When the 2023 NBA Draft is held on June 22 at Barclays Center, the Golden State Warriors will have the 19th overall pick and will be looking to add to their pool of youthful talent.
Nearly every day, draft boards change, making it tough to predict who will be available with the Warriors’ 19th choice. Additionally, the prospect of the team dealing the choice in exchange for more seasoned players is still present.
The Golden State Warriors might not have access to athletic big man Derek Lively II after getting a close-up look at him during the past two weeks.
For months, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer predicted that the Warriors would draft center Derek Lively II from Duke with their first-round choice. But O’Connor thinks the 7’1′′ big man has risen up the rankings and may be beyond the Warriors’ reach after working out with Golden State earlier this month.
O’Connor sees the Oklahoma City Thunder selecting Lively with the 12th overall pick in the most recent revision of his mock draft. If the truth is even remotely similar, Golden State would have to trade up to secure the 19-year-old’s services.
O’Connor now has the Warriors selecting Colby Jones, a two-way wing who is more likely to be a significant contributor in the near future. O’Connor compares Jones to Malcolm Brogdon, the 2017 NBA Rookie of the Year, who has three years of experience in college playing for the Xavier Musketeers.
After displaying significant improvement throughout his junior season, Jones has steadily moved up the draft rankings. Over the course of his three seasons, the 6’6″ wing averaged 7.7, 11.6, and 15 points per game. In 2022–2023, the wing improved his three-point shooting from 29.2% to 37.3%.
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Jones also put up averages of 4.4 assists, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.3 steals in a versatile performance that may immediately make an impact at the NBA level. Despite his increase in three-point shooting, the majority still see his jump shot as needing significant work if he enters the league.
The Warriors have three first-round picks from the previous two years; they selected forward Patrick Baldwin Jr. with the 28th overall pick in 2022 and guard Jonathan Kuminga with the lottery pick in 2021.
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