The postponement of the NBA draft lottery has given the Golden State Warriors more time to prepare for one of their most important selections in years.
Golden State’s league-worst record has set them up for a chance to grab a top-tier prospect early in the draft. Before the Warriors are on the clock, Steve Kerr and Bob Myers will be tasked with figuring out their draft plan. Do they trade the pick? Take the best player available? Draft for a need? All questions Golden State’s front office will need to answer over the next couple of months.
If the Warriors opt to fill a void on their roster with their draft pick, it will quickly narrow down their player pool. Despite having one of the best point guards in the NBA in navigating the court, the Warriors’ depth behind Stephen Curry is thin.
Curry missing 60 games throughout the season has given a trio of Warriors the chance to solidify a spot behind the two-time Most Valuable Player. However, inconsistent play from Ky Bowman, Damion Lee and Jordan Poole could push Golden State to address the point guard position in the draft.
If the Warriors decide to add to their backcourt with one of their three picks in the 2020 draft, here are some names to watch.
Honorable Mentions
- Grant Riller, Charleston, 23-years-old, 6-foot-3
- Cole Anthony, North Carolina, 19-years-old, 6-foot-3
- Theo Maledon, ASVEL Basket, 18-years-old, 6-foot-4
- Terell Terry, Stanford, 19-years-old, 6-foot-1
- Payton Pritchard, Oregon, 22-years-old, 6-foot-2
Killian Hayes, ratiopharm ulm
18-years-old, 6-foot-5, 176 lbs
As the draft season picks up, the name Killian Hayes continues to rise up big boards. The young French guard has a unique blend of size, crafty scoring ability and tight handles that will excite scouts around the NBA.
Hayes is a blur as an attacker with the ball in his hands, but he always has an eye for his open teammates. The 18-year-old point isn’t afraid to sling the rock all over the court. On the perimeter, Hayes has a veteran like step-back jumper in his pocket at all times.
In his third season as a professional overseas, Hayes averaged 11.6 points on 48.2% shooting from the field with 5.4 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 33 games for ratiopharm ulm in Germany’s Basketball Bundesliga.
The lefty playmaker could fit right in behind Curry as the leading creator in Golden State’s second unit. Hayes could immediately form a potent young duo off the bench with Paschall.
Ashton Hagans, Kentucky
20-years-old, 6-foot-3, 195 lbs
If the Warriors decide to wait on adding point guard depth into the second round, Kentucky’s Ashton Hagans could be a name to watch. The Sophomore guard is a tough and aggressive defensive player that would make Green proud.
Hagans uses his speed to stay disruptive on the defensive end of the floor. The Kentucky product isn’t afraid to jump whomever he’s guarding to gun for steals. In two seasons with John Calipari, Hagans racked up 119 steals. As a freshman, Hagans was named Co-Defensive Player of the Year in the SEC.
On offense, Hagans is a pass-first point guard with work to do when it comes to scoring. Hagans will have to cut down his turnovers when he gets to the NBA. Last season the Kentucky point guard tallied five or more turnovers in nine games for the Wildcats.
In his second season in Lexington, Hagans averaged 11.5 points on 40.4% shooting with 6.4 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game.
If he’s on the board later in the draft, Myers and Kerr could tap into the Kentucky program that’s produced a bevy of point guards for Curry’s backup.
Malachi Flynn, San Diego State
21-years-old, Junior, 6-foot-1, 185 lbs
After two seasons in the PAC-12 with Washington State, Malachi Flynn capped off a superb college career with the San Diego State Aztecs.
The junior point guard is a refined playmaker with a high basketball IQ and a quick trigger. Fynn is fearless with the basketball, whether it’s battling against bigger defenders or letting it rip from deep. The Aztec product has a veteran style approach to breakdown defenses with each trip up and down the court.
In his only season in Southern California, Flynn led the Aztecs to a 30-2 overall record with 17.6 points per game on 44.1% shooting from the field and 37.3% from beyond the arc. Flynn added 5.1 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game on his way to being named Mountain West Player and Defensive Player of the Year.
While Flynn may lack size at 6-foot-1, the team that drafts the consensus second-team All-American will be adding a dose of grit to their rotation. Golden State could use their pair of second-round picks to trade up for Flynn in the first round if he’s available.
Flynn would give Steve Kerr a floor general without Curry on the court.
