The Golden State Warriors nearly had their Tim Duncan-Spurs moment this year. Just like the Spurs in 1997, they were a good team that lost major players to injury and landed a top pick in the NBA Draft. However, unlike the Spurs, there is no bona fide generational talent at the top of this draft.
On the daily Locked On Warriors Podcast, host Wes Goldberg answers listeners' questions on the Warriors and the NBA Draft. Goldberg discusses the pros and cons of the Warriors drafting LaMelo Ball with the No. 2 pick:
Wes Golberg: The argument for Golden State drafting LaMelo Ball is that the Warriors need ball handling. They need playmaking in a real way and LaMelo Ball is the best playmaker in this draft according to some experts. Now, I would still put Tyrese Haliburton over LaMelo Ball. LaMelo Ball is definitely flashier, but I trust Halliburton on a possession-by-possession basis more than I trust Ball to make decisions. That said, you can't deny that LaMelo Ball has this generational playmaking talent. I don't know that he's going to be able to tap into that talent with Golden State.
My concern with him is that defensively it's just not there right now. I don't know that he is going to improve on that end, even though he does have the tools. Then the shooting is a real issue. The guy can't shoot from 3-point range. So you're going to be, sacrificing a lot of spacing, you're gonna be sacrificing a lot on the defensive end. For those reasons, especially on defense, I don't know that he could play next to Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, especially next to Steph, who you're giving up enough defensively, as it is.
I think when you talk about guys that you're going to pair on the perimeter with Steph Curry, it's guys like Shaun Livingston, Andre Iguodala, and Klay Thompson who are all positive defenders. I think that's what you're looking for here. Now, is there enough potential for the Warriors to draft LaMelo Ball? Yeah, absolutely, but again, I don't know that immediately he's going to get enough playing time in Golden State to eventually tap into that potential. He is a guy who needs the ball to be great and he's not gonna have all the time in Golden State. So I don't love the fit with a LaMelo Ball.
That said, on Chad Ford's podcast, Chad Ford's NBA Big Board, you can find that on the Locked On Podcast Network, he loves LaMelo Ball's fit in Golden State. He came on this podcast a couple of months ago and almost talked me into it. The more I look at it I just don't see it, because if you can't play him next to Steph Curry, then you're basically bringing him off the bench. If Steph's playing 30 minutes per game or even more, then you're really only looking at 18 minutes per game for LaMelo Ball. Is that enough for him as a rookie to really get better and develop? I don't know. I don't think it is.
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