The NBA’s regular season, at some point soon, will be declared over, cementing the Warriors’ place at the bottom of the standings and guaranteeing them a top-five pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, likely to be held in September.
Once official, Bob Myers will be delivered the best piece of draft capital in his general managerial career. This draft isn’t loaded with can’t-miss talent up top, but Myers’ previous highest pick — seventh overall in 2012, used to select Harrison Barnes — wasn’t of greater value. Only one player taken between seven and 30 that year (Andre Drummond, selected ninth) has made an All-Star team.
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Myers’ reputation isn’t riding on this pick. He could whiff it completely, the Warriors’ core could age rapidly, they could tumble into a long rebuild and, still, Myers will be remembered as one of the steadiest hands constructing and later guiding an all-time NBA run. His place in history is cemented. When the definitive dynasty documentary is made, the figures who matter will lavish him with praise.
Personality management is his largest strength. He’s expert at it and, rather obviously, that’s been of far greater need for the Warriors the past half-decade than a reclusive general manager who aces every draft pack. When chasing titles, it’s more important to ease tension among stars, glue together a locker room and cultivate positive communication between ownership and coaches than find someone with the 28th pick who can become the eighth man in a rotation.
But he does now face a test that’s more common to the revolving door of front office frontmen around the league. Lottery picks, particularly top-five picks, are judged quickly and fiercely. Missing at pick 30 isn’t missing at pick 2, especially if pick 3 becomes a franchise-changer. Ask the Kings about the Marvin Bagley over Luka Dončić decision less than 24 months back.
There probably isn’t a Dončić in this draft. But there could be. Trading the pick might be the wisest option. But it might not. The decision won’t be simple and won’t be made solely by Myers, who delegates work across his department. But, as the countdown to a still to be determined draft night continues, let’s look at the franchise’s draft history in the Myers era, ranking the picks from best to worse.
1. Draymond Green — 35th overall, 2012 draft
If you even get a capable rotation piece in the second round, that’s a notable hit. You’ll see that further down this list, when we get to Eric Paschall, Patrick McCaw and Jordan Bell. But a multi-time All-Star? A Defensive Player of the Year? A fringe Hall of Famer? That’s when you get into most valuable draft pick of the decade territory.
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In the 2010s, only four second-rounders made an All-Star team: Green, Isaiah Thomas, Nikola Jokić and Khris Middleton. Green is easily the most accomplished of the four. Jokić is the only one with a legit chance to surpass him as best second-round pick of the decade.
2. Klay Thompson — 11th overall, 2011 draft
I’m cheating a bit here. Myers was hired in April of 2011, a couple of months before the Thompson draft, but only as an assistant GM, under Larry Riley. The 2012 draft, which he aced, was technically his first as the lead man in charge.
But I’m beginning the Myers era as the moment he was hired, considering everyone involved knew he was being groomed as the successor. In the draft room, even in 2011, what he said carried weight. He was an influential voice in what proved to be the second of three franchise-altering picks.
That subsection of the 2011 draft proved to be loaded. Kemba Walker went ninth. Markieff and Marcus Morris went 13th and 14th. Kawhi Leonard went 15th. Nikola Vučević went 16th. If getting Thompson at 11 was an A+, I guess you could argue Leonard there would’ve been an A++ for the Warriors. But there’s never been a moment of second-guessing of the Thompson pick from the franchise or its fan base.
3. Harrison Barnes — 7th overall, 2012 draft
The highest pick of Myers’ career wasn’t a home run, but it was at least a line drive in the gap. Here were the next seven players drafted after Barnes: Terrence Ross, Andre Drummond, Austin Rivers, Meyers Leonard, Jeremy Lamb, Kendall Marshall and John Henson.
Of them, Drummond’s the only one to have a better career. The Warriors thought about taking him, but opted against it after a bad pre-draft workout. They’d also traded for Andrew Bogut a few months prior. A wing like Barnes made more sense than a center and still does in retrospect.
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Barnes plays such an unspectacular game and, in his own draft class, was outperformed by a man the Warriors drafted 28 picks later. Plus, the final vision the fan base has of him was that dud of a 2016 Finals, making only five of his 32 shots in those final three losses, when a few open makes here or there might’ve meant a title.
Combined together, that’s made his Warriors’ tenure underrated, his impact on the early arc of the legendary run overshadowed. Barnes was durable, relatively productive in a supplemental role and low-maintenance. Without him, the Death Lineup isn’t fully unlocked. He’s not Andre Iguodala or Green. But his ability to both bruise with power forwards and switch onto guards was an under-told necessity in that five-man unit.
He was cast away to make room for Kevin Durant because, well, obviously, but I’m not sure the Warriors rise to the level they did to win a title and steal Durant away from the Thunder if Barnes isn’t the boring but stabilizing 30-minutes per night role player he quickly became. There’s not a player taken after Barnes in the 2012 first round who would’ve fit better.
4. Eric Paschall — 41st overall, 2019 draft
Too early to declare Paschall this high on the list? Probably. Remember when we thought Jordan Bell, after his rookie season, was the small-ball center of the future? Or Patrick McCaw, after his rookie season, was ready to step into the Iguodala role? Even Iguodala thought that!
Their second seasons … didn’t go quite as well. The promise sputtered quickly. Maybe Paschall, in an entirely different and much more challenging role on a presumed winner, will suffer a similar fate. Adjustments and improvements to his game are needed. A semi-reliable 3-point shot would take him to the next level.
So Kevon Looney should probably be above Paschall on the list. He’s done way more. But sometimes we’re prisoners of the moment and, at this moment, Paschall’s contract and future look so appealing. At a time when finances are tight, the Warriors only owe him a combined $3.2 million the next two seasons and have control of him in restricted free agency after that. He’s a projected rotation piece deep into the 2020s.
5. Kevon Looney — 30th overall, 2015 draft
This initially looked like Myers’ first big whiff. After the 2012 blockbuster of a draft, the Warriors didn’t have a pick in 2013 or 2014. Then they had the best record in the league, delivering them the 30th pick in 2015. Myers took a chance on Looney, who had projected lottery talent, but was red-flagged because of a hip issue.
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That was a proper warning. In his first two professional seasons, Looney would get major surgery on both hips. By the time they’d need to pick up his fourth-year option, he hadn’t proven anything. They declined it, basically deeming it a failed pick.
But just as his Warriors’ career was heading toward an expected flame out, he shed 25 pounds and stayed healthy long enough to stunningly become the team’s best center for two straight seasons, earning an extra minimum contract and then parlaying that into a three-year, $15 million deal last summer that, at the time, was considered below his market value.
The problem: Injuries have arrived on his doorstep again, threatening to derail his career before the age of 25. Next season is huge for his future. But even if he’s never the same, he’s already done enough to be deemed as a success at the 30th overall pick.
But … here’s a what-if: Montrezl Harrell was taken two picks after Looney. Josh Richardson was selected eight slots after that. There was some gold to be found in that range.
6. Jordan Bell — 38th overall, 2017 draft
7. Patrick McCaw — 38th overall, 2016 draft
Grouping these two together for obvious reasons. Utilizing Joe Lacob’s extreme aggression, the Warriors bought both of these picks on draft night — McCaw from the Bucks, Bell from the Bulls — identifying each as veteran college prospects they believed could step right in and help. They were correct.
McCaw appeared in 71 games as a rookie and had his moment in his first Finals, making several huge second-half plays in the Game 5 clincher over the Cavaliers. Bell appeared in 125 games his first two seasons and had more substantial playoff moments than McCaw. He actually started Game 1 of the 2019 Finals and proved to be a big small-ball factor in that seven-game conference finals battle against the Rockets back in 2018.
McCaw might’ve lasted with the Warriors, but he opted against even trying, power-playing his way out of town in one of the stranger restricted free agency negotiations in recent memory. Bell didn’t get that chance. After a disappointing second season, low-lighted by the infamous hotel incident in Memphis, the Warriors let him free this past summer, opting against him being part of the rebuild.
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Still: They got enough playoff production out of each to deem them as wins at the 38th overall pick.
8. Festus Ezeli — 30th overall, 2012 draft
In a five-year span, the Warriors took three centers with the 30th pick. Looney was the best among them. Damian Jones worked out the worst. Ezeli sat right in the middle.
It might’ve been better. Ezeli seemed to be developing. His third season, he averaged seven points, five rebounds and more than a block per game. That’s terrific for a young bench center, a sign of promising things to come.
But that season ended with him being dragged onto the Finals stage and picked on in isolation by LeBron James until Steve Kerr could no longer play him. In an alternate reality, that might’ve been a useful teaching moment in Ezeli’s rise. It instead was his final moment on an NBA floor.
Left knee trouble ended Ezeli’s career prematurely. But before departing, he signed a two-year, $16 million deal with the Blazers. Only the first season was guaranteed and that’s all he’d get, never playing a game in Portland. But that large contract showed the large potential many believed he had, if the knee held up.
9. Jordan Poole — 28th overall, 2019 draft
If this past season was a normal Warriors season, Poole would’ve barely played. He would’ve spent most of his time in Santa Cruz, developing in a low-stress environment. But injuries forced him onto the NBA court and his inefficient performance — 33.3 percent, worst among all players who took at least 200 shots — proved he wasn’t ready.
That in no way, yet, makes this a bust of a draft pick. He showed some flashes in the final month, exuding more confidence after a successful stint in the G League and given more freedom as a backup point guard instead of an off-ball shooter.
Maybe he’ll develop well in the years to come and rise a few notches up this board. Or maybe the Warriors will come to wish they drafted someone else, maybe Kevin Porter, taken two picks later, with this late first-round selection.
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10. Alen Smailagić — 39th overall, 2019 draft
Smailagić will be graded on a steeper curve than most other 39th overall picks. The Warriors, who invested in him as a project back before he was even draft-eligible, traded away their 2021 and 2023 second-rounders just to slide into this spot and take him before they believed the Kings were going to grab him at 40th overall.
It’s too early to form an opinion. Smailagić hasn’t turned 20 yet. He was productive in the G League but lost on the NBA court as a rookie. This summer was important for his development, but because of the country’s current circumstances, he’s not getting the needed instruction and experience.
The Warriors have him under contract control for three more seasons at the minimum, but the final two seasons aren’t guaranteed. We’ll see where it goes.
11. Ognjen Kuzmić — 52nd overall, 2012 draft
The final of four Warriors picks in that 2012 draft, Kuzmić didn’t exactly complete the grand slam. But whatever. A miss at 52 is like your pitcher (as a hitter) striking out against Clayton Kershaw. Did you really expect anything else?
Kuzmić’s career stats: 37 games, spread over two seasons, only 164 total minutes and 35 career points. But he does have a championship ring from 2015.
12. Damian Jones — 30th overall, 2016 draft
After it was assumed that the Looney pick didn’t work out (though it later did), Myers used the same formula in an attempt to find his eventual starting center a year later. Using the 30th pick, he drafted an intriguing prospect attached to a medical red flag.
Jones had torn his pec in the pre-draft process, which basically wiped away his rookie season. But he was a mega athlete the Warriors believed they could develop. They never really did, despite giving Jones substantial opportunity as a starter.
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There was a moment in time where it appeared it might work. Jones won the starting job with an encouraging October 2018 preseason. He had a few strong performances in the first month. But in the season’s 24th game, while still trying to discover if something was there, he tore his other pec. They traded him in the offseason.
The notable alternative universes: Pascal Siakam nearly fell to 30 in that draft. The Raptors got him at 27. Malcolm Brogdon was taken 36th. Ivica Zubac, a center who has developed better than Jones, was taken 32nd.
13. Jacob Evans — 28th overall, 2018 draft
Utilizing Green as a scout during the pre-draft process — when he famously made the distinction between 82-game players and 16-game players — all the noise coming out of the Warriors’ camp was about their desire to go find an immediate contributor, even if the long-term upside wasn’t massive.
They found neither in the Jacob Evans pick. He didn’t help right away and hasn’t developed much since. The Warriors gave up quickly, attaching his contract to the D’Angelo Russell for Andrew Wiggins swap as a way to slide under the luxury tax.
What could have been: Landry Shamet was taken just two picks before Evans. Devonte’ Graham, who hit 218 3-pointers this past season, was selected six picks after. There’s a contingent within the Warriors who still moan that Mitchell Robinson, taken 38th in that draft, wasn’t the selection at 28. That’d be quite the current roster addition.
(Photo: Brandon Dill / Associated Press)
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