© Stephen Lew | 2020 Mar 7
With the worst record in the league in an NBA regular season that is looking less and less likely to continue, the Warriors have the best odds of receiving the No. 1 pick at 14 percent, tied with the Cavaliers and Timberwolves.
What Golden State will do if they get that pick is anybody’s guess, however, with the Chronicle reporting recently that the team is not high on James Wiseman or LaMelo Ball, two players considered to be in the conversation for the draft’s top prospects.
Unsurprisingly, neither player was pegged as the team’s likely selection according to ESPN’s latest mock draft, that has the Warriors picking Georgia’s Anthony Edwards first overall. Edwards is projected as an athletic scoring guard, that could work well in small ball lineups with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green. Edwards is also projected as a plus-NBA defender who could switch multiple positions.
Interestingly, ESPN’s authors of this latest mock, Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz, believe that Ball is in fact the best fit for the Warriors, despite their lack of interest. Here’s their take:
But Ball is the most intriguing fit here. The Warriors want to play fast, and there’s no better open-court igniter in this crop than LaMelo. Ball pushing the break with two of the greatest shooters of all time filling the lanes would make for must-see TV. In an offense that thrives off of instinctual reads, his playmaking would shine bright, as long as he’s willing to alter his sometimes-trigger-happy style of play.
Ball, like his brother Lonzo, certainly thrives in the open floor and would fit right in with the Warriors’ desire to push the ball. The only issue is that Ball seems like a player who needs the ball in his hands when he’s on the floor, which is not always what you want when sharing the court with three future hall of famers.
Ball, who has excellent size as a 6″ 7′ point guard, has spent the last two seasons playing overseas, deciding to forgo a college career.