Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsOver the past 10 NBA Drafts (2006-2015), the San Antonio Spurs have made 20 selections, yielding just one All-Star in Kawhi Leonard (who was acquired in a draft-day trade).
The following table details the Spurs’ track record by tiers, noting the number of All-Stars and starters selected, along with players who either never made the league or were out in five years or less:
| Tier | Picks | All-Star | All-Star Appearances | Starter* | Not in NBA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6-10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 11-15 | 1 | 1 (100%) | 1 | 1 (100%) | 0 |
| 16-20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21-25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 26-30 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 (33.3%) |
| 31-40 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (50%) |
| 41-50 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 (100%) |
| 51-60 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 (100%) |
| Total | 20 | 1 (5.0%) | 1 | 1 (5.0%) | 13 (65%) |
*Starter criteria determined as an average of 50 or more starts, over at least 40 percent of the player’s career.
The following is the league average over the same tiers:
| Tier | All-Star | Starter | Not in NBA |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-5 | 12 (24%) | 30 (60%) | 3 (6%) |
| 6-10 | 8 (16%) | 30 (60%) | 7 (14%) |
| 11-15 | 2 (4%) | 12 (24%) | 8 (16%) |
| 16-20 | 3 (6%) | 10 (20%) | 8 (16%) |
| 21-25 | 2 (4%) | 8 (16%) | 15 (30%) |
| 26-30 | 1 (2%) | 5 (10%) | 20 (40%) |
| 31-40 | 1 (2%) | 11 (11%) | 52 (52%) |
| 41-50 | 2 (2%) | 8 (8%) | 70 (70%) |
| 51-60 | 1 (1%) | 1 (1%) | 87 (87%) |
| Total | 32 (5.3%) | 115 (19.7%) | 270 (45.0%) |
The Spurs have a strong reputation for their ability to draft, but over the past 10 years, they’ve landed just one starter – albeit an important one in Leonard. The bulk of the Spurs’ picks are not currently in the NBA.
George Hill, who was traded to the Indiana Pacers for Leonard on draft day 2011, is currently a starter, but over his career has made at least 50 starts for just 37.5% of his career.
Note that players are included with the team through any draft-day trades. Some teams pick well but let an eventual starter leave for another, but that’s beyond the scope of this article. Recently drafted players have yet to officially pass the “at least five years” test, but were considered as such if on a team’s roster by the end of the 2015-16 season.
Additionally, recent picks who have yet to join the NBA may still do so, but for this analysis are considered “out.”
Pick History 2006-2015
All-Stars: Kawhi Leonard (2011-15) — one appearance
Starters: Leonard
Rotation Players: Tiago Splitter (2007-28), George Hill (2008-26), DeJuan Blair (2009-37), James Anderson (2010-20), Cory Joseph (2011-29), Kyle Anderson (2014-30)
Out in Five Years or Less: Marcus Williams (2007-33), Malik Hairston (2008-48), James Gist (2008-57), Jack McClinton (2009-51), Nando De Colo (2009-53), Ryan Richards (2010-49), Adam Hanga (2011-59), Marcus Denmon (2012-59), Livio Jean-Charles (2013-28), Deshaun Thomas (2013-58), Nemanja Dangubic (2014-54), Nikola Milutinov (2015-26), Cady Lalanne (2015-55)
