Draymond symbolizes what’s possible for Warriors’ draft pick.
Warriors have found some good players despite not having high picks in draft
Long before he became a three-time NBA champion and three-time All Star, Draymond Green showed immediate signs he could become great.
Six years ago, during Green’s pre-draft workout, Warriors general manager Bob Myers recalls one of the team’s assistant coaches saying that Green already is “one of the best defenders on our team.” Former Warriors assistant general manager Travis Schlenk remembers Green blocking six consecutive shots on perimeter players. And Myers hasn’t forgotten that Green’s team won nearly every game, a testament to his intensity and on-court leadership.
So once the Warriors selected Green at No. 35 in the 2012 draft, it did not take long for him to go from second-round pick to three-time All-Star. By his mere presence at the team’s pre-draft workouts this week, Green symbolized what is possible tonight when the Warriors pick at No. 28.
“It’s a great story. He should tell that story,” Myers said. “It doesn’t matter what number you are in the draft. There’s a lot of guys in the second round or late first who have become really good players.”
In 2015, the Warriors drafted Kevon Looney at No. 30; now he’s looking at a big payday,
from the Warriors or another team, as an unrestricted free agent. The same might happen for Patrick McCaw, whom the Warriors picked No. 38 in 2016.
Damian Jones, the 30th pick in 2016, is expected to have a significant role at the center position next season. Jordan Bell, picked 38th last year, could be a starter next season.
The Warriors are mindful that their run of three NBA titles in four years is largely the work of having Green, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant on the floor.
“When you have four of the
greatest players in the world on your team, you can almost plug and play anybody into our system,” Warriors assistant general manager Larry Harris said.
Still, the Warriors have found those pieces work because of the qualities each player has brought with him.
The Warriors have become impressed with Looney’s strong fundamentals in regards to defensive rotations and knowledge of personnel. They remain intrigued with McCaw’s upside as a wing defender and shooter. They like Jones’ potential as a mobile post player. They have liked Bell’s athleticism, passing and improved decision-making.
The 28th pick is important to the Warriors because they have only a midlevel exception ($5.2 million), a biannual exception ($3.3 million) and veteran’s minimum contracts to fill out their roster. The Warriors are anticipating the departure of any combination of their pending free agents, including Looney, McCaw, Zaza Pachulia, Nick Young, JaVale McGee and David West.
Myers said Warriors majority owner Joe Lacob has given him support to spend again in hopes of acquiring additional draft picks as he did last year with Bell ($3.5 million to Chicago for the 38th pick) and in 2016 with McCaw (cash to Milwaukee for the 30th).
Indications are the Warriors hope to select a wing player that offers defensive versatility. It will become an added bonus if he can shoot. After all, the Warriors already have top-heavy talent to handle the latter need.
“You’re not requiring that pick to necessarily go out and conquer the world for you,” said NBA TV analyst Stu Jackson. “What you’re asking for is to identify a player that can help you with a certain skill level need that you have. It’s incumbent upon the Golden State Warriors that they find a guy they know is going to fill a need on a very good team.”
The Warriors have done that in recent years because of their extensive research.
“If we could open up their chests and check their heart, there wouldn’t be many mistakes in the draft,” Harris said.
In lieu of that, Harris spends each week watching at least one G-League game, an NBA game and at least three college games. Though the Warriors have spent the past week hosting four pre-draft workouts, Harris suggested
the team’s background checks and interviews during the pre-draft combine play a larger factor in their draft selection.
“We’re looking for people that love basketball that want to work hard,” Myers said. “Nobody that you draft, if they’re not willing to get better or actually do get better, you actually failed on the pick. We want guys that are going to work hard. We think we do a pretty good job of that.”
Myers then backtracked his praise. Although they did get Green at No. 35, he noted, that same year they took Festus Ezeli at No. 30.
Their recent draftees have experienced hiccups as well.
Looney played only 58 games in his first two seasons because of hip injuries. McCaw, after breaking out as a rookie in the 2017 playoffs, struggled last season and then an injury knocked him out for 21 games. Jones has mostly played with the Warriors’ G-League team in Santa Cruz. And Bell showed varying success with his defensive rotations and work habits.
Still, the Warriors have helped those players address those weaknesses
so they can provide value.
“They picked guys that fit the team really well,” said MiKyle McIntosh, a draft hopeful from the University of Oregon who worked out with the Warriors on Tuesday. “They picked guys that added more defense and athleticism to the team. I think they’re doing a great job of picking the guys. Normally, they don’t get a high draft pick. They just try to utilize their draft pick and use it to pick guys that would fit their system perfectly. Maybe they’re not high-profile guys or No. 1 draft picks. But they are guys that come in and are hard workers.”
Will the Warriors find another player that has those same qualities? To that end, the Warriors had a final workout session Wednesday. It included Kentucky shooting guard Hamidou Diallo, Cincinnati shooting guard Jacob Evans, North Carolina State shooting guard Allerik Freeman, Virginia shooting guard Devon Hall, Central Arkansas point guard Jordan Howard and Duke shooting guard Gary Trent Jr.
Green was right there, a visible reminder of what can happen.