Mar 9, 2023; Greensboro, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils center Dereck Lively II (1) dunks the ball against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the first half of the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament at Greensboro Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
The Warriors struggled to find the optimal blend of young talent and veterans in their rotation this season. The No. 19 pick in the NBA Draft gives them another chance to get it right.
After winning the 2022 NBA Championship, it seemed like the Warriors were pulling off their two timelines approach to perfection. The talent and experience of Draymond Green, Steph Curry, Andrew Wiggins and Klay Thompson kept them in the championship hunt. The rising talent of younger contributors like Jordan Poole, Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody and James Wiseman would help them stretch their dynasty into the next era.
However, it didn’t work out as expected with Moody falling out of the rotation, Kuminga chafing under his role, Wiseman struggling so much he was eventually traded and Poole completely imploding in the playoffs. It sounds like the Warriors are going to try and run it back next season with the same structure but the No. 19 pick is a chance to address what was missing, and find the right mix.
Perfect NBA Draft picks for the Golden State Warriors: 3. Dereck Lively II
Lively has been connected with the Warriors in multiple mock drafts and he does make a certain bit of sense for them. He’s almost certainly going to be available in the range in which they’re selecting and, as a 7-foot-1 big man with an enormous wingspan, strong rim protection skills and vertical spacing potential he could be both a defensive anchor and a solid pick-and-roll partner.
My question is how essential the Warriors feel those skills are, given the way they play, the likelihood that Lively needs a season or two to develop into someone they can trust in high-leverage situations and the fact that a similar bet on James Wiseman just flamed out spectacularly. (To be fair, Lively is a MUCH better defensive prospect than Wiseman was, if more limited overall because of less offensive versatility).
Lively feels like a safe pick that could pay dividends. But if it pays off it would probably be paying off mostly on a post-Steph Curry timeline and I think it’s more likely the Warriors try to get creative instead.