National Basketball Association

San Antonio Spurs: 5 options for pick No. 29 in 2017 NBA Draft

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 7:53 p.m. ET

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Feb 20, 2017; Morgantown, WV, USA; Texas Longhorns forward Jarrett Allen (31) shoots in the lane during the first half against the West Virginia Mountaineers at WVU Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports

Draft season is officially upon the San Antonio Spurs along with the rest of the league. Here are five players the Spurs could select with the 29th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.

For the second year in a row, the San Antonio Spurs will have a lot of holes to fill on their roster. There are three rotation backcourt players (Manu Ginobili, Patty Mills and Jonathon Simmons) who will be entering free agency and three frontcourt players (David Lee, Pau Gasol and Dewayne Dedmon) who have the ability to opt out of their contracts.

The 2017 NBA Draft will be San Antonio's first opportunity to fill up some of these holes.

San Antonio should be able to re-sign one of either Mills or Simmons to long term deals this summer, making their bigger need in the post. Even if Lee, Gasol and Dedmon all opt to stay with the team next year, they would all be free agents in 2018.

With the number of centers that should still be available by pick No. 29 in this draft, the San Antonio Spurs should think about going this route with their first round pick. Here's a look at five options they might consider when they're on the board near the end of the first round.

Feb 14, 2017; Norman, OK, USA; Texas Longhorns forward Jarrett Allen (31) controls the ball against Oklahoma Sooners forward Kristian Doolittle (11) during the first half at Lloyd Noble Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

5. Jarrett Allen, C, Texas

Jarrett Allen is the most complete center in the 2017 draft class. He averaged 13.4 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game at Texas. Physically he's perfect for a center in today's NBA, standing 6'10" with a 7'5″ wingspan and a 9'1″ standing reach.

He has all of the tools to be a shot blocker/rebounder defensively as he continues to develop his offensive game. His athletic tools should at least make him a good pick-and-roll roll man, but with his soft touch around the basket he could develop some additional scoring habits.

Allen is not very likely to be available to the Spurs at No. 29. But with the league trending away from having multiple centers playing big minutes, his position is not in high demand. Should one or two teams decide another player as a better fit for them, we could see a top-20 talent slide down to San Antonio for the second year in a row.

Feb 25, 2017; Coral Gables, FL, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Harry Giles (1) is pressured by Miami Hurricanes forward Dewan Huell (20) during the first half at Watsco Center. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

4. Harry Giles, PF, Duke

Before his injuries, Harry Giles was a potential No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft. Now his draft stock is contingent upon the strength of his knees. Giles did not have a great combine outing, posting average jumping marks and below average agility/sprint times.

But it will be his meetings with team doctors that could help push his stock one way or another. If they feel his knees will get stronger and he is not any more at risk of re-injury than anyone else, the combine results might not be so detrimental.

Should the Spurs feel his body can continue to heal and improve to give him a long career ahead, Giles would be a steal this late in the first round.

At 6'10" with a 7'3″ wingspan and 9'1″ standing reach, he has the length to develop into Gregg Popovich's defensive backbone at minimum. But if Giles were to reach his full potential, he could become a two-way star and help keep the San Antonio Spurs in title contention for years to come.

Feb 28, 2017; Omaha, NE, USA; Creighton Bluejays center Justin Patton (23) dunks against the St. John's Red Storm at CenturyLink Center Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

3. Justin Patton, C, Creighton

Justin Patton was relatively unknown before this season at Creighton due to his late emergence in high school and redshirt year last year.

Patton has all of the physical tools for today's NBA centers with length, mobility and soft hands. He stands 6'11" with a 7'3″ wingspan and 9'3″ standing reach. Like many big men, his offensive game will need work, but he has the tools to start off as a pick-and-roll/rim runner type of player.

It is defensively and on the glass Patton has some catching up to do. He averaged just 6.1 rebounds per game this year, suggesting he needs to work on reading where he needs be, and increase his strength to be in good positions to grab rebounds.

Defensively he was a capable rim protector (1.4 blocks per game), but had issues with foul trouble. Patton averaged nearly three fouls a game and was disqualified from four contests. He'd be met with a lot of yelling from Pop should he end up in San Antonio, but with his physical tools he could turn into something special.

Feb 23, 2017; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils guard Torian Graham (4) moves to the basket against UCLA Bruins forward Ike Anigbogu (13) during the first half at Wells-Fargo Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

2. Ike Anigbogu, PF/C, UCLA

Ike Anigbogu is similar to Justin Patton in a lot of ways. He possesses great length at 6'10" with a 7'6″ wingspan and a 9'2″ standing reach, and he flew under the radar at the beginning of the year.

As UCLA's backup center and third best freshman behind Lonzo Ball and T.J. Leaf, you did not hear Anigbogu's name too often. But when you did, it was often tied to a huge rejection or monstrous slam dunk. With his size (252 pounds) and athleticism (29.5″standing vertical/32.5″ max vertical), Anigbogu could be a force in the post right off the bat.

Anigbogu used his physical tools to average 1.4 offensive rebounds per game last year. Despite only hitting 48 percent of his put-back opportunities, according to Synergy Sports, this will be an important trait for him and developing an offensive game will take some time.

Along with his touch around the basket, Anigbogu will need to work on defending without fouling. He averaged 2.5 fouls per game at UCLA, despite playing just 13 minutes a night. It'll be hard for him to play big minutes at the next level if he is constantly in foul trouble.

Anigbogu has as much to work on as any center in the draft. But as one of this year's youngest prospects (he turns 19 in October) there is plenty of time for him to develop.

Nov 23, 2016; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Edrice Bam Adebayo (3) shoots the ball against the Cleveland State Vikings in the first half at Rupp Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

1. Bam Adebayo, PF/C, Kentucky

The San Antonio Spurs should be able to select one of these five players in the first round. Should all five already be selected, or all but Giles are off the board and the doctors have bad news, the team could look to international big men like Jonathan Jeanne or Anzejs Pasecniks.

We know how Pop loves his international bigs.

bae: come over
Pop: can't I'm busy
bae: I'm a skilled international player likely to be available in the 2nd round of the NBA draft
Pop: pic.twitter.com/KP3mm7a3XI

— sreekar (@sreekyshooter) April 21, 2017

However, Bam Adebayo is the most likely of this list to be available when the 29th overall pick rolls around. At 6'10" with a 7'3″ wingspan and 9'0″ standing reach, he is just a tad on the short side compared to these other centers, but his athleticism more than makes up for it.

At the draft combine he recorded a standing vertical of 33.5″ and a max vertical of 38.5″, showing he has the tools to leap as a rim runner/protector.