As the remaining eight teams progress through the second round of the Orlando Bubble playoffs, the Golden State Warriors have turned their attention to the NBA Draft. After registering a league-worst 15-50 record, the Warriors are slated to be on the clock in the top five for the first time since 2002.
Following the NBA Draft Lottery, Bob Myers and Steve Kerr found out they will be on the clock with the No. 2 selection on October 16. With the order set, NBA Mock Drafts can be slightly more accurate when predicting what the Warriors could do with their pick.
Instead of slating Golden State with a prospect in the latest CBS Sports Mock Draft, Colin Ward-Henninger had the Warriors dealing the No. 2 overall pick to the New York Knicks. The Knicks moved up to select point guard LaMelo Ball with the second selection.
Fast forward a handful of picks and the Golden State Warriors were back on the clock. With the No. 8 pick, the Warriors landed Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Deni Avdija. According to Ward-Henninger, Avdija is “tailor-made” for the Golden State’s system.
Via CBS Sports:
Avdija is tailor-made for the Warriors system as a big wing with excellent playmaking ability and the makings of a strong 3-point stroke. Golden State is obviously hoping to get contributions right away, and while Avdija will have a strong learning curve on the offensive end, his basketball IQ should earn him playing time from the jump…
View the full CBS Sports Mock Draft here.
In 33 games in the Israeli BSL, Avdija averaged 12.9 points on 52.6% shooting from the field with 6.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.0 block per contest. With his impressive pace, vision and passing, the 6-foot-9 forward could serve as a playmaking option for Kerr alongside Eric Paschall in the second unit. At only 19-years-old, Avdija has time to continue developing while learning from Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
Watching Deni Avdija do everything is fun basketball. pic.twitter.com/4UMvoWedhC
— Tommy Call III (@tommy_III) July 7, 2020
While the league caps off the postseason at Disney World, the Warriors will have plenty of time in their extended offseason to study the prospect pool leading up to October’s draft.
