The 2026–27 college basketball season is just around the corner, and while professional scouts are busy plotting their early-season boards for the 2027 NBA Draft, front offices across the league are already unearthing fascinating under-the-radar talents. For the San Antonio Spurs, keeping an eye on the collegiate landscape often yields hidden gems who fit seamlessly into Gregg Popovich’s competitive culture.
Among the most intriguing deep sleepers heading into the new season is bruising 6-foot-8 forward Delrecco Gillespie. After putting up staggering numbers at mid-major level with Kent State, Gillespie has made a high-profile transfer to the Houston Cougars for his senior year—a move that places him right on the national radar and makes him a prime target for the Spurs as a potential second-round steal or undrafted free agent next June.
Dominating the Mid-Major Ranks: A Statistical Powerhouse
Last season at Kent State, Gillespie quietly put together a campaign that demanded national attention. The rugged forward averaged an exceptional 17.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting an efficient 50.8% from the field, 27.0% from beyond the arc, and 78.9% from the free-throw line.
Perhaps most impressively, Gillespie racked up a staggering 22 double-doubles over the course of the year. That elite mark tied him with high-flying prospects Cameron Boozer and Hannes Steinbach—both heralded 2026 first-round picks—for the most double-doubles in the entire nation. Despite those video-game-esque numbers, playing for a smaller program kept his name out of marquee draft conversations. Transferring to a perennial powerhouse like Kelvin Sampson’s Houston Cougars changes everything, giving Gillespie the ultimate stage to prove his game translates to the elite Big 12 competition.
Scouting the Skillset: Rugged Post Play and Defensive Versatility
Digging deeper into the tape reveals a combo big man whose style of play is built for winning basketball. Gillespie does the vast majority of his damage down low in the paint and at the elbow. Synergy data notes that he logged 155 post-up possessions last season—his most frequent play type—yielding an effective 0.95 points per possession.
While he occasionally settles for tough mid-range looks or hook shots when forced into contested situations, his true strength lies in his physical aggression. Armed with a football-player-esque frame, Gillespie is more than capable of barrelling through opposing defenders, absorbing contact, and finishing at the rim. His relentless driving forces opponents to hack him frequently, sending him to the charity stripe with regularity.
On the defensive end, the Michigan native wreaks absolute havoc. Kent State routinely deployed him to hedge hard on ball screens, where he flashed the rare ability to aggressively smother perimeter handlers, force live-ball turnovers, and rapidly recover back to the rolling big man to deliver emphatic rim-protecting blocks.
Why Gillespie Fits the San Antonio Spurs’ Culture
The Spurs have made a concerted effort to fortify their youthful frontcourt depth, adding intriguing young bigs like Jayden Quaintance, Tarris Reed Jr., and Maliq Brown in recent drafts. However, doubling down on interior toughness, rugged rebounding, and two-way grit is never a bad strategy for a franchise building a sustainable contender around generational superstar Victor Wembanyama.
Crucially, Gillespie spent plenty of time operating in double-big lineups during his tenure at Kent State. In theory, that foundational experience means he could comfortably share the floor alongside Wembanyama or other frontcourt fixtures in San Antonio’s system.
Whether Gillespie can successfully handle the massive step up in competition with Houston and translate his dominant mid-major production to a major conference will determine how high his draft stock climbs. If he proves that his rugged style and relentless motor can thrive on a national stage, the San Antonio Spurs would be wise to have his name circled firmly on their 2027 draft board.
