Amber Searls-USA Today Sports
The San Antonio Spurs came into the 2015 draft knowing that they would be chasing a big man to help Tim Duncan out for next season. But with so many other question marks on the roster this year, including an unlikely but possible Duncan retirement, the Spurs could use some insurance down low.
Enter Cady Lalanne from Massachusetts. He’s a physical inside player with the athleticism to compete in the paint with NBA players, and he nearly averaged a double-double in his senior year.
Given the Spurs’ history of spending late-round picks on high-risk, high-reward players who are either wildcard college stars or foreign talents, this pick may come as a surprise. Lalanne is already a senior, and fits the prototype of the rebounding and defense specialist fans often see in bigs picked this late.
It seems like San Antonio is intending to add depth for next year’s team, perhaps in the absence of Matt Bonner, Jeff Ayres and Aron Baynes if they choose not to bring them back on board. This isn’t to say that the Spurs won’t attempt to develop Lalanne to his full potential, but expect his role to be more short-term than the typical Spurs draft pick.
The Spurs will benefit from seeing Lalanne play in the NBA Summer League this year so they can reevaluate their needs afterwards.
