The San Antonio Spurs, unless they make a trade, will pick second, 14th, and 38th in the 2025 NBA Draft. Ever since the Spurs shot up the lottery, they have been linked to Rutgers' standout Dylan Harper with the second pick, and the 14th pick will either be dangled in trades or used to add a depth piece.
As the Spurs seem to take a step back from the Kevin Durant trade pursuit, the likelihood that they end up making a selection late in the lottery grows, and they have a clear area of need: backup center.
Aside from Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs do not have a center on a guaranteed contract for next season, and Charles Bassey and Sandro Mamukelashvili have been unreliable during their NBA careers.
With solid options in the draft like Derik Queen, Maxime Raynaud, Thomas Sorber, and perhaps even Khamam Maluach, all possibilities, a recent mock draft by ESPN has the Spurs drafting French standout Joan Beringer, who is currently playing in the Slovenian League.
Beringer is very, very raw, but he is already a solid defender and excellent lob threat. While he can't space the floor or handle the ball, he vacuums up rebounds and can swat shots. Perhaps, in time, he could share the floor with Victor Wembanyama and floor spacers/facilitators who can find him under the basket for easy dunks.
Between Zach Collins in San Antonio and Rudy Gobert in the Olympics, Wembanyama has not been able to find his stride while playing with another big man, so Beringer will likely end up being his backup.
Considering his defensive upside, that works out well. If he shares the court with scorers like Keldon Johnson, Harrison Barnes, Julian Champagnie, Dylan Harper, or even Devin Vassell, he will be able to thrive on defense and stay out of the way on offense, giving him a role from day one.
In the ABA League, Beringer averaged 4.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks in 18 minutes per game. He is not an efficient scorer yet, but as a true seven-footer, he should be able to find easy points in the paint, although his developmental timeline leaves a lot to be desired.
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