Warriors draft Mannion, Jessup in 2nd round
For the second straight year, the Warriors made a pair of draft picks in the second round, one who can be an immediate contributor and another a long-term project.
The Warriors selected Nico Mannion with the No. 48 pick and Justinian Jessup with the No. 51 pick late in Wednesday night’s draft.
Mannion, a 6- foot- 3, 190-pound guard who spent his early childhood in Italy before going to high school in Phoenix, averaged 14 points and 5.3 assists as a freshman at Arizona.
A five- star recruit who ranked No. 9 on ESPN’s top 100 recruiting rankings of the 2019 class, Mannion was considered a likely lottery pick a year ago. One of the best passers in his class,
he can thrive in Golden State’s motion offense even if his lack of size and athleticism limit his upside.
Jessup, a 6-7, 202-pound wing from Colorado, averaged 16 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists last season as a senior at Boise State. Having already signed a deal with the Illawarra Hawks of the NBL, he won’t likely be able to play for the Warriors until after the 202021 season. He won’t occupy a roster spot while playing in the NBL.
However, Jessup offers potential as a floor spacer and defender. During his four years at Boise State, he made 40.8% of his 797 3-point attempts and regularly guarded the opponent’s top scorer last season.
There are shades of what the Warriors did last year, when they drafted Eric Paschall, an NBA-ready forward, and Alen Smailagic, a long-term project with a modern skill set, in the second round. Paschall carved out a role in Golden State’s rotation and earned a spot on the All- Rookie First Team. Smailagic spent most of the season developing away from the team in the G League. Getting similar results from this pair would bolster Golden State’s depth.
TITLE ODDS TAKE HIT MINUS KLAY >> The Golden State Warriors’ odds to win the 2021 NBA title lengthened following the team’s confirmation Thursday that Klay Thompson will miss the season due to a torn Achilles’ tendon.
The Warriors’ future odds to win the title next year grew to +1000 on Thursday after being installed at +750 by SportsBetting.com last month after the Los Angeles Lakers were crowned 2020 champions.
Golden State was initially listed behind only the Lakers (+375), Los Angeles Clippers (+ 425) and Milwaukee Bucks (+650) with the expected healthy return of Thompson and Stephen Curry. The Warriors also added center James Wiseman with the second overall pick on Wednesday night, but that came just hours after the first reports of Thompson suffering a potentially significant injury.
The Lakers are the heavy favorites to win the Western Conference at +160, followed by the Clippers at +260 and the Warriors at +550.