Good points, personally I'm very turned off by Yaxel's seeming lack of maturity. The fact he couldn't make the grades until his Senior yr of HS? Kinda scary. This was 2015-2018, they were trying to flunk anyone in 2016 South Jersey. Could mean he's too lazy to try, and to stupid to show up and pass. Or could be many reasons, still a red flag.
But with our need at F on a team ready to win, and his skill-set and versatility plus the Spurs culture and the team full of pros coming off of a shocking 60+ win season, with Dave and Timmy hanging around, and Sochan acting as a cautionary tale. It'd be really hard to not roll that dice if he's there in the 18-20range not just because his production, but because the Spurs are not the Kangs/Wiz, and his particular circumstances may help explain his lack of maturity/flaws.
And on the court, a fully plug and play stretch 4 whose a + to ++ BBIQ rebounder defender and connector, with ++ length and who has pretty much improved across the board every single yr? Someone who, if they hit, can realistically give you something like 24y/o Tari/PJ Washington/Naz production immediately for $3.5M a yr and whose likely to be underpaid his whole career as a 28 y/o RFA? But dude is damn enticing less because his stat-line than because he keeps improving (across the board), he honed skillset rather than natural talent/athleticism, the relative value he provides and the Spurs roster/culture and expectations. I wouldn't want him at 12, but at 18 or 20? That's Dalen Terry/Malaki Branham or Josh Green/Precious Achiuwa territory. If you can get a potential day-one starter at a position of need there, its hard to say no.
I'd bet my life maturity wasn't expected or rewarded in HS or JuCo. He graduated during COVID hysteria, worldwide maturity was at an all-time low. At UAB they were just happy to get his talent. Michigan got him to win a National Championship, they weren't gonna harp on about maturity for a consensus 1st AA. With Sochan gone, I think every single guy on the roster is a legit pro, including Harp and CB. Vic is the most mature young superstar since Timmy. Steph is the most mature young Rook a can remember. All 4 are significantly younger than Yaxel. Unless Yaxel is functionally retarded, its hard to imagine he would come in and not raise his maturity to guys 2-3 yrs younger, who've accomplished more. Tristan Da Silva and Jaquez Jr both went 18th, I will not be at all surprised if Yaxel is a better player than both by next year's AS break. I think his age is a big benefit here, he'll come in ready, nearly at his peak, then you get most of his prime on his rookie deal.
Setting, tone, and expectations can make a huge difference, especially if its never been expected. Professionalism is not natural, it must be learned. I seriously doubt he learned anything that thought him how to behave like an NBA prospect at JuCo. I think theres a high chance this dude hasn't had much of an opportunity to learn about it anywhere he's been. Maybe he's too old to change, maybe some of this is shtick for an Insta/TikTok world. How he handles the pre-draft process and interviews will go a long way towards answering this stuff imo.
