A recent mock draft by The Athletic has the San Antonio Spurs take a route different than most people expect.

The San Antonio Spurs are expected to be a much different-looking team after the 2024 NBA Draft, adding two high-level talents to pair with Victor Wembanyama.

The Spurs are largely expected to add a point guard and have been linked to all of the top point guard prospects: Stephon Castle, Rob Dillingham, Reed Sheppard, and Devin Carter.

A recent mock draft by The Athletic has the Spurs passing on a point guard with their first pick, but landing a defensive stud with the eighth pick.

Matas Buzelis

With the fourth overall pick in the mock draft, the Spurs select Matas Buzelis fourth overall and Devin Carter eighth overall. Castle is off the board third overall, but Sheppard and Dillingham are still available, but the Spurs go for Carter instead.

Buzelis is a potential high-level scorer who can space the floor and handle the ball, serving as a complimentary piece to Wembanyama. He is an oversized wing with shot-blocking capabilities. He is also quick enough to keep up with the quicker wings in the NBA and is expected to be a high-level defender.

Devin Carter is prized for his defensive abilities. He is expected to one day be an All-Defensive player and was compared to Derrick White.

“This feels like the player we all come back to in five years and see being mentioned in All-Defense conversations,” wrote Kelly Iko. “He’s that impactful on that end of the floor and is a throwback to what the Spurs culture was built on.”

While his ball-handling abilities are a bit underwhelming for a point guard, he could slot in off-ball and build an elite perimeter defense in San Antonio with Wemby holding down the paint. If the Spurs want to go all-in on defense, adding Carter and Buzelis makes sense for the roster makeup.