Draft Prospect: Victor Claver
In early May I promised a series of posts on draft prospects who seemed a good fit for San Antonio. I earmarked 8 players for future posts, 4 of which are now complete. Follow the links to read about Omri Casspi (and here and here), Vladimir Dasic (withdrew), Sergio Llull, and Danny Green (and here). Additionally, Graydon took a stab at Sam Young (and here), who now ranks highly on my personal wish list. I want to pick up on my original list with a post about Victor Claver.
In terms of raw talent, the Spurs will have few chances at a better second round selection than the 6’10” combo forward from Spain. If Claver slips to 37, the Spurs will have to think long and hard about passing him up. Whether or not he lasts to 37 is another question entirely, but Claver recently signed a 3 year deal in Spain and would prefer being drafted in the 2nd round to avoid the rookie scale. The Spurs should have an outside shot at him.
The story on Claver is this: he’s an extremely athletic forward with an excellent 3 point shot and the ability to finish above the rim. Until last December, he was a surefire first round pick. That was until he fractured his left leg. Now teams don’t know what to expect from him, which is compounded with dealing with his buyout in order to secure his services. But the kid is just 21, and all that seems like a risk well worth taking.
Although, he’s listed as a combo forward, I have a hard time imagining him as anything other than a 3. He can score in the post, but he’s more or less a face-up and transition player. Moreover, he lacks the strength to guard the post.
About the time I started these profiles, Gregg Popovich was in Spain visiting his good friend Neven Spahija. In addition to being one of the world’s best coaches and a friend to the Spurs, Spahija is also Claver’s coach. While in Valencia, Popovich conceded that he and his scouts have been impressed with Claver, and it’s fair to say that he is a player they’ve watched closely.
Now of course the unavoidable conclusion to this is not that the Spurs necessarily want to draft Claver. The Spurs probably have 3 times as many players they’re interested in as picks. But as we approach the draft, he’s a player you should be aware of. If the Spurs do select him, we can at least take confidence in the fact that they’ve done their due diligence. And I would still maintain this position even if they move into the first to draft a player like Sam Young, Omri Casspi or Jonas Jerebko. Talent is talent, and sometimes you have to bet on more than one horse in order to win at the races.
A person within the Spurs organization recently told me “we understand that all franchises make some good decisions (Tony Parker), some bad decisions (Jackie Butler) and then need a little luck (Duncan and Ginobili) …” To my mind, drafting a player like Claver constitutes a good decision. But the Spurs will still need that oft-forgotten measure of good luck for the draft to be a success.
You won’t learn much from this YouTube clip, but it’s fun to watch (grainier, longer option here):
