The NBA is often described as a copycat league in which the champion sets an example for the other 29 teams. With the new champion, the Boston Celtics, relying on defense and three-point shooting, the plan is set.
Many teams, like the Warriors, were already on the road.
“We have to improve in a lot of areas, but I think what immediately jumps out is that we have to improve defensively,” general manager Mike Dunleavy said at the end of the 2023-24 regular season. “This is an organization, a team, where when we’ve been really good and won championships, it’s been primarily on defense, and then you have some exciting offensive moments that everyone thinks about…
“And then from there, as Steph (Curry) and Draymond (Green) and Klay (Thompson), as those guys get older, shooting is important. Shooting is important in this league. It’s important to have guys that can shoot around you, so I think addressing that is always going to be important.”
The Warriors will be able to address this need next Wednesday in the 2024 NBA Draft. They do not have a first-round pick and are ranked 52nd in the second round. Will they be able to find a shooter so late?
Yeah.
Of the 30 players who top the active list in 3-point shooting percentage, 10 were either second-round picks or not selected at all. The highest belongs to Seth Curry (43.1, third overall), who went undrafted. The lowest belongs to Monte Morris (39.1, 30th), who ranked 51st overall in 2017.
In the middle are players like Sam Hauser (42.5), Duncan Robinson (39.8), Georges Niang (39.2) and Isaiah Joe (39.7), none of whom were drafted.
The three-point shooting revolution has resulted in an increased emphasis on shooting from puberty through high school and college. There are plenty of shots in the amateur ranks, thanks to the exploits of Revolutionary One, the Warriors’ own Stephen Curry.
There are at least 30 players worth considering, but here are five who could be available at No. 52:
At 6-foot-7, 220 pounds with a 6-foot-10 wingspan, the small forward has an NBA-ready physique and a 3-and-D profile. He excels off the ball, which could make him an easy fit in Golden State. He shot 41.2 percent from beyond the arc last season with the Bears, showing off an elite three-pointer for the first time. Named to the All-Big 12 third team as a senior, he turned 23 last month and should be able to contribute as a rookie. Bridges worked with the Warriors last month.
Starting all 36 games for the Wildcats, the 6-foot-5, 215-pound wing averaged 12.8 points per game, shooting 51.9 percent from the field, including 42.6 percent from deep. Although he is a smart passer, he is best suited to generating offense when he plays off the ball, coming off screens and in catch-and-shoot opportunities. He is 23 years old and has 136 games of experience in Utah and Arizona. Since the Warriors value players who can help right away, it made sense for them to work him out a couple of weeks ago.
The 6-foot-4, 190-pound guard can fill it in from deep. On a typically talented Wildcats team, he made 33 starts as a senior, averaging 20.2 points per game, shooting 51.2 percent from the field, including 44.7 percent from deep. Some teams are discouraged by his age; He turns 24 in November. The Warriors, with their schedule, don’t care. They consider his experience, much like Trayce Jackson-Davis’s last summer, to be an advantage. He was training before Memorial Day.
Another “old man.” Now 24, the 6-foot-4, 205-pound combo guard attended three different colleges, the last being UConn, where he filled the starting job left vacant when Jordan Hawkins left for the NBA last summer. The Huskies cruised to another title, with Spencer starting all 40 games, averaging 14.3 points per (second on the team) and shooting 48.4 percent from the field, including 44.0 from beyond the arc. He also led the team in steals. He has not yet trained with Golden State.
At age 20 (he’ll turn 21 in August), with just one season of Division I basketball behind him, following two seasons at Division II Sonoma State, the 6-foot-7, 205-pound wing considered staying, but ultimately decided. stay. the project. He averaged 12.6 points per game on 41.7 percent shooting from deep, a product of constant off-ball movement, excellent shooting mechanics and a quick release. Those attributes were enough for the Warriors to invite him for a closer look last week.
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