The San Antonio Spurs have Victor Wembanyama and a Western Conference Finals berth in their third year together — and yet the front office is already thinking about how to build a true title roster around him. Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley projects the Spurs to land Michigan forward Morez Johnson Jr. at No. 20, a pick the Spurs hold via the Atlanta Hawks. Johnson is a 251-pound defensive connector who was the backbone of Michigan’s national championship team and whose versatility, switchability, and feel for the game project to fit almost any coaching system — especially one with Wembanyama at the center of it.

San Antonio’s backcourt is overflowing, but the Spurs need more physical infrastructure around Wembanyama — players who can protect the ball, guard multiple positions, and make the simple play rather than creating variance. Johnson did exactly that at Michigan: he transferred from Illinois, absorbed a heavy role as a 6-foot-9 wrecking ball with soft hands, and became the connective tissue of a title-winning team. He is not yet proven as a shooter and lacks the size to be a true center, but his motor, defensive IQ, and ability to guard positions one through five make him an ideal bench connector in a switch-heavy scheme like Gregg Popovich’s successors have maintained in San Antonio.

The Combine only strengthened Johnson’s case: 6-foot-9 barefoot, 250 pounds, 7-foot-3.5 wingspan, elite athleticism, and encouraging shooting touch. Buckley argues he “crushed it” at the Combine — the kind of performance that moves a late-lottery prospect up several spots on team boards. His reward in this mock is a Spurs team that is bursting at the backcourt seams but could use exactly this kind of physical, defensive-anchor forward to complement De’Aaron Fox and Wembanyama in winning basketball situations.

The direct opportunity cost at No. 20 is Detroit’s pick at No. 21: Iowa’s Bennett Stirtz, a 6-foot-3 senior guard whose processing and shooting make him a chess piece in almost any system. Stirtz is 23 entering his rookie year — closer to his ceiling than Johnson, but more immediately deployable. San Antonio’s choice of Johnson over Stirtz reflects the reality that the Spurs don’t need more backcourt volume; they need defensive versatility and physical presence.

CBS Sports’ Adam Finkelstein projects Cameron Carr to the Spurs at No. 20 — a shooting wing rather than a defensive big — suggesting real organizational uncertainty about whether San Antonio prioritizes perimeter creation or frontcourt physicality with this selection. CBS Sports’ Cameron Salerno projects Koa Peat, Gary Parrish projects Chris Cenac Jr., and Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor projects Henri Veesaar — three different player types, reflecting the genuine depth of available options at this board position.

If Johnson hits his ceiling as a switchable forward who can guard the perimeter while making smart, simple offensive contributions alongside Wembanyama, San Antonio will have found the most affordable connective piece in the draft. A player who costs rookie-scale money, guards every position, and doesn’t require shot creation to provide value is a championship-asset multiplier for a team already operating with the league’s best player.

What Other Outlets Are Projecting

Outlet	Projected Player
Bleacher Report	Morez Johnson Jr., PF/C, Michigan
CBS Sports	Cameron Carr, SG, Baylor (Finkelstein)
Tankathon	Morez Johnson Jr., PF, Michigan
Yahoo Sports	Henri Veesaar, C, North Carolina

Drafting Johnson at No. 20 is the wise path for San Antonio because great teams win championships by accumulating connective role players who don’t require special offensive handling, and Johnson is the best available example of that archetype in this draft. His combination of physical tools, defensive versatility, and championship experience at Michigan makes him a seamless addition to a Spurs culture that has always valued winning players over individually impressive ones. Placing him alongside Wembanyama, where he can focus entirely on defensive execution and movement-based offense, gives him the best possible environment to realize his value — and gives the Spurs the physical complement their backcourt-heavy roster currently lacks.