Spurs Likely to Give Ingram NBA Playing Time

The San Antonio Spurs were high on Harrison Ingram when he fell to them with the 48th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, and they snatched him up as soon as they could. After trading away the draft rights to Rob Dillingham and Johnny Furphy, the Spurs got their guy with their last pick in the draft.

Ingram is a third-year college player who spent two seasons at Stanford before transferring to North Carolina. He is a wing who has played multiple roles during his time in college, which is one of the reasons the Spurs wanted to draft him.

Mar 28, 2024; Los Angeles, CA, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Harrison Ingram (55) reacts in the first half against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the semifinals of the West Regional of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at Crypto.com Arena. © Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

"He came into the college as a ball-handling point-forward, and you see him at North Carolina this past season and he’s played more of a three-and-d role that can rebound and still pass and do some of the playmaking," explained General Manager Brian Wright.

The Spurs were clearly drafting the best player available that late in the draft, but they added someone who shot 34.5 percent from deep in three seasons, and 38.5 percent in his last year. He is a solid facilitator and elite rebounder for his size, and if his skills can transition there is no reason he won't have a successful NBA career.

After the Spurs traded away the rights to Dillingham to open up a future roster spot and drafted Juan Nunez, who is under contract in the German League (pending a possible buyout), it looks like Stephon Castle and Ingram will both have a spot on the Spurs' roster, although expect Ingram to see plenty of time in Austin.

Drafting Ingram was not a fluke in the Spurs' plans, as they have been aware of him since his high school days. "Harrison has been someone we’ve known for a long time. He was a McDonald’s All-American as well, started at Stanford, and we saw one of his first college practices," said Wright. "You heard me talk about sacrifice for the betterment of the team (on Castle).”

Clearly, the Spurs are searching for an identity, and have settled with the classic "make everyone around you better and win" mentality, which has served them well in the past.