Top 10 GSW Draft Prospects To Keep An Eye On During NCAA Tourney
Despite having one of the best runs of draft picks in modern NBA history – Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green in a span of four years, turning into the core of a team competing for its fourth championship in five years – the Golden State Warriors have been mediocre at best at finding and developing young talent during their championship contending years.
Their best draft pick since 2012, Patrick McCaw with the 38th pick in 2016, signed with the Raptors on Jan. 10 after he and the Warriors were unable to find a middle ground.
This is not uncommon with championship teams, who often don’t have the time, energy or draft capital to be able to groom young players into anything more than quality 15-minute-a-game bench unit guys or back-and-forth G Leaguers. Kawhi Leonard, drafted with the 15th pick and ending up on the Spurs through a trade, is one of the lone exceptions of a team developing a star player to carry the torch for aging superstars.
The Warriors are not there yet – their core four are all in the heart of their primes – but without more success finding help in the draft, they will get shorter and shorter on useful rotation players, of which they will already be lacking if Kevin Durant leaves this summer.
Bob Myers and co. will need to begin hitting on draft prospects, and much like with Curry, Green and even Jordan Bell – all of whom led their teams to the Elite Eight – some prospects’ performance in the Tournament will be the difference in being the 30th pick and the 15th pick, undrafted or going late in the first round.
Let’s take a look at 10 prospects the Warriors should be looking at as potential draft picks during the NCAA Tournament.
Grant Williams
The leader of the No. 2 seed Tennessee Volunteers, Williams fits all the Warriors’ parameters: experienced, high IQ, great passer, great shooter and someone who has performed best against the best. Williams has averaged 19 points, eight rebounds and three assists this season while shooting well over 50 percent from the field, and put up two 20-point games against Kentucky and a 16-12 double-double in a win over No. 1 seed Gonzaga. He also had a 43-point performance, fit with a 23-25 clip from the free-throw line, in an OT win over Vanderbilt. If not for Zion Williamson, Williams would have a shot at being the AP Player of the Year.
With the potential losses of Kevin Durant, Demarcus Cousins and Kevon Looney this offseason, not to mention the impending retirement of Andre Iguodala, a talented and savvy forward the likes of the 6-foot-8 Williams should be a priority for the front office.
Look for Williams to get opportunities late in the Tournament, as the Volunteers have Final Four potential.
He may end up being above the Warriors’ range, but if not he would be a perfect fit.
Brandon Clarke
One of three Gonzaga prospects in the Warriors’ reach, Brandon Clarke has possibly been the No.1 seed’s most important player this season. Averaging 16.5 points, the 6-foot-8 Clarke is most noted for his rim protection, logging three blocks a game to go along with eight rebounds and 1.2 steals. He has put up a ridiculous 55.4 net rating and 37.2 PER, and has led the Bulldogs to a 30-3 record including a win over Duke, during which he helped hold RJ Barrett and Zion Williamson to 17-42 shooting, which, compared to Zion’s almost 70 percent clip and Barrett’s 46 percent mark – while they only shot a combined five threes – is a huge accomplishment.
Matisse Thybulle
Thybulle just broke Gary Payton’s Pac-12 record for steals, averaging 3.4 this season to go along with two blocks. The versatile 6’5” guard-forward is a defensive stopper for the Huskies, who won the Pac-12 regular season title and are a No. 9 seed in the Tournament, their first Tournament appearance since Isaiah Thomas hit a game-winning shot to beat Arizona in the Pac-12 tourney. Thybulle will get a nice test in the first round against Mountain West Player of the Year Sam Merrill. He has a lot of growth to succeed as an offensive option, but his defensive prowess and size coming from the backcourt would be well-received.
Zylan Cheatham
The engine of the No. 11 seeded Arizona State, who won their way into the tournament against St. Johns in the First Four, has a unique enough skill set to be a fit for the Dubs. The 6-foot-8, explosive forward has averaged a double-double this season with 11.8 points and 10 rebounds, along with three assists and a 54 percent shooting clip. Along with having potential as a low-volume distance shooter, Cheatham is a great defensive talent and should be available at the end of the second round. Did I mention he’s an incredible dunker?
Caleb Martin
The best twin prospects since the Morrises, Caleb is the more pro-ready of the Martin twins on No. 7 seed Nevada.
Martin was the Mountain West Conference Player of the Year in 2017-18, and has averaged 19 points and five rebounds in the last two seasons since transferring from NC State. Martin is a defensive force, leading his team in steals and being only one off the lead in blocks while leading Nevada in three-pointers made this season. He is a definite 3-and-D player who could be an Alfonzo McKinnie-type, but with even more potential.
Miye Oni
As the best player on Yale, who has an upset-laden future with a matchup against a reeling LSU team in the round of 64, expect to hear a lot more about Miye Oni.
The Ivy League Player of the Year is a rare prospect from the Ivies. Oni has averaged 17.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists with 39 percent three-point shooting. For a team full of extremely high-IQ basketball players, the 6-foot-6 guard would be a nice fit for the Dubs.
Cameron Johnson
The Bob Myers-Warriors have an affinity for versatile North Carolina forwards. They have drafted Harrison Barnes and James Michael McAdoo and Cameron Johnson could be the next on that great list.
The 6’9” senior has led the Tar Heels with 16.9 points and 1.2 steals this season to go along with 5.8 rebounds. He scored 25 in a December win against Gonzaga and averaged 21 in three games against Duke. He will have an opportunity to raise his stock with a good showing deep in the tournament for the No. 1 seed, which could put him out of the Warriors’ reach. Regardless, he may be available at the end of the first round.
Killian Tillie
Tillie, projected to be one of – if not the best – Gonzaga’s best players coming into the season has missed most of it due to injuries. He is now back and fully healthy for the Bulldogs’ title run, and the 6-foot-10 junior should show off his offensive skill set, which features a career 46 percent three-point shooting average and an incredible defensive rating and box plus-minus. Tillie could be a key for Gonzaga to take home its first national championship, and a great stretch forward perfect for today’s NBA.
Kenny Wooten
Wooten is a favorite of Bill Walton’s, as he showed during the Pac-12 semifinal when Wooten showed off with a big dunk and an even bigger block, helping fly the Ducks into the NCAA Tournament where the 12 seed will face off with slow and steady Wisconsin.
Wooten is a great defensive talent, averaging 2.3 blocks for his career along with a solid 63 percent shooting clip.
Markus Howard
Take away Zion Williamson and Markus Howard has been the most impressive D-I basketball player this season. Some guys can just score, and he is one of them. There was another guy like that who took the basketball world by storm 11 years ago. Howard is averaging 25 points per game with over 40 percent three-point shooting on eight threes a game, with four rebounds, four assists and 1.1 steals, leading him to the Big East Player of the Year and the Marquette Eagles to the No. 5 seed. Howard will face off with Ja Morant, a top-five lock and Russell Westbrook comparable, in the first round. Whoever wins that battle will likely live to fight another day, and a victory for Howard will no doubt raise his draft stock. But if not, the Warriors should look into him as a guy behind Steph, another player who was deemed too small and too positionless, to take the load off, as they have struggled to find scoring options from the second unit.