San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Warriors survey landscape of sleepers in critical draft
October’s NBA draft is expected to be one of the wildest in the past decade. With no generational prospects in this class, teams are likely to have quite different big boards.
This can be advantageous for a franchise like the Warriors, who are poised to have a topfive pick for the first time since 2002. The players they like the most might not be considered lotterycaliber prospects by other teams.
If Golden State becomes infatuated with a player whom other franchises don’t regard nearly as highly, it would be wise to trade down in the draft to take its preferred prospect and get an asset in return. The Chronicle contacted league sources in recent days to identify six players who are probably higher on the Warriors’ board than most other teams.
Could one of the following halfdozen names be the type of sleeper prospect who could help vault Golden State back to contention? Though
that answer won’t come for a while, the Warriors are making one thing certain: They’re not going to follow public consensus when it comes to their most important draft in nearly 20 years. Saddiq Bey, small forward, Villanova (6foot8, 215 pounds, 21 years old): He is widely projected to go in the mid to late first round, but sources suggest that some within the Warriors’ organization view him as an early lotterycaliber prospect. His combination of size, defensive versatility, basketball IQ and shooting range could make him the ideal “3andD” wing in Golden State’s uptempo system.
As the unquestioned leader of a top10 Villanova team last season, Bey averaged 16.1 points on 47.7% shooting (45.1% from 3point range), 4.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 33.9 minutes per game. When the Wildcats needed to make life difficult on the opponent’s top scorer, head coach Jay Wright had him covered by Bey, who has shown a knack for staying in front of quicker guards. The big knock on Bey is a perceived lack of upside. Having turned 21 in April, he was one of the oldest players in the sophomore class last season. It also doesn’t help that Bey lacks fluidity and explosiveness. Given that he’s only an average athlete, many teams see him as a helpful role player at the next level.
But according to league sources, some Warriors decisionmakers believe that Bey is an NBAready wing with a chance to become a franchise building block. Whether that would be enough for Golden State to use a topfive pick on him remains unclear. If the Warriors decide they must have Bey, they’d probably be best served trading down to the late lottery.
Devin Vassell, shooting guard, Florida State (67, 195 pounds, 19 years old): He might be the best candidate in this draft class to help fill the defensive void the Warriors have felt since the loss of Andre Iguodala.With a 610 wingspan, he is adept at getting into passing lanes and forcing turnovers.
His lateral quickness, high motor and reliable jumper should earn Vassell a spot in an NBA rotation as a rookie. Though Andrew Wiggins showed in a limited sample size with the Warriors this past season that he can fluster some of the league’s better wings, Vassell is already a more reliable onball defender.
What makes him particularly special on that end is his court awareness. An elite helpside defender, he often assists teammates before they’re aware they’re in trouble. Scouts expect Vassell to guard at least three positions — point guard, shooting guard and small forward — with ease at the next level.
Though he has plenty of room to improve on offense, he projects, at worst, as a dependable spotup shooter in the NBA. Last season, while facing a slew of doubleteams as the Seminoles’ top option, he shot 41.5% from 3point range.
Like Bey, Vassell isn’t considered to have the upside of some other potential lottery picks. His issues creating his own shot, playing off the dribble and getting past defenders on drives to the rim have many scouts penciling him in as a defensiveoriented wing who projects as a longtime starter, not necessarily an AllStar, in the NBA.
But per a league source, the Warriors like Vassell’s “3andD” potential enough that they’d consider taking him at the bottom of the top five — about a halfdozen spots above where he sits on most mock drafts. He also could be an option if Golden State decides to trade down to the midlottery.
Patrick Williams, forward, Florida State (67, 215 pounds, 18 years old): He hasn’t received as much buzz from scouts as his college teammate, Vassell, but the Warriors are believed to think Williams has lottery potential. This is someone with surprisingly few weaknesses for a player who doesn’t turn 19 until August.
With a 611 wingspan, strong build and solid shooting mechanics, Williams projects as a quality NBA rotation player who has a chance to be far more. The problem is that most of his scouting reports deal more with what he could become than what he already has proved.
As the youngest player on an experienced Seminoles team, Williams was a complementary option who found his points within the flow of the offense. Teams are trying to identify his bankable NBA skill. Williams showed flashes of his defensive potential last season, but Vassell tended to get Florida State’s toughest assignments.
It’s unlikely that the Warriors would use a topfive pick on a prospect with such question marks. But should Golden State trade down to the late lottery, Williams’ skill set might be enough for it to give him a hard look.
Jalen Smith, power forward, Maryland (610, 225 pounds, 20 years old): He fits the prototype of a modern NBA big man who can run the floor, thrive in pickandrolls, throw down alleyoop dunks, block shots and hit catchandshoot jumpers. For much of the final two months of the season, he was among the most dominant players in college basketball. Though most mock drafts have Smith going in the latter half of the first round, the Warriors are believed to view him as a potential latelottery pick. It’s not difficult to envision him contributing to a 202021 center rotation that is expected to include Marquese Chriss and Kevon Looney.
The question is whether Smith can become more than a serviceable rotation player. He has gained 25 pounds of muscle in his two years at Maryland, but he still could struggle on the block against some of the NBA’s stronger centers. His offensive repertoire also will need to expand if he hopes to be a startingcaliber player.
The Warriors appreciate Smith’s physical tools, but they likely wouldn’t consider taking him unless they traded down to the midfirst round. Smith would hardly be a bust at that stage of the draft if he carved out his NBA career only as an effective role player.
Mamadi Diakite, power forward, Virginia (69, 230 pounds, 23 years old): He is widely projected to go in the late second round or undrafted. But according to league sources, some within the Warriors’ organization view him as a firstround pick.
In many ways, Diakite fits what Golden State wants in a role player: someone with a winning pedigree who learned under top coaches, understands how to fill different holes on a team and is defensiveoriented. After three years as a complementary option for the Cavaliers, he excelled as the goto scorer this past season, shooting 36.4% from 3point range and leading Virginia to a 237 record.
But given that Diakite doesn’t necessarily have a standout NBA skill on offense, he’ll need to find his footing at the next level as an interior defender. The Warriors might see enough value in him that they could consider him if they end up in the late first round.
And if Golden State holds onto at least one of its two late secondround picks, perhaps Diakite would be available. He has enough of a track record that the Warriors could sign him to a guaranteed deal before seeing him in training camp.
Borisa Simanic, power forward, Serbia (611, 209 pounds, 22 years old): He isn’t on most mock drafts, but he is believed to be one of the Warriors’ favorite international prospects in this class outside of French point guard Killian Hayes, Israeli forward Deni Avdija and French point guard Theo Maledon. Simanic’s size and catchandshoot ability would make him an intriguing option for Golden State late in the second round. Though Simanic has been on NBA teams’ radars since his appearance at the 2017 Nike Hoop Summit, he has yet to command significant playing time for his team in Belgrade. There is reason to believe, however, that he could develop into a serviceable role player at the next level if put in the right situation. His fluidity and shooting stroke are rare for someone his size.
Given that the Warriors probably won’t be able to have both of their upcoming secondround picks on the roster next season, they could leave him overseas for a year or two to see how he develops. This is a lowrisk, highupside path for a team eager to stockpile young, affordable players.