The landing spot pairs Reed with another former UConn men’s basketball star, Stephon Castle, and might force the powerful Huskies center, likely for the first time in his playing career, to take a knee on picture day.

The nearly 6-foot-10 Reed will, of course, be looking up at towering Spurs star Victor Wembanyama, one of four current San Antonio players listed at 7-foot or taller, and the franchise also used an earlier first-round pick Tuesday to select Kentucky center Jayden Quaintance. 

Here’s a look at Reed’s potential fit in San Antonio as the Spurs search for a serviceable backup center to spell Wembanyama next season. 

Reed was actually selected by Denver with the No. 26 overall pick before San Antonio acquired his draft rights, giving up the No. 35 pick in this year’s draft along with two second-rounders. His selection might appear to be overkill in the frontcourt after the Spurs picked the 6-foot-10 Quaintance, a hyper-athletic forward with a reputation for shot-blocking and rebounding, six spots earlier, but a lack of playable depth behind the 7-foot-4 Wembanyama was a crucial hindrance for San Antonio this past season. 

7-foot-1 veteran Luke Kornet served as Wembanyama’s primary backup this past season, but despite a memorable last-minute block in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, he was limited to fewer than 10 minutes in each of San Antonio’s NBA Finals games as the Spurs suffered significant defensive regression with their French superstar on the bench.

After San Antonio allowed the largest comeback in NBA history in a Game 5 loss, Wembanyama admitted fatigue played a role in missing a pair of crucial late free throws. 

7-footers Kelly Olynyk and Mason Plumlee, along with 6-foot-8 Bismack Biyombo, also featured on last year’s roster, but their status on the 2026-27 squad is less certain. 

Reed enters the NBA well-suited to take on this defensive stopper role, as he led all Big East players in block percentage this past season and posted one of the highest Hakeem percentages (block rate plus steal rate) of any player in America over the last two years. That’s hardly a point of difference against Quaintance, however, who posted the 19th-highest block rate as a freshman under Bobby Hurley at Arizona State in 2025-26. 

Instead, Reed’s path to early playing time in San Antonio likely relies on Quaintance’s notable injury track record and the UConn center’s relative polish. Quaintance underwent ACL surgery in March 2025 and elected to transfer to Kentucky that offseason. He made his debut for the Wildcats on Dec. 20, but only played four total games in Lexington due to continued precautions around his knee, with NBA front offices expressing pre-draft concern that Quaintance might miss additional time this upcoming season. 

As such, Quaintance has had very few opportunities to showcase his growth over the past 16 months, but his 28-game college career does highlight a few glaring areas for improvement. The former five-star recruit shot just 45% from the line and drained just six of his 32 3-point attempts, resulting in relatively inefficient offensive production when combined with a near-20% turnover rate.

While Reed faces a crowded frontcourt battle ahead of his rookie season, the defensive dominance and efficient shot-making he showcased at UConn might blaze an early path toward playing time in San Antonio.