Who Should The Golden State Warriors Take In The 2021 NBA Draft?
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - APRIL 05: Davion Mitchell #45 of the Baylor Bears goes up for a basket as ... [+] Corey Kispert #24 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs defends during the National Championship game of the 2021 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 05, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images) Getty Images  The Golden State Warriors pivotal offseason starts with the NBA draft on July 29th. A solid result in the draft lottery will see them picking 7th and 14th, high enough to find some decent prospects, but not quite high enough to secure one of the superstar prospects in the 2021 vaunted class. As ever, the Golden State front office will be on the lookout for versatile players who can guard multiple positions, but this past season has shown that they really need players with a high basketball IQ, the ability to create shots for others and make shots themselves, and critically are ready to play a role on a winning team. They will certainly be looking at the trade value of these picks as they set their aims at pursuing another championship during what is left of Stephen Currys prime, but in a deep draft the Warriors should be able to find a couple of prospects who can help augment their veteran core for the next few seasons. Davion Mitchell should be top of the Warriors board at 7  Barring any of the top prospects falling out down the draft order, Baylors lead guard Davion Mitchell should be the first name on the board for the Warriors if theyre taking into account the gaps they have on their roster. Fresh off leading his team to victory in the NCAA championship game over the much-fancied and hitherto unbeaten Gonzaga, Mitchell ticks so many boxes. Hes got all the intangibles that the Warriors love - a winning mentality, competitive spirit, and a tremendous work ethic, as demonstrated by his improvement throughout his college career. At 22 hes ready to contribute right away too. On the court, it all starts with the defense. Mitchell is the best perimeter defender in the draft and an absolute pest for opposing players with his on-ball disruptive energy. Hell pick players up full court, use his strength to body up larger wings on switches, and dive on the floor for loose balls. Off-ball hes got great instincts, playing passing lanes, rotating into position to take charges, and communicating whats next to his teammates. Little wonder he swept the board in the college Defensive Player of the Year awards. The leap for Mitchell though, comes from his offense. This season he burst onto the scene as a lead guard, using his explosiveness off the dribble, improved three-point shooting, and speed in transition to drive Baylor towards the NCAA championship. His shooting percentages tell the story, as jumped up from 40.9% from the field and 32.4% from three in 2019-20 to 51.1% and 44.7% respectively in 2020-21. He also made big strides as a playmaker, dishing out 5.5 assists per game throughout the season. For the Warriors hed plug an instant, and very gaping, hole in their backcourt. Klay Thompson has traditionally guarded quicker, shiftier guards but coming off consecutive ACL and Achilles injuries, his lateral quickness and ability to guard those types of players may well not be the same. Jordan Pooles emergence late in the season already gives the Warriors a classic 6th man type of scoring guard. But defense isnt his forte. Mitchell would instantly give Golden State someone they can count on to hound opposing guards off the bench. Then on offense, together with Poole, the Warriors would have a nice complementary pair of guards on the second unit who can both operate in a playmaking role and still have the dynamism to go get a bucket when they need it. Beyond that Mitchell also has the overall skillset needed on both ends of the floor to play an effective role alongside Curry and Thompson in a small-ball setup. The biggest knock on Mitchell is his size. He measured just 61.25 in shoes, with a 64.25 wingspan, at the draft combine. So hes a bit smaller than some of the archetypes hes often compared to such as Marcus Smart and Jrue Holiday. He does however possess a strong frame and proved in college he could guard up positions, notably frustrating likely number one pick Cade Cunningham on several occasions. For the Warriors though, this might not be such an issue despite their switching scheme on defense. Coming off those injuries, Thompson will have to pick up bigger guards and wings, and the emergence of Wiggins as a very good perimeter defender gives them their primary option against larger wings. Mitchell is good at navigating ball screens if teams try to force switches, and has enough strength and competitiveness to hold up when he is switched onto larger players, as well as quick hands to swipe any lazy dribbles away. But the Warriors wont need him to be the primary defender on those types of players. Where they really need the help is on the types of players Mitchell can excel against. The second question mark is whether that shooting improvement is real, considering Mitchell still only shot 64.1% from the free throw line. That is a concern, but one of the issues with Mitchell is he doesnt get to the line all that much. Indeed he knocked down more than twice as many three pointers (141) at an impressive rate as free throws (64). Whats more, the type of shots he was taking and making matter. Mitchell was pulling out off-the-dribble step-backs and hesitation moves which he honed over his college career thanks to his tremendous work ethic. Hes now effectively a scoring guard on offense rather than a 3-and-D archetype shooting the odd open three. Thats both the kind of genuine improvement that should carry over into the NBA, and the offensive skillset that will enable him to have a very productive career in a league that values guards who can put the ball in the bucket. With the top prospects likely off the board when the Warriors pick, they do have the luxury of going all-in on a player who can actually help them win games next season. They wont find a better fit for that in this draft than Davion Mitchell. While the number seven pick should relatively straightforward, number 14 is more intriguing. They could go several different directions depending who is there. But if theyre taking Mitchell with the 7th pick, it would make sense to go for a wing player to bulk out their rotation. If the Warriors get lucky, Michigans Franz Wagner could be available. As a 6-foot-9 forward with a great feel for the game on both ends, Wagner would be a great fit in Golden State. His defensive awareness and length will get him on the floor straightaway, but hes also got good playmaking instincts on offense. The swing skill is the jumper. Wagner was a little inconsistent last season at only 34.3% from three, but he shot 83.5% from the line, indicating his potential ability. At 19, but with experience playing overseas as well, hes got a nice blend of experience and youth. Indeed, he could be an option at seven though it would be a bit of a reach for a player who projects to top out as a solid role player and doesnt plug that gap the Warriors have in the backcourt. Another option, perhaps more realistic, would be Gonzagas Corey Kispert, who is undoubtedly the best shooter in the lottery. As a 22-year-old senior theres unlikely to be much upside here, but a 6-foot-7 wing who shot 52.9% from the field, 44% from three, and 87.8% from the line and has the frame and strength, if not the footspeed, to not be a liability defensively is a pretty useful player to have on the roster. Indeed given the premium on shooting placed in the modern NBA, and enormous luxury tax bills Golden State are facing, the Warriors are unlikely to be able to find a similar player in free agency with the tools at their disposal. Warriors GM Bob Myers has been clear that shooting is a real need for the Warriors. If Kispert is available at 14 and the Warriors just want another player who can help them win and plug a need on the roster on a cheap cost-controlled contract for four years, then hed be a very solid pick. Theres no denying the Warriors need players who can help them now. But if they keep their two lottery picks they may want to take a bit of a punt on upside with one of them and try and get at least one player who could be a real star in the league. Given they will be prioritizing acquiring veterans in free agency, the reality is the player they take with the 14th pick may well end up being their 14th man. If they are in this space, Stanfords Ziaire Williams is a very intriguing prospect. He came into the NCAA as a highly touted high school player and was expected to be a top-5 prospect in the draft. But despite a promising start his season was disrupted and he struggled to gain traction on his return. Its worth noting that Stanford were also operating under strict COVID protocols and didnt have access to their training facility for part of their season, which hurt a freshman in need of development like Williams. Take a big picture view though, and at just 19-years-old Williams is a terrific prospect if he does tap into his undoubted potential. Hes a big wing (69.25 in shoes), with great length (610.25 wingspan) and agility (he posted the third-best lane agility score at the combine), whos got the building blocks for all the things the Warriors love. Hes got a good feel for the game on both ends, the athleticism and versatility to guard multiple positions, and the ability to make plays for others with his passing and vision. Williams needs time and reps to get his jumpshot falling and continue to learn how to use his versatile skillset effectively. But the stroke doesnt look fundamentally broken and he shot 79.6% from the free throw line in college. Hell probably always be on the thin side, but putting on muscle is something he can work on, and as he gets stronger hell be more able to take contact in the lane and finish rather than resort to an over-reliance on mid-range jumpshots. The Warriors had some success rehabilitating Andrew Wiggins this season, so they might fancy their chances in getting their hands on another talented wing in Williams, but this time much earlier on in his career before any bad habits have become really ingrained. And with his length and intelligence, Williams could find some time on the floor initially as a versatile defender, while focusing on playing more of an off-ball role on offense with his ability to cut and move. The hope for a pick like this is that the Warriors are able to put themselves in a position to contend the next couple of seasons with Mitchell and several veteran signings, before Williams and an improving James Wiseman stretch their window open later into Currys career. Wisemans bumpy first year does provide a cautionary tale, but if Williams can still play a role in his first couple of seasons towards the back-end of their rotation, then that potential reward may well prove a risk worth taking. Whichever direction the Warriors do end up going, they will certainly have some good options to add both immediate help and talent through the 2021 draft as they embark on what they hope will be the final stages of their quest to rebuild a contender.