The Golden State Warriors are in an odd predicament.
Assured of a high draft pick this offseason, the Warriors aren’t necessarily looking for a player who can develop into a star down the line. They need someone who can be a key rotation piece immediately to help the core compete for a title.
A player who has long-term potential but might not be NBA-quality yet isn’t as valuable to them as a typical lottery team. Additionally, with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson on board, top-tier point guards including LaMelo Ball and Killian Hayes may not be as attractive either.
Golden State, with the worst record in the league as of play stoppage, has a 52.1% chance of landing in the top 4 and will land no later than pick No. 5.
The Warriors may consider trading down. Here are three players they might be interested in that could land outside the top five.
Devin Vassell, Wing, Florida State
While Florida State wing Devin Vassell likely doesn’t have the highest ceiling in the class, he might have the highest floor. His skills are easily translatable and wildly valuable to the NBA: He’s an elite defender. He’s a knock-down 3-point shooter.
Vassell made 41.5% of his 3-pointers this season while attempted 3.5 per game and averaged 1.4 steals and 1.0 blocks.
Only eight players in the NBA averaged at least one steal and block per game last season, and none of those eight came close to his 3-point percentage.
The Ringer’s draft guide, put together by Kevin O’Connor, lists two other notable traits that Warriors wings of the mid-2010s used to help decimate teams: “high-level passing vision for a wing … displays awareness moving and cutting off the ball.”
That’s not to say he’ll be as good as Sixth Man Andre Iguodala, but Vassell’s skill set will allow him to be a plug-and-play option that can make any contender better.
He’d fit snuggly around Curry, Thompson and Draymond Green.
Obi Toppin, Power Forward, Dayton
The National Player of the Year is wildly athletic, able to handle the ball and drive to the rim himself and is good in the pick-and-roll game.
Obi Toppin also began taking 3-pointers as a sophomore. Though it’s a small sample size at just 2.6 per game, he made 36% of them. In conference play, he made 42.2%.
As Toppin gets more comfortable, he has a chance to develop that shot into a weapon. If he can do that, he’ll give defenses fits as a screen-setter who can pop out or crash to the rim.
The one major flaw: Toppin is not a good defender. If he and Green are going to play together, he’s going to need to defend the post adequately when Green gets assigned to a perimeter player.
His key traits may also clash with Marquese Chriss, who is wildly athletic and blocks shots while not being a particularly strong defender.
While the fit may not be perfect, Toppin’s scoring abilities could shore up the starting power forward position and allow Chriss and Eric Paschall to rotate in and out at the four and five.
Aaron Nesmith, Shooting Guard, Vanderbilt
Aaron Nesmith lacks the upside of high-end prospects, but he doesn’t lack the most important skill of all: shooting.
He made 52.2% of 3-pointers while averaging more than eight attempts per game. Nesmith only played 14 games, so take that with a grain of salt, but the way he moved around the court and found his spot of comfort was something NBA teams should salivate over.
Nesmith is a good catch-and-shooter and already looks adept at running around off-ball screens. He has no hesitation after getting the pass and has good, consistent form.
Golden State fans can dream of Green controlling the ball up top as Nesmith, Curry and Thompson run around in halfcourt before magically appearing open on the 3-point.
He needs to improve at two things before he’s an all-around strong offensive player: While Nesmith has shown the ability to finish through contact, it’s not consistent enough. He only made 47% of shots at the rim, according to Forbes. Nesmith also needs to improve as a playmaker and ball handler.
Playing next to Curry and Thompson, those weaknesses would be minimized. If Nesmith can continue making 3s at a high rate and start putting the rest together, he could be an offensive threat.
