Surprised Wemby is around the midway point of these rankings? Remember, it’s a list of what Spurs taken in the top 10 did over their careers in the Alamo City and not the top rookie seasons among the eight players.

What else is there to say about Victor Wembanyama that hasn’t already been said based on what he put on full display this season? The reigning Rookie of the Year further tied himself to Duncan and Robinson as top Spurs picks to take home the honor. The generational talent proved he was worth every bit of the hype with a season that featured historic stat lines and incredible highlights to go with the NBA’s blocked shots title and a runner-up finish in the Defensive Player of the Year.

That the team was only able to win 22 games is the only smudge on a start that projects as not only possibly the greatest Spur of all time but as one of the greatest who’s ever played.

3. Sean Elliott

There may be no San Antonio Spur who has embodied the organization and its history as much as Sean Elliott. The third overall pick in 1989, the Wooden Award winner has been a vital fixture for the franchise just about every year since.

Traded to the Detroit Pistons for Dennis Rodman in 1993, the former Arizona Wildcat returned in 1994 and in 1999 hit the most impactful shot in franchise history. Elliott’s tippy-toe “Memorial Day Miracle” essentially ended that year’s Western Conference Finals against the Portland Trail Blazers and paved the way to the franchise’s first-ever title.

More importantly, that incredible late Elliott high-arcing three-pointer over Rasheed Wallace served as a culture-altering moment that jump-started a two-decade run of excellence.

Retired in 2001, Elliott’s #32 has since been raised to the rafters. After some work for NBC, ABC, and ESPN, the two-time All-Star made his way back to the Spurs in 2004 as a member of their broadcast team. Not only was he front and center for most of the franchise’s five titles and long playoff runs, but he now calls the action to start the Wembanyama era.

2. David Robinson

One of the best centers to ever play the game, David Robinson changed everything for San Antonio from the moment he was drafted first overall in 1997. Keep in mind he didn’t actually join the team until two years later because of a military commitment. It is widely believed around the Alamo City, and perhaps beyond, that the Spurs would no longer be in the Alamo City if not for Robinson’s arrival and impact.

The unanimous Rookie of the Year in 1990 after leading the Spurs to the biggest single-season turnaround in NBA history, the “Admiral” topped the league in scoring in 1993-94 and won MVP honors the following season after a 62-20 record the registered as the best in franchise history.

Inducted into basketball’s Naismith Hall of Fame in 2009, Robinson was honored again in Springfield, Massachusetts the following year as a member of the iconic Dream Team. A ten-time All-NBA selection, the 7-foot-1 center led the league in rebounding, blocks, and won a Defensive Player of the Year award over a career that included a pair of Olympic Gold medals and two NBA championships, including in his last season.

A physical marvel, in a way, Robinson was Wemby before Wembanyama was. And as great as the 20-year-old phenom was this season, Robinson’s rookie numbers were noticeably better; points per game: 24.3 to 21.4, rebounds per game: 12 to 10.6, blocks per game: 3.9 to 3.6, steals: 1.7 to 1.2, field goal percentage: 53% to 46.5%. Granted, the Navy alum played seven more minutes per contest than Wembanyama, but the numbers are eye-popping in any context.

1. Tim Duncan

The greatest power forward basketball has ever seen , Tim Duncan started his career by becoming the first rookie since Larry Bird to earn All-NBA First Team honors. In his first year, the Spurs broke their own record for the biggest single-season turnaround.

The next season, the top pick of the 1997 draft earned the 1999 NBA Finals MVP after leading San Antonio on a 15-2 playoff run en route to the city’s first championship. By the time the franchise won it all in 2014, Duncan had spearheaded all five titles. In leading the Spurs to the nine conference finals and six Finals appearances, he never once missed the playoffs over his 19-year career.

A two-time NBA MVP, the first pick of the ’97 draft won three Finals MVP’s, made 10 All-NBA First Teams (15 All-NBA Teams total), 15 All-NBA Defensive Teams and 15 All-Star teams, including the game’s co-MVP in 2000.

Inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2020, the 7-foot Wake Forest alum, like Robinson, was named to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team three years ago. Duncan is the standard by which all Spurs are measured.