Rumbling that the San Antonio Spurs would do everything in their power to take 6-foot-10 forward Luka Samanic from Croatia grew louder as the NBA Draft approached. San Antonio’s front office grew fond of the young man through multiple trips to the Alamo City as well as his performance in the 2019 NBA Draft Combine.
Once their pick arrived at No. 19, San Antonio selected the lengthy, versatile big man well ahead of his projection, passing by surefire players like Grant Williams, Brandon Clarke and Matisse Thybulle to take a swing on someone who could be great.