The San Antonio Spurs are hoping to have landed a diamond in the rough in the 2026 NBA Draft. In recent years, Dejounte Murray, Derrick White, Keldon Johnson, and Tre Jones exceeded draft expectations.
In the last several years, legends like Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and Kawhi Leonard all slipped to the Spurs, turning into top players.
Of course, for every second-round success story, there are plenty of players who fans have long forgotten. More often than not, second-round picks don’t hang around for long.
Barley standing at six feet even, 42nd overall pick Ja’Kobi Gillespie doesn’t boast the physical tools to have a long career, but he isn’t worried about that. He knows that he will have a long career, and the Spurs might have a spot for him.
Ja’Kobi Gillespie Addresses Spurs’ Height Concerns
After averaging 15 points and 4.5 assists in four NCAA seasons, Gillespie had all the markings of a first-round pick. He shot a solid 36.1 percent from 3-point range at Belmont, Maryland, and Tennessee. Being one of the smallest players in the draft didn’t help his stock at all.
“My ability to shoot the ball with range and just my talent on the offensive end speaks for itself,” he summed up. “Just bringing the energy every day. Always being the smaller guy, like at this point now, you don’t even feel like you’re the smallest on the court because I’m just so used to being it. My competitiveness helps me play at a high level with a bunch of bigger guys.”
In the NBA, Gillespie is not expected to be a standout defender, but if he can be a confident scorer and solid playmaker, there should be a spot for him on the NBA roster, especially if De’Aaron Fox gets traded.
His Summer League performance will probably go a long way in determining if he gets a standard contract or is stuck on a two-way deal to start his career.
Gillespie was a great shooter in college and could create for himself and others, especially off screens. In the NBA, defenders will be bigger and faster, so an adjustment will need to be made. Despite his confidence in his defensive abilities, there is little to suggest that he will be able to hold his own, especially against rotation guys. The Spurs will need to work around him on that end of the floor, but he already has a good feel for the organization.
“The Spurs are high-character guys,” he added. “Everybody’s nice in the building, cool to be around. I feel like that’s what I pride myself on, so it’s super exciting just to be able to join that.”
Expect Gillespie to be used sparingly in his rookie season, but as the Spurs build out their rotation, having him under team control for a low price could keep him rostered for a while.
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