Shrewd judges of talent snag gems in draft
During a predraft workout in 2012, Warriors general manager Bob Myers found himself in awe of a pudgy, unheralded prospect from Michigan State. It was that draft hopeful’s bravado, the way he barked at opponents and willed his team to victories in each scrimmage, that prompted Myers to select him days later with the No. 35 pick.
“You couldn’t help but notice him,” Myers said Tuesday afternoon of Draymond Green. “You couldn’t help but notice that his team won every game, that he was the loudest. He had a passion. He had leadership.”
Six years removed from that workout, Green is a reigning Defensive Player of the Year, a threetime All-Star and, most importantly, a three-time
NBA champion. While many of his teammates vacation, Green has been a mainstay at Golden State’s practice facility, trying to help the front office unearth another gem.
Though the Warriors have no glaring needs, they recognize the significance of Thursday’s NBA draft. As a team deep into the luxury tax, Golden State, which owns the No. 28 pick and is interested in buying into the second round for the third straight year, has limited resources to add talent.
The best way for it to contend for championships long-term is to draft players who can be key pieces by the time Green, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson head elsewhere or age out of their prime. It is the same blueprint that the Spurs used to remain atop the league for two decades. After snagging Tim Duncan with the No. 1 pick in 1997, they paired him with draft-night steals Manu Ginobili (No. 57 pick, 1999), Tony Parker (No. 28, 2001) and Kawhi Leonard (No. 15, 2011).
“They’re the paragon,” Myers said of San Antonio. “They’re the one that has seemed to have carried that label of being a contender for so long. We’ve been there for about four or five years. I can’t imagine doing that for 15 more years.”
It wasn’t long ago that the Warriors were infamous for draft-night whiffs.
In 1983, they used the No. 6 pick on a center from Purdue named Russell Cross, who played only 45 games before washing out of the NBA. Chris Washburn, who went No. 3 to Golden State in 1986, is considered one of the biggest busts in NBA history.
In 1995, the Warriors took Joe Smith No. 1 overall over Jerry Stackhouse, Rasheed Wallace and Kevin Garnett. The next year, at No. 11, they passed on future Hall of Famers Kobe Bryant (taken 13th) and Steve Nash (15th) to select center Todd Fuller, who lasted five years in the NBA. Before it selected Curry seventh in 2009, Golden State used lottery picks on Mike Dunleavy (No. 3, 2002), Mickael Pietrus (No. 11, 2003), Ike Diogu (No. 9, 2005) and Patrick O’Bryant (No. 9, 2006).
Since taking over as GM in 2012, Myers has built a reputation as one of the NBA’s shrewdest talent evaluators. In addition to plucking Green in the second round, he has gotten Festus Ezeli — a rotation player before his career was derailed by injury — and Kevon Looney at No. 30.
In the past two years, Myers bought into the second round to grab Patrick McCaw and Jordan Bell at No. 38. The only potential misstep on Myers’ draft-night resume was taking Damian Jones at No. 30 in 2016, and even that could end up going down as a solid pick. After two seasons making strides in the G League (formerly the Development League), Jones — at 22, one of Golden State’s best athletes — is poised to compete for a rotation spot.
“We’ve been fortunate,” Myers said. “Whoever we draft is going to be put with Steph, Klay, KD. … It’s a luxury for us to bring a young player into this environment and show him what winning looks like.”
Still, it only helps that the Warriors are exhaustive in their draft-night preparations. After countless hours scouting prospects throughout the year, the team spends the days before the draft ranking each prospect.
Though Golden State believes in selecting the best player available, it still takes into account how each prospect would fit the roster. With at least a few of their seven free agents sure not to return next season, the Warriors are eyeing a player with the No. 28 pick capable of immediately sliding into the rotation.
They are putting a premium on wing players who can shoot and defend, which should leave them plenty of options late in the first round. Among the prospects being linked to Golden State in mock drafts are Duke’s Gary Trent Jr. and Grayson Allen, Cincinnati’s Jacob Evans III, Creighton’s Khyri Thomas and Georgia Tech’s Josh Okogie.
“We’re looking for players who can come in and help us play,” assistant general manager Larry Harris said. “That’s not to say we wouldn’t look for a guy who has upside or is maybe a little bit younger. But when it comes right down to it, character and IQ are important for us. We look at those two things first.”
It doesn’t hurt that Green has immersed himself in draft planning. For several hours Monday, he discussed various prospects with the Warriors’ scouts and front-office executives. Green has sat in on a couple of predraft workouts and might join the war room for draft night.
“When he speaks, we give him the gravity that his comments deserve,” said Myers, who would like nothing more than to draft the next Green on Thursday.