The Golden State Warriors just might be able to find their way in the Western Conference playoffs after having a top-three pick in last year's NBA Draft and even after the injury to Klay Thompson.
The Warriors took Memphis center James Wiseman with the second overall pick in the draft, and while that hasn't turned out terribly, they could've taken guard LaMelo Ball and had one of the most talented backcourts in the NBA.
Did the Warriors screw up? Probably, and here's why.
Wiseman is talented, that's never been an issue. He's 7-foot-1 and can shoot at a high clip. He's averaging 12.2 points with 6.1 rebounds while shooting 50 percent from the field and 40 from beyond the arc.
This was my favorite play from James Wiseman last night. Fake DHO into a score, leveraging his size and mobility.
Hope we see more of it: pic.twitter.com/BjxHaXZ0BA
— Jackson Frank (@jackfrank_jjf) December 23, 2020
However, Wiseman got moved to the bench after Steve Kerr added Kevon Looney due to his defense, and that can't be a good sign for the Warriors. Stephen Curry has done the bulk of the work as Andrew Wiggins and Kelly Oubre Jr. haven't lived up to expectations, and Draymond Green isn't scoring at a high-level.
Sure, he can stretch the floor and hit shots, but especially after the loss of Thompson for the season the easy choice was Ball.
While Wiseman should last quite some time in the league, maybe the Warriors regret not taking Ball and having one of the best guard duos in the league, even without Thompson.
The thought of Ball and Curry is exciting, and their ability to pass and score at high levels would've caused fits for opposing teams, and with the performances of Wiggins and Oubre Jr. so far this season, the Warriors might be regretting not selecting Ball.
Ball has been brought along slowly and has played most of the games off the bench as James Borrego fails to release the star point guard, but due to recent injuries of Terry Rozier and now Devonte' Graham, Ball has been thrown into the starting lineup and has done wonders.
Ball is averaging 13.6 points with 5.8 rebounds and six assists per game through the first chunk of the year, and as time goes by he's only going to get better.
https://twitter.com/LegionHoops/status/1358492959612702721?s=20
His 3-point shooting isn't what it could be at just 33 percent, but it's improving as the season progresses, and having a guy like Steph leading the offense would've allowed so many open looks for Ball.
Everybody knows how good Curry is, and Green has done a terrific job with the ball in his hands as well, and what the Warriors lack most is a secondary scorer besides Curry.
Enter Ball, or so we thought.
The Warriors selection of Wiseman could definitely pan out as he continues to get his legs under him, but the injury and loss of Klay for the season made the hole at guard obvious, and the Warriors are watching LaMelo grow and make highlight-reel plays on a daily basis.
LaMelo Ball just casually throwing this ridiculous pass pic.twitter.com/doJYjFOdbh
— Jacob Rude (@JacobRude) December 20, 2020
The Warriors and Hornets could end up making the playoffs in their respective conferences, but the Warriors' lack of secondary scoring could've been easily resolved with Ball, and the selection of Wiseman seems like a huge mistake for the franchise.
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