The Golden State Warriors will have a first-round selection for the third time in the past six years with the 28th overall pick, but it was six years ago that the franchise made one of their most important additions.
The 2012 NBA Draft had a chest box of picks — two in the first round and two in the second — producing the likes of Harrison Barnes (seventh overall) and another cog who has managed to propel this current roster to three championships in Draymond Green (35th overall).
Bob Myers, an agent-turned-executive had his first test of front office savvy and aced it during combine workouts; marveling at a pudgy, yet feisty, competitive player with no clear position on the court — one thing though, was plenty clear — he won consistently, no matter the group he played with.
“You couldn’t help but notice him,” Myers said of Green, according to Connor LeTourneau of The San Francisco Chronicle. “You couldn’t help but notice that his team won every game, that he was the loudest. He had a passion. He had leadership.”
Six years removed from that workout, Green is now a reigning Defensive Player of the Year, a three-time All-Star and has fueled this roster to three NBA championships in the last four years.
While many of his teammates have gone on vacation, Green remains at Golden State’s practice facility, in hopes to help the front office find another draft gem.
The Warriors have gone for defensive-minded prospects in the past two years, buying second-round picks in Patrick McCaw (2016) and Jordan Bell (2017) — and they're expected to do so again this Thursday, expected to pounce on Ohio State senior Kenta Bates-Diop, a defensive stalwart who also possesses a deft offensive game, averaging 19.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, 0.9 steal, and 1.6 blocks per game in his last season as a Buckeye.
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