Five Golden State Warriors 2022 NBA Draft Prospects
Just a week after the Warriors won the franchise’s 7th championship, it’s right back to the drawing board for Bob Myers and the rest of the front office. Golden State has the 28th pick in the 1st round of the 2022 NBA Draft as well as both the 51st and 55th pick in the 2nd round. The basketball grind truly never stops.
Even the best team in the league looks to continue to get better through the draft. Although, no one is sure exactly how it’s going to go down. Maybe Bob Myers trades that 28th pick for future assets or cash consideration? What if he gets some players to stash away in the G-League or over in Europe? Myers could just find someone who can make an immediate impact off the bench. Anything goes at the NBA Draft.
The biggest positional need for the Warriors has to be the center. It is, as of right now, still undecided if Kevon Looney is going to be re-signing with the team. James Wiseman will be coming back from his season long hiatus so it’s going to be some time until we get the full potential of the former #2 pick. The Dubs most definitely need to add some more size and rim protection before the start of next season.
Besides the 5 spot, an NBA team like the Dubs could always use more depth out on the wing. All teams need more versatile and long perimeter defenders who can also stretch out the floor with their shooting ability. You can find a lot of that in this year’s draft class.
Here are a few names to keep an eye on as you tune into the 2022 NBA Draft on ESPN at 8 PM ET tonight.
1) Walker Kessler - 7’1” center, Auburn
2021-2022 stats: 11.4 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 1.1 SPG, 60.8 FG%
Kessler was named the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year in his lone season at Auburn. Besides Chet Holmgren, Walker is the best rim protector you can find in the draft. He averaged 4.6 BPG thanks to his 7’5” wingspan and has a good feel offensively around the rim as well. Kessler is someone that could provide a boost off the bench for the Warriors right away in his rookie campaign.
2) Christian Koloko - 7’1” center, Arizona
2021-2022 stats: 12.6 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 2.8 BPG, 1.4 APG, 63.5 FG%
Koloko has grown bigger and stronger since he stepped onto campus in Tucson. The PAC-12 Defensive Player of the Year turned into a more complete player and showed he can now make an impact on both ends of the floor. The Warriors really could get the most out of the former Wildcat if they ended up drafting him.
3) Orlando Robinson - 6’11” center, Fresno State
2021-2022 stats: 19.4 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 2.9 APG, 1.2 BPG, 1.0 SPG
One of the more underrated players in this year’s draft. Robinson has excellent offensive skills near the rim. He possibly contains the best collection of post moves you can find in this 2022 class. Towards the end of the season, Orlando showed off his improved three-point shooting and his more polished pull-up game. If he continues working on his all-around offensive game, fans could be looking back at this draft and be talking about what a steal Robinson was.
4) Nikola Jovic - 6’10” forward, Mega Mozzart
2021-2022 stats: 11.7 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 3.4 APG
Jovic looks to be the most intriguing and one of the best international prospects in this year’s draft. Crazy part? He’s only 18 years old with a lot of room to grow. The Serbian has a high basketball IQ and loves to play out on the perimeter. This could be a situation where the Warriors tell him to keep playing in Europe, continue to improve on his defensive abilities, and bring him back to the states sometime in the future. Drafting and stashing an international player isn’t a bad way to go if you're the Warriors.
5) Patrick Baldwin - 6’10” forward, Wisconsin-Milwaukee
2021-2022 stats: 12.1 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 1.5 APG
Baldwin was one of the top recruits coming out of high school but did have a disappointing season when it came to his shooting percentage (34.4 FG%, 26.6 3P%). Regardless, he has a special NBA body and frame that would be hard to turn down. Patrick’s high release on his jump shot makes it very tough for opposing defenders to block/guard. He can score in bunches and really spaces out the floor well. Baldwin seems to fit the exact mold of what the Warriors are looking for in a young prospect.
Follow Arden Cravalho on Twitter @a_cravalho.
(Photo credit: NBAE / Getty Images)