The San Antonio Spurs landed two more top 10 picks in the NBA Draft Lottery on Sunday.
The Spurs were one number away from beating the odds and securing the top draft pick for a second year in a row.
But they nonetheless came away with another best case scenario.
San Antonio will have the 4th and 8th overall picks in the NBA Draft in June.
The 8th pick came from a trade with the Toronto Raptors last year for center Jakob Poeltl. The structure of the trade would have allowed Toronto to keep the pick if it landed in the top 6, but the luck of the draw landed the pick in the Spurs hands.
Compared to last year when the Spurs drafted the 7 foot 4 French phenom Victor Wembanyama, there is no clear consensus number one pick.
However, three international prospects have risen to the top led by 7 foot 1 frenchman Alexandre Sarr.
There will also be a number of point guards available — seen as a missing piece in the Spurs rebuild around Wembanyama. Kentucky’s Rob Dillingham and UCONN's Stephon Castle are among the standouts.
The picks could also be traded for veteran talent. The Spurs are currently the youngest team in the NBA. Coach Gregg Popovich stressed last season that the rebuild will take time and it will also take time for his squad to learn to play together at the highest level.
The 2024 NBA Draft will be held on June 26-27 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
