NBA Mock Draft: Wolves take Minn native, Rockets get lucky

There are several players I’ve mocked to the Golden State Warriors in my mock drafts this draft cycle – but by far my favorite player here is Josh Giddey – the international guard/wing that impressed with his basketball knowledge, passing, and versatility in the NBL this past season.

NBA Mock Draft: Golden State Warriors take Josh Giddey

For a large part of the year, the Warriors secondary playmaker was Brad Wanamaker. And put simply – that just is not going to cut it for a team with playoff aspirations. Giddey, a full 6-foot-8, can play either on or off ball as a great playmaker, proactively creating buckets for his teammates – and should really excel given the off-ball dominance that both Klay Thompson and Steph Curry consistently have.

Steve Kerr didn’t quite get the most out of James Wiseman like I believed he would – and they really missed out by passing on LaMelo Ball. In this scenario, they don’t even get to keep the Timberwolves selection.

That said, Giddey is a pro-ready player that should have a clear and defined role from the jump. With the talent that Golden State has / would have, there should be no excuses as to missing the playoffs this coming season.

There are other players that the Warriors could consider here, though – such as Tre Mann out of Florida. Mann would be more of an upside play, and is a good all-aroudn score-first guard. He doesn’t bring as much proactive passing, but would be fine as a secondary/tertiary ball-handler.

Another player that would make sense here is Ziaire Williams – who doesn’t fit the playmaking role – but could very well become a three and D wing in the long term.