Inside The Spurs

NBA Draft: Spurs Select Sidy Cissoko With No. 44 Pick

A year with the NBA's G League Ignite team led Frenchman Sidy Cissoko to the Spurs in the second round of the draft to round out their 2023 draft class alongside Victor Wembanyama.

Matt Guzman

NBA Draft: Spurs Select Sidy Cissoko With No. 44 Pick
NBA Draft: Spurs Select Sidy Cissoko With No. 44 Pick /
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SAN ANTONIO — Consider 19-year-old guard Sidy Cissoko icing on the cake for the San Antonio Spurs. 

After spending one year with the NBA G League Ignite, Cissoko is set to make San Antonio home next season, bringing a level of talent that will likely fit with the youth-focused rebuilding model the Spurs are following as they look to get back to the top of the Western Conference. 

"On the offensive end, he has very good secondary playmaking skills, as he has the vision, feel for the game and creativity to create scoring opportunities for his teammates," SI's Draft Digest wrote. "Defensively, Cissoko adds impact via his a strong frame and the tools to effectively defend one through three at a high level ... which showcases his defensive playmaking ability."

Alongside No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama, Cissoko — also of French descent — will round out the Spurs' draft class and come in behind Tre Jones, Julian Champagnie and the Spurs' other talented guards, set to learn from them as he begins to make a name for himself in the NBA. 

And if there's any two people in the NBA to get a feel for the league alongside, it's Wembanyama and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich — setting up the guard for a solid first season. 

Cissoko will debut for the Silver & Black for the first time during the NBA’s annual Summer League, taking place from July 7-17 in Las Vegas.

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Matt Guzman
MATT GUZMAN

Matt Guzman is a sports journalist and storyteller from Austin, Texas. He serves as a credentialed reporter and site manager for San Antonio Spurs On SI and a staff writer for multiple collegiate sites in the same network. In the world of professional sports, he is a firm believer that athletes are people, too, and intends to tell stories of players and teams’ true, behind-the-scenes character that otherwise would not be seen through strong narrative writing, hooking ledes and passionate words.

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