Toronto Raptors: Recent NBA Draft History of the 29th Overall Pick
By Thomas Waind
2017 Derrick White, PG, San Antonio Spurs
2019-20 – GP: 68 PPG: 11.3 RPG: 3.3 APG: 3.3 Shooting Splits: .458/.366/.853
Career (3 Seasons) – GP: 152 PPG: 9.8 RPG: 3.3 APG: 3.4 Shooting Splits: .469/.364/.816
2016 Dejounte Murray, PG, San Antonio Spurs
2019-20 – GP: 66 PPG: 10.9 RPG: 5.8 APG: 4.1 Shooting Splits: .462/.369/.798
Career (3 Seasons) – GP: 185 PPG: 8.1 RPG: 4.8 APG: 3.0 Shooting Splits: .451/.351/.743
San Antonio has long had a knack for unearthing late draft gems. One of the biggest reasons that they were able to stretch their contention window to nearly twenty years was their ability to find guys from late in the first round and second round and effectively plugging them in next to Tim Duncan.
While Duncan has since retired, the Spurs have two very solid point guards nabbed in back-to-back years that they can start to build around. Both, Derrick White, drafted out of University of Colorado Colorado Springs, and Dejounte Murray, out of Washington, have similar skill profiles.
Both fill out as long, athletic guards who can bottle up opposing guards on defense and use their physicality and touch to chip in on the offensive end. Neither guard looks to be franchise-altering scorers or playmakers. But as late first-round selections, they offer incredible value and should definitely make significant contributions as rotation players to the next era of Spurs basketball.